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Why was ginseng one of the most famous Chinese remedies?

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Moxibustion — traditional Chinese medicine In moxibustion, or moxa treatment, small cones of an herb (typically *Artemisia moxa*) are burned on top of needles placed in designated points of the body, generally the same points as those used in acupuncture.

Ginseng has long been one of the most famous and expensive remedies in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily because it was regarded as a panacea for illness.12

Rather than being used as a curative treatment, it was traditionally employed in a prophylactic (preventive) manner to maintain health. Pharmacologically, ginseng is valued for its nonspecific, normalizing action, which is believed to improve mental performance, learning, memory, and sensory awareness. This effect is thought to result from chemical agents in the root that increase the brain’s adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) activity, thereby inducing generalized mental arousal.1

In the context of traditional Chinese medicine, the use of such remedies is deeply tied to the dualistic cosmic theory of yinyang. For instance, Asian ginseng is believed to have a heating, yang effect, while American ginseng is considered to have a cooling, yin effect. By utilizing these properties, practitioners aim to restore the harmony of yin and yang within the body.23