Like many medicinal herbs, ginseng can cause mild side effects. Here’s what a small number of users experience:

- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Heart palpitations
- Heavier menstrual flow
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Restlessness

- Do not self-medicate with ginseng while taking any type of anticoagulant medication. To do so can thin the blood too much, leading to possible internal bleeding. For information on how to safely switch from a synthetic anticoagulant to ginseng, talk to your physician.

- Do not self-medicate with ginseng while taking any type of vasodilator medication. To do so can overdilate blood vessels. For information on how to safely switch from a synthetic anticoagulant to ginseng, talk to your physician.

- If you are pregnant, nursing, trying to conceive or are taking any type of medication, please consult your physician before using ginseng.

- To avoid dangerous interactions between prescription medication and herbal medicine, individuals with AIDS, cancer, a connective tissue disease, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, tuberculosis, or any other chronic illness should consult their physician before using any herb.

There are many species of ginseng: American ginseng, Japanese ginseng, Siberian ginseng, tienchi ginseng, and more. Each variety containing different medicinal compounds and healing properties and used to treat different illness. Yet this site focuses on panax ginseng, also known as Asian, Chinese or Korean ginseng. Reasons being this particular variety appears to be the most powerful of the ginseng family. Second, Chinese, American and European research and usage has concentrated solely on panax ginseng - making its benefits the most thoroughly documented of the ginseng family.