Medicinals
xī yáng shēn / 西洋参 / 西洋參 / American ginseng
Latin pharmacognostic name: Panacis Quinquefolii Radix
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 西洋人参 xī yáng rén shēn; 花旗参 huā qí shēn; 广东人参 guǎng dōng rén shēn; 西参 xī shēn; 佛兰参 fó lán shēn; 洋参 yáng shēn
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Supplementing agents / Qì-supplementing agents
Properties: Sweet, slightly bitter; cold.
Channel entry: kidney, heart, and lung channels. (some sources add spleen channel.)
Indications:
- Supplements qì and nourishes yīn; clears fire and engenders liquid: Damage to both qì and yīn in febrile disease; yīn vacuity with effulgent fire with panting and cough with blood in the phlegm; dispersion-thirst; dry mouth and tongue from liquid depletion. Xī yáng shēn is similar to rén shēn (人参 Ginseng Radix, ginseng) in that it supplements original qì and is used for qì vacuity on the verge of desertion with shortness of breath, lassitude of spirit, and a pulse that is fine and forceless. However, rén shēn’s qì-boosting desertion-stemming action is much stronger and is effective when used on its own. Xī yáng shēn, by contrast, is cold and also supplements yīn. It is more suitable for dual desertion of qì and yīn in febrile disease.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 3–6g, decocted separately. It is also used in powders and pills.
Warning:
Because it is cold in nature, it is contraindicated in cold-damp in the stomach and in devitalized center yáng.
Product Description:
This root is cylindrical or spindle-shaped, 2–6 cm long and 0.5–1 cm in diameter. The exterior surface is earth brown and bears transverse wrinkles that have an annular appearance at the head of the root where they are densest. If the bark has been removed, the white flesh is revealed. This root breaks smoothly to reveal a pale yellowish-white fracture with darker annular markings and reddish-brown resin ducts. It is light and hard and sticky in texture.
Quality:
Evenly sized roots that are hard, light, but moist on the inside are the best.
Product Area:
North America (U.S.A., Canada, and France); cultivated in Jiāngxī.
Etymology:
The name xī yáng shén 西洋参, literally ""Western ocean ginseng,"" reflects the foreign origin of this agent.