Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
gin·seng Pronunciation:
'jin-"se[ng], -"sa[ng], -(")si[ng] Function:
noun 1 : the aromatic root of a ginseng that is highly valuedas a medicine in China though of value chiefly as a demulcent
2 a : a Chinese perennial herb (
Panax schinseng of the family Araliaceae, the ginseng family) having5-foliolate leaves, scarlet berries, and an aromatic root valued especially locally as a medicine
b : any of several plants (especially genus
Panax) related to or used assubstitutes for the Chinese ginseng;
especially : a No. American woodland herb (
P.
quinquefolius)
[jin-seng] 
