How to Eat Ginseng Without Getting Heaty? Can Children Take Ginseng? Wild, Transplanted, Sun-Dried, Red, Canadian and American Ginseng — What’s the Difference and Who Should Take Which, Doctor Luo Dalun Explains

Patient search terms: how to eat ginseng without getting heaty / ginseng makes me feel hot / which ginseng should I take — wild, transplanted, sun-dried or red / Canadian ginseng vs American ginseng / ginseng for qi deficiency / ginseng for yin deficiency with heat / the Qianlong Emperor ate ginseng every day and never got heaty / Shen Mai Yin and Sheng Mai Yin / can children take ginseng / ginseng and radish

Corresponding medical names: qi deficiency (qi xu) · yang deficiency with qi deficiency · yin deficiency with heat · qi-yin dual deficiency · excess and heat patterns · external contraction with heat · severe yin deficiency · Sheng Mai Yin (Pulse-Engendering Drink) · Shen Mai Yin (Ginseng-Ophiopogon Drink)

Opening: ginseng is a treasure — so why has everyone become afraid of it?

In the previous lecture Doctor Luo told ginseng’s story — a treasure everyone once prized, now something people respect, fear, and dare not touch. Many listeners wrote in to ask: how do you actually take ginseng? When can you take it, and when can’t you? Can children take it? Today Doctor Luo lays out the differences between the various ginsengs and the rules for taking them, all in one go.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Dear friends, good morning. Today we continue our audio talks on Chinese medicine knowledge. Earlier we discussed that ginseng tonifies qi, and we introduced the history of ginseng: in ancient times there was the Shangdang ginseng, which was different from Northeast ginseng. After the Ming and Qing dynasties, people basically all used Northeast ginseng, and the ginseng we eat today is also Northeast ginseng.

A listener asked a genuinely fascinating question in the comments: ancient records say the Shangdang ginseng was cold in nature — so was its qi-tonifying effect similar to today’s Canadian ginseng? Doctor Luo says this is a very interesting angle, and it is actually possible:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Is that possible? Yes, it is. But because the regions differ, the herbs each place produces are different. The soil of China and the soil of Canada are completely different, so the herbs they produce will differ too. Since the ancient Shangdang ginseng has disappeared, we can’t make a comparison. So now let’s talk about how to eat ginseng.

Northeast, Canadian and American ginseng: all tonify qi, but their natures range from warm to cold

Since Canadian ginseng came up, Doctor Luo puts all these “shen” (ginsengs) together and clarifies them. They all tonify qi, but their medicinal natures are very different — you have to choose correctly for them to work:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Actually, they all tonify qi, but Northeast ginseng is on the warm side, while what Canada produces is called xi yang shen (Canadian/American ginseng). Xi yang shen is cold — it tonifies qi, but it’s cold. So once we see this, we have a clear idea of who should take what, right?

So who should take Northeast ginseng, and who should take Canadian ginseng? Doctor Luo gives a clear rule of thumb: if your yang qi is somewhat insufficient and there’s no yin deficiency with heat inside, take Northeast ginseng; if there’s heat inside and some yin deficiency, take Canadian ginseng. And if you have both yin deficiency and qi deficiency — Chinese medicine calls this qi-yin dual deficiency (qi yin liang xu) — take Canadian ginseng.

What about the American product? It’s called hua qi shen (“flower-flag” ginseng).

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: What does America produce? It’s called hua qi shen, flower-flag ginseng. Its nature is also on the cool side, but it’s more balanced — not as cold as Canadian ginseng. So why is American hua qi shen so expensive? Because it feels very gentle when you take it, so its range of suitable people is probably wider than Canadian ginseng. Since American hua qi shen is so balanced, can qi-deficient people just take it? Yes, they can.

Modern people are mostly yang-deficient — so Northeast ginseng actually suits them best

If hua qi shen is so balanced, shouldn’t everyone just take it? Doctor Luo says no: Northeast ginseng’s warm nature is actually more beneficial for modern people — why?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Modern people’s yang qi is injured a great deal — yang qi injured, and qi deficiency dragging yang deficiency along. There aren’t that many people who are truly yin-deficient with heat — some, but not many. Where does modern yin deficiency with heat come from? On one hand, eating spicy food causes it; on the other, liver fire causes it. But far more people end up yang-deficient because they eat cold foods every day, sit in air conditioning, and burn themselves out day and night. For such people, if qi deficiency is added on top, Northeast ginseng is the most suitable. And Northeast ginseng’s power to support upright qi (zheng qi) is especially strong — its role is irreplaceable.

Doctor Luo says modern people aren’t mostly yin-deficient-with-heat — quite the opposite: people with injured yang qi, yang deficiency and qi deficiency are especially numerous. Spicy food and liver fire create a bit of yin deficiency with heat, but far more people turn themselves yang-deficient by eating cold food daily, sitting in air conditioning, and exhausting themselves day and night. Add qi deficiency to that, and Northeast ginseng’s warm nature hits the mark exactly — and its power to support upright qi is especially strong, irreplaceable.

Wild ginseng: the priceless “aristocrat of ginsengs”

So how do you tell the jumble of ginsengs apart? Doctor Luo starts from the very top — ye shan shen (wild mountain ginseng).

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: First, the best is called ye shan shen, wild ginseng. It’s dug out from deep in the mountains. Its characteristics: the body isn’t big, and the whiskers are especially long. On top it has these “lu wan” — like a swallow’s neck, bowl after bowl. The more bowls, the older it is.

Wild ginseng grows naturally in the mountains: small body, extra-long whiskers, and at the top a series of “lu wan” (stem scars like little bowls) resembling a swallow’s neck — one bowl appears with each passing year, so the more bowls, the older the root. But Doctor Luo says this kind isn’t generally recommended — why? The price is far too high.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: We generally don’t recommend this ginseng, because it’s extremely expensive. But wild ginseng’s medicinal power is also quite sufficient — the strength is strong. Take the late, famous Hong Kong tycoon Sir Run Run Shaw — do you know how old he lived? 107. What was Sir Run Run Shaw’s secret to health? He held slices of wild ginseng in his mouth every day. The wild ginseng he bought was very expensive — back then about HK$20,000 per root, roughly 20,000 RMB today. That was the price back then; it’s much more now. Sir Run Run Shaw had abundant energy and lived to 107 — that is inseparable from his long-term use of wild ginseng.

Hong Kong film and TV mogul Sir Run Run Shaw lived to 107. One of his health secrets was holding wild ginseng slices in his mouth every day — the roots he bought cost about HK$20,000 each (roughly 20,000 RMB) back then, and far more now. His vigor and his longevity past a hundred are inseparable from his lifelong habit of taking wild ginseng.

Yi shan shen: the “semi-wild ginseng” grown in imitation of the wild

True wild ginseng is now scarce; what you actually see on the market is usually yi shan shen (transplanted mountain ginseng).

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: What is yi shan shen? You plant the seeds in a garden, grow the plants, and when they’re bigger you move them into the mountain forest to grow, imitating the wild environment. Sometimes it’s the reverse — planted in the forest, then moved into a garden. Either way it’s yi shan shen: ginseng we humans cultivate in a controllable, simulated environment. Such roots also carry some wild-ginseng characteristics. The ones you see in shops with extra-long whiskers, lying in red satin boxes — those are mostly yi shan shen. True wild ginseng is priceless.

Yi shan shen is ginseng first planted in a garden, then transplanted into the mountain forest to grow in imitation of the wild; sometimes the reverse — planted in the forest and moved into a garden. It’s cultivated under human control in a simulated environment and carries some wild-ginseng traits. Those long-whiskered roots displayed in red satin boxes in the shops are mostly yi shan shen — true wild ginseng is beyond price, so just know about it.

Sun-dried ginseng and red ginseng: the two ginsengs ordinary people actually take

So what ginseng can ordinary people usually get? Doctor Luo says mainly two kinds — sheng shai shen (sun-dried ginseng) and hong shen (red ginseng).

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: What is sheng shai shen? It’s garden-grown ginseng that, after harvesting, is dried in the sun. Sun-dried ginseng’s qi-tonifying effect is especially strong — it tonifies qi. What about hong shen, red ginseng? Red ginseng is dug up, steamed for several hours, then dried. It becomes darker in color — when you snap it, the cross-section looks a bit like glass, because the contents inside dissolved and then dried again.

Sun-dried ginseng (sheng shai shen): garden-grown ginseng, dried in the sun after harvest — extremely strong at tonifying qi. Red ginseng (hong shen): ginseng steamed for several hours after being dug up, then dried — darker in color, with a glass-like cross-section formed as its contents dissolved and re-dried. So how do you choose between them?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Red ginseng tonifies qi and nourishes blood — a dual tonification of qi and blood, mainly qi, with a bit of blood-nourishing on the side. In daily use, if you simply want to tonify qi, sun-dried ginseng is enough. If you want to tonify both qi and blood, with a little blood deficiency involved, add red ginseng. So sometimes when writing a prescription you should be specific: if you just write “ren shen 9 grams,” the pharmacy may not know which ginseng you mean. Better to write “sheng shai shen” or “hong shen” — the more detailed the better, because if you just write “ren shen,” different regions may give you different ginseng. In the Northeast, if you write “ren shen,” they’ll generally give you sun-dried ginseng.

Red ginseng tonifies qi and nourishes blood — dual qi-blood tonification, mainly qi, with blood-nourishing on the side. Use sun-dried ginseng for plain qi tonification; use red ginseng for dual qi-blood tonification with a touch of blood deficiency. Doctor Luo adds a practical prescription tip: write “sun-dried ginseng” or “red ginseng” explicitly on the prescription — if you just write “ren shen 9 g,” pharmacies in different regions may hand you different ginseng. In the Northeast, writing “ren shen” usually gets you sun-dried ginseng; elsewhere, who knows.

The Qianlong Emperor’s secret to eating ginseng without getting heaty: pair it with mai dong

Now that the varieties are covered, how do you take it? Many people are afraid of ginseng because its nature is hot and taking it causes “heatiness” (shang huo). But Doctor Luo turns the question around: the Qianlong Emperor started eating ginseng in his forties and ate it every single day until age 89 — why did he never get heaty?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: There’s a reason. First of all: the Qianlong Emperor always took his ginseng in combination — he rarely took it alone. Look at the pulse-case records of the Qing court: what did he pair his daily ginseng with? Mai dong (Ophiopogon). This is called Shen Mai Yin (Ginseng-Ophiopogon Drink) — “shen” from ginseng, “mai” from mai dong. Add one more ingredient, wu wei zi (Schisandra), and it becomes Sheng Mai Yin (Pulse-Engendering Drink) — that’s the famous formula of the Jin-Yuan physician Li Dongyuan.

The secret lies in the word combination. According to the Qing court pulse-case records, the Emperor’s daily ginseng was always paired with mai dong (Ophiopogon) — that’s Shen Mai Yin (Ginseng-Ophiopogon Drink); add wu wei zi (Schisandra) and it becomes the famous Sheng Mai Yin (Pulse-Engendering Drink), a celebrated formula left by the Jin-Yuan dynasty physician Li Dongyuan.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: How do ginseng and mai dong work together? Mai dong is cool and moistening, so it restrains ginseng’s heat. Together they tonify qi and nourish yin — balanced. So you see, it’s neither cold nor hot — take it this way and nothing goes wrong, right? The Qianlong Emperor ate ginseng every day, always ginseng paired with mai dong. What ratio? Usually three grams of ginseng and three grams of mai dong — equal amounts. Take it that way and nothing goes wrong.

Mai dong is cool and moist, which neatly restrains ginseng’s warmth; together they tonify qi and nourish yin, neither cold nor hot. The Emperor’s ratio: three grams of ginseng and three grams of mai dong, equal amounts — this way, no heatiness.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: So I often tell people: if you feel your heart qi is insufficient, or you have qi-yin dual deficiency, you can take some Sheng Mai Yin. Tong Ren Tang sells a ready-made Sheng Mai Yin drink in two versions: the ren shen version (ginseng + mai dong + wu wei zi) and the dang shen (Codonopsis) version. In summer take the dang shen version; in winter you can take the ren shen version. The ren shen version is fine. And at home it’s simple: soak ginseng with a little mai dong in water and drink it — neither cold nor hot. Finally, eat the ginseng too. Boiling it makes the effect even better. So I’ve always recommended this method of taking ginseng: pair it with other herbs. The simplest pairing is with mai dong — then you won’t get heaty or anything like that.

Doctor Luo says: if you feel heart qi insufficiency or qi-yin dual deficiency, you can take some Sheng Mai Yin — Tong Ren Tang sells a ready-made drink in a ren shen version (ginseng + mai dong + wu wei zi) and a dang shen (Codonopsis) version; take the dang shen version in summer and the ren shen version in winter. At home it’s simple: soak ginseng with a little mai dong in hot water and drink it, then eat the ginseng — neither cold nor hot; boiling it works even better. The core message in one sentence: pair ginseng with other herbs and you won’t get heaty.

When shouldn’t you take ginseng? Excess and heat patterns need pairing — not an absolute ban

Ginseng is good, but not everyone can take it casually. A listener asks: in what situations can’t you take ginseng? Doctor Luo’s answer is nuanced:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: In excess and heat patterns — say an external contraction, excess with heat, phlegm that’s yellow, pneumonia — ginseng should be combined with other medicines. People often say you can’t use ginseng when an external contraction has heat. I think that statement is inaccurate. Why? Sometimes we have heat pathogen and need to expel it, but if the person’s upright qi is insufficient, we also need to support upright qi. Combining medicines is the secret of Chinese medicine. Pair them, get the ratio right, and you can support upright qi and expel pathogenic qi at the same time.

For external contractions, excess patterns, yellow phlegm, pneumonia — this is not an absolute ban on ginseng; it means asking a doctor to combine ginseng with other medicines. Doctor Luo specifically refutes the old claim that “you can’t use ginseng when an external contraction has heat”: when there’s heat pathogen you must expel it, but when upright qi is insufficient you must also support it — combining medicines, supporting upright qi and expelling pathogenic qi at the same time, is the secret of Chinese medicine.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: So ginseng can be used — it doesn’t seal the pathogen in, as Qing-dynasty physicians like Xu Lingtai claimed. It won’t, because you also have other medicines working to clear the pathogen out. That’s why you combine them. But in these situations — external excess and heat patterns, severely swollen tonsils, pneumonia, heavy phlegm sounds in the chest with yellow phlegm — you must have a doctor prescribe for you. Don’t take ginseng on your own.

The Qing-dynasty physician Xu Lingtai and others held that “ginseng seals the pathogen in.” Doctor Luo says it won’t — because the other medicines in the formula are working to clear the pathogen out. The premise: external excess/heat patterns, badly swollen tonsils, pneumonia, heavy phlegm in the chest with yellow phlegm — these require a doctor’s prescription; never self-medicate with ginseng.

There’s one more group of people who truly shouldn’t take ginseng — those with severe yin deficiency.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Say your yin deficiency is very severe — the tongue is very red, there’s no coat, the pulse races. In obvious yin deficiency like that, I think taking a little xi yang shen (Canadian/American ginseng) is fine. But ginseng will indeed cause heat — so it’s not suitable in that state. This tongue picture — very red, no coat — is completely different from a tongue that’s plump and pale with teeth marks on the edges. That kind of plump tongue with teeth marks and lots of saliva usually means qi deficiency with yang insufficiency as well — there’s no heat picture, so ginseng is fine.

How to tell? Look at the tongue: a very red tongue with no coat and a fast pulse — obvious yin deficiency; ginseng here will indeed cause heat, so take Canadian/American ginseng instead. A plump, pale tongue with teeth marks on the edges and lots of saliva — qi deficiency plus yang insufficiency, no heat picture — this person suits ginseng. Two tongue pictures, one cold and one hot — never mix them up.

There’s one more situation where ginseng is especially useful — before heavy physical exertion.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Especially before a job that consumes a lot of physical strength. For example, some veteran practitioners at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine — there are such old masters — soak a ginseng root in their cup and sip that water while lecturing. What is this? These are people who understand the art — because lecturing depletes qi. So at times when you have to labor for several days and it’s very tiring, what do you do? Use a slice or two of ginseng and hold it in your mouth. You don’t need much — one or two slices a day already works. You’ll feel full of energy, as if the fatigue is lifted, not so tired. That’s ginseng at work.

At Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, veteran practitioners soak a ginseng root in their cup and sip it while lecturing — because lecturing depletes qi. If you face several days of hard physical labor, you can hold one or two ginseng slices in your mouth — that’s all it takes per day to feel energetic, fatigue lifted. That is ginseng’s qi-tonifying action.

Children must never take ginseng casually! Chinese law forbids it in food

This lecture carries a special warning about children — however good ginseng is, never give it to children casually.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Here’s the point I want to stress: children must never take it casually. Why? If a child takes ginseng — its supplementing effect is very strong, children are easily affected by supplementation, and their bodies have heat — children’s yang qi tends to be exuberant. Taking ginseng in that state often causes problems. So remember: a child may take ginseng only on a doctor’s prescription. The doctor will combine it with other herbs. It’s used only when the doctor judges the child’s growth is insufficient and qi supplementation is needed.

Why? Because ginseng’s supplementing effect is very strong, and children have exuberant yang, internal heat, and are easily over-supplemented — casual ginseng often causes problems. Children may take ginseng only on a doctor’s prescription — and even then it’s combined with other herbs, only when a doctor judges the child’s growth is lagging and qi needs supplementing.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: In ordinary food, everyone — please don’t add ginseng for your children, and don’t casually hand a child a ginseng root to eat. That’s harming the child. I especially want to point out: our country explicitly forbids adding ginseng to children’s food and health products. So I wanted to tell everyone this clearly.

Doctor Luo emphasizes: don’t add ginseng to children’s ordinary food, and don’t casually give a child ginseng to eat — it harms them. And China has explicit regulations — ginseng is not allowed in children’s food or health products.

Two small notes: don’t decoct ginseng in iron, don’t eat it with radish

Finally, Doctor Luo adds two small notes on taking ginseng:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: When a formula contains ginseng, we generally don’t decoct it in iron. Ginseng should avoid contact with iron as much as possible. A clay pot or earthenware pot is fine; soaking it in a cup is also fine — just generally don’t use iron. What else should you note about ginseng? Don’t eat it together with radish, because radish will drain ginseng’s qi — if you do, the strength may not be as good.

First, don’t decoct it in iron — ginseng should avoid contact with iron as much as possible; clay pots, earthenware pots, or simply soaking in a cup all work. Second, don’t eat it with radish — radish drains ginseng’s qi, so its power won’t be as good.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: So these are the things to know about taking ginseng. Please understand them, and remember this: master the Sheng Mai Yin — ginseng paired with mai dong is balanced and safe — and that’s enough. In the future there are many more ginseng formulas; there are a lot of Chinese medicine formulas with ginseng, and we’ll introduce them to you one by one. That’s all for today’s audio talk — next time we’ll continue on what ginseng actually does and which formulas, once ginseng is added, can help regulate the body. We’ll share more knowledge with everyone. Thank you, and see you next time.

What to take away

Remember? How do you eat ginseng without getting heaty? The secret is pairing — ginseng with mai dong: tonify qi, nourish yin, neither cold nor hot. Northeast ginseng is warm and suits yang-deficient, qi-deficient people; Canadian ginseng is cold and suits yin deficiency with heat; American hua qi shen is balanced but pricier. Wild ginseng and yi shan shen are worth knowing about; what ordinary people take is sun-dried ginseng (a strong qi tonic) and red ginseng (tonifies qi and nourishes blood). In excess and heat patterns, ginseng must be combined with other medicines under a doctor’s prescription; only severe yin deficiency — red tongue, no coat — truly rules it out. And children, with their exuberant yang, must never take ginseng casually. Doctor Luo says more ginseng formulas are coming, explained one by one — see you next time!

Compiled from Doctor Luo Dalun’s lecture. Chinese medicine knowledge series (Ginseng Lecture Series, Part 2: The Differences Between Various Ginsengs and Notes on Taking Them).