Ginseng is a low herb related to spikenard and wild sarsaparilla. Ginseng has an unbranched, upright stem a foot high, bearing a whorl of three long-stalked, five-fingered leaves and an umbel of greenish flowers. A cluster of spindle-shaped roots, four to nine inches long, are the ginseng of commerce. The demand for ginseng, especially from China, has led to high prices. Native Americans and white people have searched our rich woodlands so assiduously that the wild plant is now almost extinct. American ginseng was discovered near Montreal in 1716. Native Americans were encouraged to bring in roots, and a trade with China began at once. English-speaking physicians make little of ginseng, but with the ChÃnese it is a cure-all for body and mind. Roots of a certain shape are credited with healing power little short of the miraculous.
