Any of several plants of the genus Panax, especially P. pseudoginseng of eastern Asia or P. quinquefolius of North America, having small greenish flowers grouped in umbels, palmately compound leaves, and forked roots believed to have medicinal properties.
The roots of these plants.
[Chinese (Mandarin) rén shēn : rén, man + shēn, ginseng (perhaps from the forked shape of the root).]
