ABSTRACT
Traditionally, ginseng, Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, has been considered to be a medicinal plant of mysterious powers and has more than 5,000 years of history among Oriental people. Especially in Korea, China and Japan, ginseng has been recognized as the most prized medicine among all herbal curatives. Therefore, the Oriental people have traditionally used ginseng roots and extracts for geriatric, stomachic, aphrodisiac treatment, and as tonics. From the pharmacological studies of animal and human beings for more than 30 years, the efficacy of ginseng, especially tonic effects, has been gaining popularity even in western countries. The term ’tonic' refers to a drug meant for maintaining a normal physical tone or restoring a diseased state to normal. Ginseng has been known to have a tonic effect and it is the general opinion of many investigators (Bittles, 1979; D.H. Zhuo, 1982; Brekhman and Dardymov, 1969) that this plant ginseng has the effect of normalization of physical conditions, that is, maintaining individual homeostasis. The Korean workers, Oh et al. (1969) and Hong et al. (1969), have reported that in mice, the saponin fractions potentiate nembutal hypnosis, retard the onset of cocaine-induced convulsions, reduce body temperature, and enhance the process of sexual behavior.
