Ginseng--a root just like a carrot?

Ginseng has been used for thousands of years in the East as a 'tonic', and in recent years its use has extended to Western society. In the light of the current interest in complementary medicine, we summarize the effects and purported mechanisms of action of ginseng and present two vignettes of its use in relation to psychiatric patients, followed by a general discussion of the implications of the use of herbal products by these patients.