GINSENG, the Chinese name for the root of Panax quinquefolium, a small plant of the nat. ord. Araliaceæ, found in the northern parts of Asia and in America. It has a jointed, fleshy, tapered root, which when dried is of a yellowish-white colour, and has a mucilaginous sweet flavour somewhat resembling liquorice, accompanied with a slight bitterness. It is highly prized by the Chinese as a stimulant and restorative, or rather as a panacea for every ill. American ginseng was formerly exported largely from this country; but now the Americans carry it direct to China, which is its only market.