ginseng - Etymology
The English word ginseng derives from the Chinese term rénshēn (simplified: ; traditional: ), or Cantonese jan4 sang1 , literally "man root" (referring to the root's characteristic forked shape, resembling the legs of a man). The difference between rénshēn and "ginseng" is explained by the fact that the English pronunciation derives from a Japanese reading of these Chinese characters. However, the current Japanese word for these characters 人参 (ninjin) means carrot, and ginseng is referred to in Japanese as 朝鮮人参 (chosen ninjin), or 고려인삼 高麗人参(Goryo Insam) also known as Korean ginseng.

The botanical name Panax means "all-heal" in Greek, and was applied to this genus because Linnaeus was aware of its wide use in Chinese medicine.

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