In 2010, nearly all of the world's 80,000 tons of ginseng in international commerce was produced in four countries: South Korea, China, Canada, and the United States. The product was marketed in over 35 countries. Sales exceeded $2.1 billion, of which half came from South Korea. Historically, Korea has been the largest provider, and China the largest consumer. Ginseng sells for $300-$850 per pound.
The root is most often available in dried form, either whole or sliced. Ginseng leaf, although not as highly prized, is sometimes also used; as with the root, it is most often available in dried form. Folk medicine attributes various benefits to oral use of American ginseng and Asian ginseng roots, including roles as an aphrodisiac, stimulant, type II diabetes treatment, or cure for sexual dysfunction in men.
Ginseng may be included in small doses in energy drinks or herbal teas, such as ginseng coffee. It may be found in hair tonics and cosmetic preparations, as well, but those uses have not been shown to be clinically effective.
The botanical/genus name Panax means "all-heal" in Greek, sharing the same origin as "panacea" was applied to this genus because Linnaeus was aware of its wide use in Chinese medicine as a muscle relaxant.
Growing ginseng hydroponically is possible. You just have to have the right system to accommodate the plant. For a growing medium, use a mix of 1/3 LECA stone, and 2/3 coconut fiber. A normal mix of stone and fiber would be 50/50, but for large root mass plants, you should always cut down the stone to allow for better root movement. If you use coconut fiber, the chance of you getting fungus gnats greatly increase. To avoid this, put a layer of about 1-2 inches of stone on top of your fiber, and it will deter the gnats from invading your system.
As far as nutrients go for ginseng, a good organic solution such as the Age Old Organics line would be good. They offer a fast-acting, natural high nitrogen formula with a 2 to 1 nitrogen ratio to encourage continued growth and vigor to your plants. Marketed as Age Old Grow, it is manufactured by combining fish, seaweed, and naturally-occurring nutrients to form a stable, odorless, liquid plant food, with a 12-6-6 mix.
In the wild Ginseng usually takes 3 years to reach cultivation size. It typically is grown in shady areas like a forest or artificial shade. Ginseng needs approx. 75% shade, along with relatively low temperatures during its slow growing cycle. If you use artificial lighting, you will want to use low wattage, and create some artificial shade. Indoor ginseng is still a very new process, and a lot of scientific information is not yet available.
Aeroponically growing is more conducive to the root environment of the plant. However, the aeroponics system does not utilize any growing medium. Plants are suspended in a dark enclosure while a nutrient dense solution is sprayed on the roots at certain intervals. Aeroponics systems are very sensitive and require constant attention to pH and nutrient density ratios. Aeroponics is a difficult system for beginners to understand and should only be attempted by those who are advanced and familiar with such systems.