Ginseng, as a class of herbs, is classified as an adaptogen.
As far as I recall, adaptogens are harmless, protective, recovery-boosting compounds that generally assist the body to adapt to stress while enhancing its performance.
There are three types of Ginseng: 1) Oriental or panax ginseng; 2) American or panax quinquefolium; and 3) Siberian or eleutherococcus senticocus. This is the most widely researched adaptogen. Interestingly, “Siberian Ginseng” is not from Siberia, not even from Russia. It comes from China! In China, Russian Eleutherococcus is referred to as “Ciwuja”. However, Eleutherococcus from the two regions (China and Russia) is from the same botanical family, although the Russian herb is acknowledged to be the most potent of all. Scientists have demonstrated that the chemical composition of the Eleuthero from the Russian strain contains larger amounts of bioactive compounds. In particular, it contains significant amounts of the key active, Eleutheroside B. This compound plays a central role in the anti-stress and anabolic actions of Eleuthero.
Eleutherococcus is regarded as the prototype adaptogen. In fact, it was declared an official herbal medicine by the USSR Ministry of Health in 1962, and was effectively included in the National Drug Guide, the then pharmacopoeia of the USSR.