(9-96) Ginseng is a well known tonic. It's good for the heart, blood, nerves, blood pressure, liver, stomach, fatigue, aging, immune system, sexual function, etc. I even read a report that it helps hot flashes. Personally, I haven't tried it yet. However, being a Chinese it's hard not to believe it. What is not so well known is that there's a lot of counterfeit product on the market. Many dealers package other herbal roots as ginseng. Some use real roots, however, the essence of the roots has been extracted for other dosage forms. If you bought something cheap, more likely it is a fake. If you spend a lot of money, it might still be a fake. The only way to beat the system is to buy it from a reliable source. Believe it or not, the best and most genuine ginseng are grown in Wisconsin, U.S.A. The wild ginseng was first discovered by a missionary who spent some years in China and recognized the root. Later, a Chinese immigrant discovered the same thing and started a ginseng farm. Now, it's a million, if not billion, dollars business industry in Wisconsin. The Chinese ginseng farm started to sell their product directly to consumers. If you don't want to waste money, it's best to buy ginseng directly from them. The company is called Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises, Inc. Their web page is at http://www.hsuginseng.com (Boy, I wish I could get some advertising money for this.)