characteristics and use...root that is used as a substitute for sarsaparilla. Ginseng root, from Panax ginseng, has long been used by the Chinese in the treatment of various diseases; its American relative, Panax quinquefolium ( see photograph), is used in the United States as a stimulant. Hari-giri, or castor aralia ( Acanthopanax ricinifolius), is used...either of two herbs of the family Araliaceae, Panax quinquefolius and P. schinseng, or their roots. The root has long been used as a drug in China and as the ingredient for a stimulating tea. P. quinquefolius, the North American ginseng, is native from Quebec and Manitoba southward to the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. The roots of most ginseng cultivated in America are...