Ever heard of the miracles of the herbal tea called ginseng tea? This special herbal tea infusion has been used for centuries across Asia, particularly in China and Korea, to treat numerous health problems or just to improve body function. The news of its wondrous effects have spread through the world and people everywhere are consuming ginseng tea for more than just its advantages — but also refreshing flavour! Learn more about this herbal tea in detail from our in-depth introduction to the ginseng tea!
Table of Contents
What is Ginseng Tea?
Unlike some other teas, ginseng tea doesn’t consist of tea leaves. Instead, traditional ginseng tea is made from the roots of the ginseng herb, sometimes along with Korean chestnuts and jujube fruits. The combination of ingredients, or even just the root, are decocted over low heat for a few hours to extract the essence needed for the tea.
As the world evolves, ginseng tea now comes in ready made forms like powder and single-serve packets, making it more convenient to prepare and consume. There are also ginseng tea capsules available on the market for those who prefer to take it as supplements.
Ginseng tea is famous in Korea. The Koreans use ginseng tea for medicinal purposes to treat certain illnesses due to the contents in ginseng tea. The Chinese also use this herbal infusion the same way — as a herbal medicine. What’s interesting is that there’s a myth — true or not, it’s still unknown — that consuming ginseng tea can balance one’s yin and yang energies, which in turn heals any health issues in the body.
The flavour of ginseng tea can be described as strong but bitter. Additional sweeteners or flavourings are often added to lessen the bitterness of the ginseng. Traditionally, flowers, herbs or tea leaves are often brewed together.
Varieties of Ginseng
There are a few different varieties of ginseng tea, and they’re often distinguished by the colour as well as the origin country of the harvest. There’s also usually different processing steps for the different varieties of ginseng. Here’s a few different varieties of ginseng:
Korean Ginseng
The Korean red ginseng is often known as Asian ginseng and even Chinese ginseng even though it’s origin country is Korea. This variety of ginseng has been used for centuries by the Koreans and Chinese for health treatments, stimulating the immune system and giving energy boosts to the consumer. The Korean red ginseng is also produced with a more complex process. There is also the Korean white ginseng known as an adaptogen, providing the body and mind of the consumer with stability.
American Ginseng
There is also a variety of ginseng known as American ginseng. They used to be a plentiful supply of them in the mountainous regions of the United States of America. It was over-harvested in the mid-1970s which led to them being an endangered species. The American white ginseng is considered to be high quality and premium. Because the slow growth rate of quality ginseng cannot meet the demands of the market, this variety of ginseng can be quite expensive.
Siberian Ginseng
There is also another variety of ginseng that can be found in Siberia. It’s not as common or famous as the other two, but this type of ginseng has been studied for improvement and support of the bodily functions and internal systems.
Benefits of Ginseng Tea
There’s got to be reasons why Asia uses ginseng tea so often. Not only is it abundant in the region, ginseng tea is also oozing with benefits for the consumer. The people from the ancient times definitely knew of these positive effects. If we were to list all the positive effects of ginseng tea, we could keep going on endlessly. Hence, only some of the benefits are listed below:
Strengthens Immunity
The past generations have been using ginseng tea as a treatment for the flu. Even till today, there have been research and studies regarding the link of ginseng and its prevention of the respiratory syncytial viruses. It’s been said that red ginseng is more effective than white ginseng for this specific benefit. Constant consumption of ginseng tea will be able to strengthen the consumer’s immune system as ginseng helps the body to react to harmful bacteria and toxins.
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
There have been studies that show that both Korean and American ginseng are able to regulate blood sugar levels by decreasing insulin resistance. Ginseng tea can be a natural remedy to treat diabetes because of this. Research has shown that it is effective for those with type 2 diabetes.
Energy Boost
Ginseng tea can assist in giving the consumer energy boost. While there isn’t any caffeine in it, the content of ginseng tea can provide a refreshing feeling by stimulating mental activity. Those who feel fatigue and tired should try drinking ginseng tea to feel a little rejuvenated and more ready than ever to get their ball going.
Sharper Cognitive Function
As white ginseng is an adaptogen, white ginseng tea has the ability to improve the body’s ability to react better to stressful situations. Because of this, it improves the mental ability gradually by boosting the attention span of the consumer. A consistent intake of ginseng tea is proven to sharpen the cognitive function over time, and thus the quality of life of the consumer will get better.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Ginseng tea is also consumed because of its anti-inflammatory properties. This is because ginseng has ginsenosides that is the cause behind such properties as it targets the specific pathways in the immune system. These pathways are the ones that are able to access the reduction of inflammation in the body.
Types of Ginseng Tea
Because traditional ginseng tea is in such high demand and the ginseng production cannot keep up with it, the ones with 100% pure ginseng in it is extremely costly. Growing ginseng can take up years and years, and the older the ginseng is, the more nutritious it is and considered more high quality. Hence it is a slow process.
As a solution to the low supply, there are powder forms, supplements and teas that have a portion of the traditional ginseng to meet the demands and reduce the cost of it. Here are two of the common types of ginseng tea on the market today:
Steeped Ginseng Root Tea
This is the traditional type of ginseng tea where the actual ginseng root is directly decocted and the essence is extracted to become tea. Sweeteners like honey are often used to lessen the bitterness taste. Sometimes flowers or herbs are added for flavouring and also other benefits. A good thing to note is to do research before combining herbs together as it can interact with one another.
Blended Ginseng Tea
Because of the lack of production due to the long duration of growing quality ginseng, the modern ginseng teas are usually a blended type. These are generally made by using the powdered form of ginseng and combining it with another type of tea. A bigger quantity of teas can come from powdered ginseng than from the actual herb itself, which is why this type of ginseng tea came about. The powdered ginseng coats tea leaves like oolong to create a blended type of ginseng tea. While this version of ginseng tea doesn’t have 100% ginseng, it still has sufficient quantity so you can reap the benefits for lower the cost.
Preparation of Ginseng Tea
With such a unique type of tea, you’re bound to want to get the best brewed cup of ginseng tea you possibly can. Then it’s good to know the ins and outs of how to prepare it properly. While it’s generally just like brewing any other tea, knowing a few pointers wouldn’t hurt, especially if you’re aiming to master the ginseng tea art. Here are some good ones:
- An 8 oz cup of water is usually used for ¼ of a jumbo sized ginseng root, ½ size of a large ginseng root, 1 to 2 medium sized ginseng root, 2-3 small ginseng roots, or 1 tablespoon of ginseng root powder.
- If you’re using boiling water to brew, do not let it reach boiling point. The recommended temperature is 90ºC.
- Always use filtered water.
- Steep for about 5 to 15 minutes depending on the variety of ginseng root you have and the size.
Risks & Side Effects of Ginseng Tea
Ginseng tea is a powerful herbal tea infusion, and there are various of positive effects to the body. Because it is such a strong type of tea, it’s inevitable that there is a possibility of a downside to it. Hence, it is best to know about the possible side effects so as to be well prepared.
While it is generally safe, just like some other types of tea, it’s recommended to not mix with other medicines like antidepressants or heart medications as the combination of these medications with some contents of the ginseng tea can be disruptive and lead to unwanted reactions.
Ginseng tea has no caffeine in it and that’s for a good reason. Ginseng can increase the effects of caffeine and other similar stimulants. It’s best not to mix ginseng tea with caffeinated drinks or other similar beverages with the same type of stimulant as you might experience an increase in heart rate, disruption of sleep or sweating. Those with anxiety or heart problems should definitely avoid this combination.
With such a high demand for this specific type of herbal tea, how can that not convince you to get on the bandwagon? There’s a long history of its use and countless of proven positive effects from consuming it. Despite its risks which could be avoided if followed the consumption instructions properly, ginseng tea does so much good to the body. It’s no doubt that ginseng tea has an abundance of benefits, so why not try it for yourself to see the physical positive effects?
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