Can ginseng head be eaten?

Ginseng head refers to the rhizome of ginseng, which is also a common Chinese medicinal material. It is usually used to treat vomiting and various debilitating diseases, such as acute gastroenteritis, etc. If you want to eat ginseng head, you must do so under the guidance of a professional to avoid adverse effects on your health. Ginseng heads should not be used indiscriminately. If eaten carelessly, it can easily cause adverse effects on your health.

Ginseng rhizome is the rhizome of ginseng (Panax ginseng). In the past, it was only used as an emetic. In order to develop the resources of ginsenosides and provide a scientific basis for their comprehensive utilization, we studied the saponins of ginseng rhizome. The authors have previously reported that three saponins, namely ginsenoside A, B and C, were isolated from the acid hydrolysis products of ginseng rhizome total saponins, and were identified as oleanolic acid, respectively.

"Ben Jing Feng Yuan" says "Ginseng and reed can consume Qi and is used as an emetic", and many other medical books also record that ginseng and reed can cause vomiting. Ginseng stems account for about 14% of the weight of ginseng roots, and the total saponin content is reported to be 14.56%. Ginseng stem and leaf saponins have similar pharmacological effects to ginseng root saponins in many aspects, and are used to treat a variety of debilitating diseases. Does ginseng stems have similar effects? Can it really induce vomiting? To this end, the author took ginseng stems to test it himself.

The ginseng used are second-grade white ginseng from Northeast China and 25 red ginseng heads from Bian Tiao. The author, a 38-year-old female, suffered from acute gastroenteritis on December 21, 1983. On December 22, when she could not drink anything, she tried taking 3 grams of ginseng rhizome, boiled in water for 20 minutes (same below) to make about 100 ml, and drank it all at once. After a few hours, she did not feel any nausea or abnormal reaction, but felt more energetic.

Ginseng should not be abused. With the improvement of people's living standards and economic conditions, a considerable number of people's outlook on life has changed from just having enough food and clothing to having good health and longevity, and spending some money to eat ginseng or ginseng products has become generous. Some people soak ginseng in thermos cups as tea all year round, some chew ginseng like chewing gum, and some take ginseng at regular intervals all year round. These are all considered as abusing ginseng. The consequences of abuse are disastrous.

Although ginseng rhizome has certain medicinal value, its contraindications cannot be ignored. After taking it, it is forbidden to eat various seafood and drink strong tea, because this may directly affect the medicinal effect of ginseng rhizome. And if you are healthy and have no problems, it is not recommended to abuse ginseng rhizome.