The book “The Tao of the Emperor. The History of Ginseng” is a complete version of the fundamental illustrated research work on the history of the legendary ginseng plant. Based on little-known original documents, Author presents a detailed analytical picture of the study of this phenomenon in the Western world. The reader will find out when and how they first learned about ginseng in Europe; what role did he play in the life of Asian states; about the Russian side of the history of ginseng. All this is covered in detail for the period from the second half of the 17th century to the present day. Due attention is paid to the use of the root of life in Eastern and Western medicine, as well as the medicine of the Indians of North America, where its fellow Panax pentifolia occupied an honorable place. A lot of interesting things in the book are devoted to the history of China, Korea, Japan, their relationships with Russia and Europe; the intricacies of politics, business and ginseng, often reminiscent of an intriguing detective story; myths, legends and reality, against the backdrop of which the moment of truth painfully ripens… A detailed and diverse range of presentation of the fascinating history of this amazing plant will certainly be of interest to a wide range of readers.
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