For an unassuming-looking little herb, Panax ginseng has quite a reputation. Pulling the plant from the floor of the forests where it grows wild reveals the origin of its fame - the hairy ginseng root, prized for centuries by Asia people for its medicinal properties. Dried and ground, ginseng is a key ingredient in the traditional herbal medicines of China, Japan and South Korea. Investigation shows that ginseng is rich in a family of steroid glycosides, dubbed ginseno-sides. Equally clear is the fact that these compounds have no direct effect on the human body because the gut cannot absorb them.
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