Ginseng began to spread in Europe in the second half of the 17th century due to the works of Polish Jesuit Michael Boym. He was the author of the earliest works on Chinese botany, medicine, and pharmacy in which we can find a lot of information concerning ginseng root and its substitutes. All these medicines were later imported to Europe, mainly by the Dutch merchants who had their trade factory at Deshima Island near Nagasaki. In the beginning of the 18th century ginseng was already known at the courts of the Louis XIV of France, of the Great Brandenburgian Elector Friedrich Wilhelm in Berlin and among the physicians of the Russian tsars. It was described later by German, Russian and English physicians: Andreas Cleyer, Christian Mentzel, Laurentius Blumenfrost and John Floyer. In this article the Author discusses the history of the use of white and red ginseng, pseudoginseng and the so called „Siberian ginseng” (the bark of Acanthopanax senticosus root) in old Chinese as well as in the modern worldwide medicine).