Individual Herbs Notebook

人參 Ren Shen

Translation: People's Ginseng

Pharmaceutical: Radix Panax ginseng
Taxonomy: Panax ginseng

Other names: Ginseng Root

Category: Herbs that Tonify Qi


Properties: Sweet, slightly warm

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Spleen, Lung and Heart
Extraordinary Vessels: Chong

Traditional Actions/Indications:
  1. Powerfully tonifies Yuan Qi
    Extreme collapse of Qi or abandoned conditions that manifest in shallow breathing, shortness of breath, cold limbs, profuse sweating and an almost imperceptible pulse (after blood loss, overly profuse sweating or other problems related to severe fluid loss - it can be used alone in these emergencies)
    Collapse of Yang
    Collapse of Yin
  2. Tonifies Spleen and Stomach Qi
    Lethargy, anorexia, chest and abdominal distention, chronic diarrhoea and, in severe cases, prolapse of the Stomach, uterus or rectum
  3. Tonifies Lung Qi
    Lung Qi Deficiency with wheezing, shortness of breath and labored breathing on exertion
  4. Generates Body Fluids and stops thirst
    Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke) and high fevers with profuse sweating which injures Qi and fluids
  5. Tonifies Heart Qi and calms the Spirit
    Heart Qi and Blood Deficiency with palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, forgetfulness and restlessness
  6. Treats impotence
    With Kidney Yang tonics for impotence
  7. Tonifies Qi in Deficiency patients with Exterior conditions
    Exterior disorder with Interior Deficiency
  8. Aids fasting
    Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).

Suggested Daily Dosage: 5-10g in decoction, 10-30g for exhaustion syndrome due to Qi deficiency.

Cautions: Antagonizing to Li Lu; the warm nature of sun-dried raw Ren Shen is weaker than that of Hong Shen.

Interactions:

Notable Constituents:

Notes:

Analysis of the ancient script forms of 參 Shen suggest it is simplified from 曑 (晶 -> 厽) making an ideogrammic compound of 晶 ("stars") + 光 ("light; brightness") + 彡 ("light rays") meaning the Three Stars astrological mansion (referring to the three stars of Orion's belt in western astronomy at the centre of this constellation). 彡 also acts as a phonetic component. Its main meaning is "joining, merging, being a part of" suggesting the three stars making up a single constellation.

光 may also be interpreted as 卩 ("kneeling person"), representing someone looking at the shining stars above him or be the original character for 簪 a hairpin and thus someone with a ceremonial hat of stars.

參 also appears in the title of the famous alchemical text 參同契 Cantong Qi translated as The Seal of the Unity of the Three, or Joining as One with Unity, with 參 playing on the double meaning as "three" and "joined as one" where it refers to the unity of the cosmology of the Yi Jing, Daoism and internal alchemy (Pregradio, 2011, Seal of the Unity of the Three, p. 3).

These all suggest a great reverence for these herbs, which crosses into the cosmological, religious and self-cultivation realms, while also suggesting a completeness of these herbs in themselves. Herbs with 參 in their name may be used individually, without needing a formula to complement them.

Appears in 198 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Research Links & References: (click to display)
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