The Origin of Ginseng in Your Tea: A Graphic Memoir Reveals the Trade's Journey

Rewritten Article:

Take a gander at the 2011 fiasco of artist Craig Thompson - or more accurately, his drawing hand. You see, our buddy here, lauded for his thought-provoking (and somewhat forbidden) graphic memoir Blankets, badly hurt his money-spinner on a touristic bamboo raft journey along the Yulong River in China. He bellyflopped over some rapids, assuming it was just a sprain.

A Good Samaritan helped him to a nearby pharmacy on the outskirts of town, where they offered a magical pain-relieving spray - the main ingredient being none other than ginseng. A tad curious, Craig took a gander around the pharmacy to find it brimming with his beloved hometown's herb - Wisconsin.

Enter Craig's latest graphic memoir, Ginseng Roots - a kind of spiritual sibling to Blankets. The novel recounts his rural childhood, working on ginseng farms to foot the bill for comics. It also delves into the ginseng trade's worldwide connections, from farmers and business owners in the States to merchants in South Korea and China. This book is an investigation into the intricate network of labor, production, and consumption.

"Perhaps there's no USA without ginseng," Craig remarks. Indeed, that Chinese pharmacy stocked cheeseheads' ginseng is hardly a surprise. Wisconsin is the prime herb extraction state, and it leads the American ginseng market, particularly in Marathon, Craig's home turf. But the ongoing drudgery of the global ginseng industry is that the ginseng cherished by most Americans is Asian ginseng - a stimulating herb, as Craig puts it, similar to coffee. Contrast this with American ginseng, which is a calming adapto-genic herb for boosting general health. And it's all the rage in China.

America's historical ties with China over ginseng stretch back to the mid-1700s. That's right; to pay off France for aiding in the American Revolution, America shipped a vessel full of ginseng to China. Thus, it's plausible that without ginseng, there might be no USA - at least that's Craig's perspective.

In Ginseng Roots, Thompson's self-portrayal is simpler and animelike, but when he draws the ginseng titans he interviews, their faces are heavy with detail. This ambitious project took eight spine-cracking years to complete. Part of the delay was due to his paw, as it transpired his wounds included fibromatosis, Dupuytren's contracture, arthritis, and recurring cysts. Surgery, radiation, therapy, and herbs (including the healing ginseng) have been tried, but slowing down is the only feasible course of action now.

"I thought this would be my farewell to comics," Thompson mused. "Somehow, I've managed to survive; I believe I'll create more," he declared with a says-who attitude.

Wisdom in the Weeds:

During the creation of this magnum opus, Thompson crossed paths with acupuncturist Justin Penoyer, who treated him using the Old World's healing arts. Together, Thompson and Penoyer conversed about the roots of Chinese medicine, the benefits of American ginseng, and the connection between Thompson's condition and his youth working on pesticide-laden farms.

Penoyer shared a pearl of wisdom that Thompson jotted down for posterity: "An herb is a weed with a dope backstory. Weeds, on the other hand, are plants without any Street Fighter IV moves."

People create everything we consume. That's elementary school level stuff, yet this book offers an inspiring message - someone, somewhere, gave meaning to the stuff we buy and use, turning that plain jane weed into a valued herb. From the morning brew you slurp, to the wrinkle reducer you'll slather on tonight, to the book you're engrossed in right now - somebody lovingly crafted each of these products, bestowing them with tales and transforming them from weeds into herbs.

Meghan Sullivan edited this piece, so let's give her some LoveHours™.

The latest graphic memoir by Craig Thompson, titled Ginseng Roots, delves into the health and wellness aspect of food and drink, as it explores the benefits of American ginseng, a calming adapto-genic herb often consumed for boosting general health.
The ongoing drudgery of the global ginseng industry underscores the importance of lifestyle choices, with most Americans preferring Asian ginseng, a stimulating herb similar to coffee, while the calming American ginseng is highly valued in China.