Naturopathy 101: Series 1a

While some people may dismiss herbal remedies as quackery, the use of botanicals is well rooted in medical practice. Ancient doctors methodically collected information about herbs and developed well-defined pharmacopoeias to treat a variety of ailments. More than a quarter of all drugs used today contain active ingredients derived from those same ancient plants.


It's estimated that nearly 80 percent of the world's population use herbs for some aspect of primary health care. In the United States, more than 1,500 botanicals are sold as dietary supplements; top-selling herbs include echinacea, garlic, goldenseal, ginseng, ginkgo, saw palmetto, aloe, ephedra, Siberian ginseng, and cranberry.


One I would like to talk about today is Ginseng:

So popular is this herb that more than 50,000 people are employed worldwide in the ginseng industry. Rather than addressing specific conditions, ginseng is used to treat underlying weakness that can lead to a variety of conditions.

For example, among its many uses, ginseng is recommended as an herbal remedy for people who are frequently fatigued, weak, stressed, and affected by repeated colds and flu. Ginseng is an adaptogen, capable of protecting the body from physical and mental stress and helping bodily functions return to normal.

The enthusiasm over ginseng began thousands of years ago in China, where the Asian species of ginseng, Panax ginseng, grows. So valued was China's native species, the plant was overharvested from the wild, causing scarcity and increased demand.

When a similar species, Panax quinquefolius, was noted in the early American colonies, tons of the plant were immediately dug and exported to China. Many American pioneers made their living digging ginseng roots from moist woodlands. As a result, ginseng has become rare in its natural habitat in the United States as well. Ginseng is now cultivated in forests or under vast shading tarps.

Many people believe the cultivated ginseng has slightly different properties from the natural wild specimens. The Asian species is said to be the superior medicine, compared to the American species, but the two species have slightly different applications. The Asian Panax ginseng is said to be a yang tonic, or more warming, while the American Panax quinquefolius is said to be a yin tonic, or more cooling. Both the ginseng and the quinquefolius species are qi tonics, or agents capable of strengthening qi, our vital life force.

In traditional Chinese medicine, our vital qi is composed of two opposing forces, yin and yang. Yin and yang are dualistic opposites that churn and cycle in all life and, indeed, all matter. The yang aspect of the life forces is the bright, hot, external, dispersive, dynamic pole. The yin aspect is the dark, moist, internal, contracted, mysterious pole. All people, all plants, all matter, and yes, even all diseases have their yin and yang aspects.

Traditional Chinese medicine is very sophisticated in its observation of these phenomena; thus, all botanical therapies are fine-tuned accordingly. Panax ginseng, for example, might be recommended to warm and stimulate someone who is weak and cold from nervous exhaustion. Panax quinquefolius, on the other hand, is best for someone who is hot, stimulated, and restless from nervous exhaustion and is feverish. It is good for someone experiencing a lot of stress (and subsequent insomnia). American ginseng is used in China to help people recuperate from fever and the feeling of fatigue associated with the heat of summer.

[Reference]

Friedman, M. (2001) Fundamentals of Naturopathic Endocrinilogy. Kingston, ON K7M 2LS Canada: CCNM Press.