Ginseng, the Divine Root: The Curious History of the Plant That Captivated the World

I initially choose this book because the part of the title “the Divine Root” captivated my interest. The book though, lacked a religious “divine” context of the root. Instead, the book was geared more toward overall aspects of ginseng on a broad range of subjects. The book initially began as more of the differences in the medical philosophies and systems between America and China but as it progressed it focused more on the history aspect and the trade of ginseng. The author does a good job of balancing various topics such as historical, economic and cultural importance. Towards the beginning of the book, it was more narrative in tone. An essential theme was what the author described as a yin and yang between the two countries. Within this context the author compared the two parts of the world (America and China) through the context of Ginseng which I found really interesting. Towards the second half of the book, when the author focused on the trade of ginseng, it was less a narrative and more of a casual interview with various diggers, dealers, farmers etc. In this section, some parts seemed very off-tangent relative to Ginseng.I was looking forward to understanding and learning a good amount about how Ginseng was useful in regard to its medicinal purposes and properties. I am passionate about health and herbal medicine, so I was hoping it could serve as a good resource for explaining the purposes for the plant in relation to the body. If you’re more interested on plant anatomy and physiology, this book is less for you. It barely focused on the structure of the plant and the biochemical mechanisms. This book is perfect for plant enthusiasts that are also history buffs. The author explains the history as an intricate story. The book is persuasive of the importance of Ginseng. Overall, I thought the book was an interesting read but certain parts (especially toward the latter half when the author talks about the dealing) seemed much more dragged on than it could have been.

This was a well researched book . I enjoyed reading it !

It's pronounced by my Chinese friends as Young'-sin... but the book has a lot of history, and practical working knowledge. The drought caused all of the Ginseng in our area to shut down and go into a sort of stasis... oh well, it will come back next year bigger and better. The book held the only referance and explanation as to why it seemed to disappear. A good reference for all you hunter/gatherers out there. Arwythur

So far it's in the likeable stages, Ginseng has been an very much of an interest.

Majority of this story is about West Virginia and the modern American Wild Ginseng culture. It has lots of references to old time periods but not as much as I was expecting.

One of the most interesting natural history books i've ever read. Fascinating, inspiring, and educational. Now, to find some sang!

Price was great! Service was great, received it in just a few days. Valuable information for anyone wanting to find out more about ginseng.

Better Brain power

Interesting and readable but it was too chatty to keep my attention to the end.