Ginseng

This large yellowy-white, gnarled root from Northeast Asia is known by various poetic names, including "root of heaven", "promise of eternal life," and "flower of life" due to its many therapeutic properties. Its story started a very long time ago in China, around 3000 B.C., when the Emperor Chen-Nong, the founder of agriculture and specialist in medicinal plants, chose ginseng as the "heavenly" plant and made a precious elixir from it, reserved solely for the Emperors. Famous for thousands of years for its many benefits, ginseng root is traditionally used as a tonic.