GINSENG - A ROOT JUST LIKE A CARROT

Ginseng has been used for thousands of years in the East as a 'tonic', and in recent years its use has extended to Western society. In the l ight of the current interest in complementary medicine, we summarize t he effects and purported mechanisms of action of ginseng and present t wo vignettes of its use in relation to psychiatric patients, followed by a general discussion of the implications of the use of herbal produ cts by these patients.