Herb module
Ren Shen
Asian GinsengPanax ginseng
The classic "person root," a powerful Qi tonic that supports the Spleen, Lungs, and Heart and calms the Spirit.
Ren Shen is the ginseng most people picture: a pale, forked root prized for centuries as a tonic. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is used to powerfully build Qi, replenish Fluids, and settle the Spirit. In Resilience | Fós™ it provides deep, foundational support for energy.
Best functions
- Powerfully tonifies Qi, including the Yuan (original) Qi
- Tonifies the Qi of the Spleen, Stomach, and Lungs
- Generates Fluids and is used to relieve thirst
- Tonifies Heart Qi and calms the Spirit (Shen)
- Traditionally used to rescue Yang when it is deeply depleted
Fascinating facts
- Ren Shen means "person root." Ren means person, and a well-formed ginseng root can look like a tiny human figure with arms and legs.
- Ginseng is a slow-growing woodland plant native to the cool forests of northeast Asia. Its roots are left in the ground for several years before harvest.
- In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ren Shen is known as the king of tonics. It is prized for its special connection to Yuan Qi, the deep, original Qi that the tradition sees as the root of a person's energy.
- Ginseng has been widely used as an important tonic herb in traditional medicine for thousands of years. Research has looked at how its ginsenosides interact with the body's stress-hormone system, the HPA axis, and studies suggest it may support mental energy.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine
Ren Shen is a tonic herb with a sweet and bitter flavor. It is slightly warm and enters the Lung and Spleen channels.
Biomedical deep dive
Ren Shen Asian Ginseng
From the Zoi Medicinals fact sheets’ Biomedical Details, with lines from Noa’s herb notes marked “Noa’s notes”.
On the fact sheet
- Ren Shen (Asian Ginseng, Radix ginseng) is slightly warm and enters the LU and SP meridians; powerfully tonifies Qi, tonifies Spleen, Stomach and Lung Qi, generates Fluids and stops thirst, tonifies Heart Qi and calms the Spirit. Resilience | Fós sheet
Key active constituents
The fact sheets don’t name constituents for this herb.
Pharmacology and mechanisms
- Improvements in fatigue with Panax ginseng may be linked to its influence on cortisol release through the HPA axis (the brain-adrenal stress system).
- Ginsenosides (ginseng's active compounds) modulate the HPA axis; adaptogenic, with randomized trials on fatigue. Noa’s notes
- Improves cognitive performance and working memory in healthy adults. Noa’s notes
- Immunomodulatory: enhances NK cell and dendritic cell activity (key immune cells). Noa’s notes
What the research says
- Clinical studies of Panax (Asian) ginseng showed significant improvement in mental fatigue after 4 weeks of daily use (Mancuso and Santangelo, Food Chem Toxicol 2017).
- Panax ginseng was also linked to better short-term working memory in middle-aged adults and improvements in people with mood disorders and depression (Mancuso and Santangelo, Food Chem Toxicol 2017).
- In cancer survivors, 8 weeks of daily Panax ginseng was associated with significantly less cancer-related fatigue (Mancuso and Santangelo, Food Chem Toxicol 2017).
- Ginseng is an important traditional tonic used for thousands of years, first recorded in the Shen Nong classic; modern pharmacology is now detailing how it works.
Safety, interactions and cautions
- Every Zoi fact sheet: do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding unless directed by your health care practitioner.
- The Resilience | Fós fact sheet cautions anyone with a medical condition or taking medication to consult their doctor before use.
- The Resilience | Fós fact sheet notes that if the formula interferes with sleep, the last dose should be taken earlier, at least 3 hours before bed.
- Avoid with excess Heat (Traditional Chinese Medicine term), high blood pressure, mania or acute infection. · Noa’s notes
- Caution with stimulants, MAOIs (an older antidepressant class) and blood-sugar-lowering medicines. Noa’s notes
- May potentiate warfarin (a blood thinner) at high doses. Noa’s notes
In these Zoi formulas
- ★ Resilience | Fós (#3 on the fact sheet)
