PagesI don’t believe I have seen a month go by without reading something in the media regarding some benefit provided by Ginseng. This month (March 2006) the media is crawling with the study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, stating that women who were treated for breast cancer and then followed for up to 6 years, who had been using ginseng before their diagnosis were 30 percent less likely to die than women who had never used the herb.
In addition, breast cancer survivors who had started using ginseng after their diagnosis reported greater emotional well-being and a more active social life than those who never tried the herb.
That’s a fairly enticing claim.
Ginseng, as a medical herb, has been known for literally thousands of years. The first written record of the use of ginseng can be found in a Chinese Herbal ( titled Shen-nung pen ts’ao ching) dated in the 1st Century B.C. It is also one of the best known medical herbs on the market.
Ginseng’s roots are 5-6 cm long, grayish white to amber yellow. The surface is wrinkled and furrowed. The taste is sweetish at first, with a somewhat bitter aftertaste. The strength of a ginseng root is often associated with its age. Fork shaped roots with many annular circular wrinkles or scars on the root stock, or rhizome are claimed to have the greatest value. The age of ginseng roots is ascertained by the number of “rings” on its surface. Since ginseng produces only one aerial shoot for each growing season, the number of stem scars on the rhizome may also be used for establishing the age of the plant. Ginseng is a very long lived plant. The life span of ginseng plants has been reported to be from thirty to three hundred years old.
Ginseng is highly prized as an adaptogen (a product that increases the body’s resistance to stress). Unfortunately, this property is extremely difficult to prove in a scientific study. It has been found in studies to reduce the severity of colds and in a randomized, double-blind study it was found that American ginseng reduces influenza cases in the elderly when compared to placebo. One of the most promising therapeutic uses of ginseng surrounds the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and blood glucose. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, ginseng lowered postprandial blood glucose compared to placebo when taken 40 minutes before or at the same time as a glucose challenge. In healthy subjects without diabetes mellitus, ginseng lowered postprandial blood glucose compared to placebo only if taken 40 minutes before glucose challenge.
Active essential elements discovered in most ginseng species include ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, polyacetylenic alcohols, and fatty acids. Most pharmacological properties are generally given to the ginsenosides belonging to a group of compounds known as steroidal saponins(steroid molecules with attached sugar residues). More than 20 ginsenosides have been isolated.
Pharmacological profiling of ginseng has painted a broad image, with large portions of the painting smeared by conflicting data because of the many heterogeneous and sometimes opposing effects of different ginsenosides. On the whole, the ginsenosides appear to be very similar in mechanics to that of the steroid hormones found in the body.
The problem with many herbs such as ginseng is that true research is often limited because of the lack of funds available to support the effort. There is no way a patent can be issued for ginseng, so there is no return on investment for pharmaceutical companies or investors. In many cases we are left with what has been passed down and our own experience. Everyone is different to some degree, so the effects of ginseng and other medical herbs may be very different for you, as apposed to someone else. Claims that ginseng may be of no value can probably be ignored, simply based on the thousands of years of documented experience to the contrary, however I also lift a questioning eyebrow to those who claim it is a cure for everything.
The preparation of ginseng as a tea or tonic is very simple. Once you have purchased your root, slice a few thin sections and let them sit in a cup of boiling water until the water has cooled to room temperature. The alleged effects are: promotes Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness, and generally stimulates the body.
Nothing happens in a vacuum and this is doubly true when we are talking about the human body. If you are currently taking medications then consulting your doctor prior to starting a strong regiment of ginseng use is probably wise. Early descriptions of a “ginseng abuse syndrome” characterized by hypertension and central nervous system excitation have since been challenged, although a number of case reports caution against the indiscriminate use of ginseng. The estrogen-like effects of ginseng have been associated with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding and mastalgia. An interaction between ginseng and the monoamine oxidase inhibitor phenelzine resulted in headache, tremors, and mania. It is not known whether ginseng can cause the same side-effects as those described from long-term steroid use.
Use during pregnancy or by nursing mothers is not recommended.
Posted by Glenn Hefley in Example -- Health, Glenn's Work
