Dong Yang Shen
English Name: eastern ginseng, Japanese ginseng
Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Ginseng Japonica
Medica Category: Qi-Tonifying Herbs
Properties: Dong Yang Shen enters the Spleen and Lung channels; it is sweet and slightly bitter in nature and cool in temperature.
What is Dong Yang Shen?:
The Chinese Herb Dong Yang Shen is the dried root that comes the same plant as Ren Shen (Asian ginseng—Panax ginseng C.A. Mey) but is cultivated in Japan under controlled greenhouse conditions that differ significantly from those under which Ren Shen grows. Dong Yang Shen, then, is closer to Xi Yang Shen (American Ginseng– Panax quinquefolium) in its effects than it is to Ren Shen (Asian/Korean Ginseng—Panax ginseng) in that it tonifies the body without drying it out. See the section below for its actions in the language of TCM.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Dong Yang Shen:
Dong Yang Shen primarily addresses deficiencies of the Spleen and Lung by mildly tonifying qi and yin and providing a harmonizing element when things are out of balance. Spleen qi deficiency presents with fatigue, poor appetite, loose stools, weak pulse, and a puffy tongue with teeth marks around the edges; Lung qi deficiency presents with a feeble cough, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, and fatigue. In its action to regulate the middle jiao, Dong Yang Shen harmonizes the Stomach to alleviate nausea and vomiting and also to improve poor appetite.