Xi Yang Shen

Panax quinquefolius L. (Araliaceae), American ginseng, is a perennial herb native to the deciduous forests of eastern North America, from southern Canada to the southern Appalachians. From a fleshy, fusiform, often branched taproot rises a single erect stem 20-50 cm tall bearing a whorl of three to five compound leaves, each with five elliptic, serrate leaflets. A small umbel of greenish-white flowers in early summer matures into a cluster of bright red, two-seeded drupes. The plant grows in cool, moist, humus-rich woodland soils under hardwood canopy. The dried root (Xi Yang Shen) is harvested after several years' growth and is prized in both Chinese and Western herbal practice as a cooling qi and yin tonic, distinct from Asian ginseng in its more yin-nourishing character.