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    Ginseng

    Rare · Panax ginseng

    Healing · Alchemical · Magical · Nutritional

    Terrain Forest, Hills, Mountains

    Description

    Ginseng is a perennial herbaceous plant with a fleshy, spindle-shaped root resembling the human figure. The stem is thin, erect, up to 16–32 inches (40–80 cm) tall, with 3–6 palmately compound leaves. The flowers are small, greenish-white, gathered in umbel inflorescences. The fruits are bright red drupes.

    Location and Habitat

    In nature, ginseng is very rare—found predominantly in cedar-broadleaf and mixed forests of the Far East, as well as in Korea, China, and North America. It prefers shady, moist, loose soils rich in humus.

    Rarity and Availability

    Wild ginseng is extremely rare; it is cultivated on a limited basis in specialized plantations.

    Effects and Uses

    Ginseng root has tonic, adaptogenic, and general strengthening effects. Preparations based on it increase work capacity, stress resistance, and immunity; improve metabolism; help with nervous and physical exhaustion; and are used for asthenia, depression, and hypotension. It is widely used in Eastern and traditional medicine.

    Harvesting & Preparation

    • A DC 15 Wisdom (Nature) check or Wisdom (Survival) check recognizes wild ginseng’s distinctive red drupes and anthropomorphic root shape.
    • A DC 12 Dexterity (herbalism kit) check is required to carefully extract the fragile root from rich, loamy soil without damaging it; otherwise, it loses potency.

    Items & Effects

    • Ginseng Tonic. A mild yet invigorating beverage steeped from farmed or cultivated ginseng.
      • Creation. Requires 1 hour of preparation, plus a DC 13 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check. One root yields 1d2 doses.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Fortified Body. Grants advantage on initiative rolls for 8 hours.
        • Steady Nerves. During this time, you have advantage on saving throws to resist fatigue-based effects (such as forced marches or environmental hazards that cause exhaustion; PHB, p. 291).
    • Wild Ginseng Extract.
      • Painstakingly brewed from a single root of true wild ginseng.
      • Creation. Requires 8 hours to prepare (over multiple short rests or a single downtime session) and a DC 15 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check or Intelligence (alchemist’s supplies) check. A single root yields 1 dose.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Vigorous Spirit. For 1 hour, you gain a +1 bonus to ability checks and saving throws using one ability score of your choice.
        • Revitalizing Surge. Once within the hour, you can use a bonus action to gain 2d8 + your Constitution modifier temporary hit points.
    • Ginseng Paste. A simpler concoction cited in Eastern lore for immediate wound treatment or mental clarity.
      • Creation. Requires a DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check to mash a piece of root into a poultice.
      • Use (Applied Topically on a Wound or as a Compress on the Head):
        • Reduces immediate swelling or minor bleeding. Anyone who receives the poultice can use a Hit Die during combat (as an action) once, rolling it and adding double their Constitution modifier.
      • Alternatively, if used on the forehead (for pain, headaches), the recipient has advantage on saving throws against being stunned or knocked unconscious for the next 10 minutes (PHB, p. 292).

    Lore

    In the East, ginseng has been given many grand names: "gift of the gods," "spirit of the earth," "divine herb," and others. Most often, it is called the "root of life." The Latin name for ginseng—Panax ginseng—is derived from "jen," meaning "man," and "shen," meaning "root." The name hints at the root's resemblance to the human figure.

    Ginseng has been known in Eastern folk medicine for at least four to five thousand years. The first written mention of it dates back to the 1st century BCE—the time of the appearance of the oldest Chinese treatise on medicinal substances, the "Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing."

    Dried ginseng roots were brought to Europe from Japan in 1610 by Dutch merchants, and the first written account of it was made in 1642 by Álvaro Semedo. In 1714, the French missionary Jartoux, who had been in China, reported information about ginseng, referencing an edict from the Chinese emperor, that stated:

    From Witch’s Herbs 5E, p. 50 · Fern Flower Press