[MPWG] quick question about ginseng use

[Steven Dentali, Ph.D.]

> You are correct about Panax ginseng being Asian ginseng, but not all 
> ginseng grown in Korea is Korean ginseng or all ginseng grown in China 
> Panax ginseng. The U.S. and Canada ship out seeds from American 
> ginseng (/Panax quinquefolium/) to Korea and China in large amounts.
>  ...
>  There are many American growers now cultivating /Panax ginseng/ from 
> Korean ginseng seeds. Therefore, I must disagree with your statement 
> that /"It may be correctly referred to as Korean ginseng only if it's 
> from (grown in) Korea."/

The use of "Korean" in Korean ginseng refers to where the Asian ginseng 
was grown because Korean is not a recognized variety with it's own 
separate common name. Let me explain.

/Panax ginseng/ is Asian ginseng and it can be carry a geographical 
modifier indicating where it was grown (China, Korea, or even the US). 
If it were a variety with a named location then the variety would retain 
that geographical reference regardless of where it was grown. /Herbs of 
Commerce /uses the following examples to illustrate this fact: "English 
walnuts grown in California are English walnuts; Japanese honeysuckle 
from a Chinese farm is Japanese honeysuckle." However the established 
common name (according to HOC, which is officially adopted by FDA 
regulations for dietary supplement labeling on Jan 1, 2006, see 
http://www.ahpa.org/update_05_1107.htm) for Asian ginseng does not 
specify any further geographical source. Therefore Asian ginseng is only 
appropriately considered as Korean when it is grown in Korea.

If American ginseng (/Panax quinquefolius/) is grown in China it could 
not erroneously be called Chinese American ginseng though it would be 
less confusing if it were termed as American ginseng grown in China. 
Assuming one accepts this treatment of common name nomenclature then 
Korean ginseng seeds are really Asian ginseng seeds from Korea ("Korean 
ginseng" not being recognized as a separate variety of ginseng that is 
different from the parent Asian ginseng). If American growers are 
growing Asian ginseng seeds from Korea then they are producing Asian 
ginseng grown in America with Korean seeds or perhaps Wisconsin (grown) 
Asian ginseng from seeds of Korean origin. It's still Asian ginseng (but 
not Korean or Chinese) regardless of where it is grown.

I hope that  the differentiation of common names that contain a 
geographical indicator and those that don't is helpful here.

Best regards,

Steven

Steven Dentali, Ph.D.
VP, Scientific and Technical Affairs
American Herbal Products Association
8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 370
Silver Spring, MD  20910
301.588.1171 x 103
Fax: 301.588.1174
www.ahpa.org


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