In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a saying: "Ginseng that kills is not guilty, rhubarb that saves is not meritorious." You must understand that this is said ironically, expressing a sense of helplessness and sigh towards the world's fondness for tonics. Since ancient times, people have loved tonics. On TV, you often see scenes of gifting a thousand-year-old ginseng or a century-old lingzhi to someone to nourish their body, but you rarely hear of someone being given rhubarb to induce bowel movements. Tonic medicines have always been very popular in China, which is why we have that helpless saying.
Many practitioners, or perhaps not even practitioners, but just doctors, prefer to use conservative medicines, or even just tonics. People are happy to take tonics, generally believing that they are beneficial to the body, and that even if they are not helpful, they won't do any harm. It's just like how many people take health supplements nowadays, thinking that taking them can't do any harm. But is there really no harm? Is it really true that "ginseng that kills is not guilty"?
The status of ginseng in Traditional Chinese Medicine needs no elaboration. It is known as the "King of a Hundred Herbs" and is one of the nine great immortal herbs of China, showing that ginseng has always been enshrined on a "pedestal." Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that ginseng is sweet, slightly bitter, and slightly warm in nature, and affects the Lung, Spleen, and Heart meridians. It has the effects of greatly replenishing Qi, tonifying the Spleen and benefiting the Lung, promoting the production of body fluids, and calming the mind to improve intelligence. It is used for conditions such as collapse of Qi, deficiency of Qi in the Lung, Spleen, Heart, and Kidney, Qi deficiency during febrile diseases, injury to body fluids with thirst, and diabetes. The Ben Hui Yan records: "Ginseng is a medicine that replenishes Qi, generates blood, aids essence, and nourishes the spirit."
Of course, the value of ginseng cannot be denied, but I absolutely do not support the indiscriminate use of ginseng. On one hand, it is a waste of the medicine, and on the other hand, it can cause significant harm. Ginseng is a potent tonic that can greatly replenish Qi for those with deficient Qi. Many times we hear of using old ginseng to keep a person alive, but for those with excess Qi rather than deficiency, ginseng should not be used. In fact, with today's relatively high living standards, many people have phlegm-dampness or damp-heat, and none of them are suitable for ginseng. For example, those with Yin deficiency should absolutely not use it. The Yi Xue Ru Men has warned: "Use with caution for those with Yin deficiency, blazing fire, and hematemesis." Ginseng's nature is warm and nourishing; for those with Yin deficiency, using it is like adding fuel to the fire.
Therefore, although ginseng is good, using it incorrectly can lead to significant drawbacks. It should be used with caution by those with excess conditions, damp-heat, phlegm-dampness, or Yin deficiency. Additionally, ginseng should not be used together with Wulingzhi or radish.