Ginseng is the root of plants in the genus Panax, such as Korean ginseng, South China ginseng, and American ginseng, typically characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin.
The panacea, named after the Greek goddess of universal remedy Panacea, is any supposed remedy that is claimed to cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. It was in the past sought by alchemists as a connection to the elixir of life and the philosopher's stone, a mythical substance which would enable the transmutation of common metals into gold.
Eleutherococcus senticosus is a species of small, woody shrub in the family Araliaceae native to Northeastern Asia. It may be colloquially called devil's bush, Siberian ginseng, eleuthero, ciwujia, Devil's shrub, shigoka, touch-me-not, wild pepper, or kan jang. E. senticosus has a history of use in folklore and traditional Chinese medicine. Root extracts of E. senticosus are sold as a dietary supplement or cosmetic, usually under the name Siberian ginseng.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum, also called jiaogulan is a dioecious, herbaceous climbing vine of the family Cucurbitaceae widely distributed in South and East Asia as well as New Guinea. Jiaogulan has recently been incorporated into traditional medicine, although there is no evidence-based medicine that demonstrates any effects on human health.
Panax pseudoginseng is a species of the genus Panax. Common names include Pseudoginseng, Nepal ginseng, and Himalayan ginseng. Pseudoginseng belongs to the same scientific genus as ginseng. In Latin, the word panax means "cure-all", and the family of ginseng plants is one of the best-known herbs. Panax pseudoginseng is not an adaptogen like the better known Panax species, but it is famous as a hemostatic herb that both invigorates and builds blood.
Pseudostellaria heterophylla, known commonly as Hai Er Shen, Tai Zi Shen, and false starwort, is an adaptogen in the Caryophyllaceae family that is used in Chinese medicine and herbalism to tonify the qi and generate yin fluids. It is known as the "ginseng of the lungs". The plant is a low growing plant of the pink family that is grown in Southern China in the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Shanxi.
Aralioideae is a subfamily of flowering plants contains around 50 recognized genera. These include the genus Panax, to which ginseng belongs. Other notable species are the Angelica-tree, the devil's club, or common ivy.
Alternaria panax is a plant pathogen, who causes Alternaria blight of Ginseng.
Cold-fx is a product derived from the roots of North American ginseng. It was formulated by Jacqueline Shan and originally manufactured by her company, Afexa Life Sciences, which was acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals in 2011.
Ginsenosides or panaxosides are a class of natural product steroid glycosides and triterpene saponins. Compounds in this family are found almost exclusively in the plant genus Panax (ginseng), which has a long history of use in traditional medicine that has led to the study of pharmacological effects of ginseng compounds. As a class, ginsenosides exhibit a large variety of subtle and difficult-to-characterize biological effects when studied in isolation.
Panax vietnamensis or Vietnamese ginseng is a species of the ginseng genus Panax. In Vietnam the species, prized in herbal medicine, is commercially very valuable and now considered threatened.
Panaxatriol is an organic compound characterizing a group of ginsenosides. It is a dammarane-type tetracyclic triterpene sapogenin found in ginseng and in notoginseng. It is formed by the dehydration of protopanaxatriol.
Protopanaxadiol (PPD) is an organic compound characterizing a group of ginsenosides. It is a dammarane-type tetracyclic terpene sapogenin found in ginseng and in notoginseng.
Protopanaxatriol (PPT) is an organic compound characterizing a group of ginsenosides. It is a dammarane-type tetracyclic triterpene sapogenins found in ginseng and in notoginseng.
Panaxytriol is a fatty alcohol found in ginseng.
American ginseng is a herbaceous perennial plant in the ivy family, commonly used as Chinese or traditional medicine. It is native to eastern North America, though it is also cultivated in China. Since the 18th century, American ginseng has been primarily exported to Asia, where it is highly valued for perceived superior quality and sweet taste.
Pseudoginsenoside F11 is a chemical natural product found in American ginseng but not in Asian ginseng, although it has similar properties to the Asian ginseng compound ginsenoside Rf. The molecule is a triterpenoid saponin member of the dammarane family and contains a four-ring rigid skeleton. Compounds in the ginsenoside family are found almost exclusively in plants of the genus Panax, which have long histories of use in traditional medicine; a wide variety of difficult-to-characterize biological effects have been reported for the compounds in isolation. Pseudoginsenoside F11 and its derivatives are sometimes referred to as having an ocotillol-type skeleton structure.
