ginseng

ginseng
    n 1: aromatic root of ginseng plants
    2: Chinese herb with palmately compound leaves and small
       greenish flowers and forked aromatic roots believed to have
       medicinal powers [syn: {ginseng}, {nin-sin}, {Panax ginseng},
       {Panax schinseng}, {Panax pseudoginseng}]
    

Ginseng \Gin"seng\, n. [Chinese.] (Bot.)
   A plant of the genus {Aralia}, the root of which is highly
   valued as a medicine among the Chinese. The Chinese plant
   ({Aralia Schinseng}) has become so rare that the American
   ({A. quinquefolia}) has largely taken its place, and its root
   is now an article of export from America to China. The root,
   when dry, is of a yellowish white color, with a sweetness in
   the taste somewhat resembling that of licorice, combined with
   a slight aromatic bitterness.
   [1913 Webster]