Name: Common Name: Ginseng Botanical Name: Panax ginseng, C. A. Meyer Pharmaceutic Name: Radix Ginseng
Family: Araliaceae
Parts Used: Root
Sources
Basically, there are two big categories
of Ginseng products in the markets, Asian Ginseng (P. Ginseng) and
American Ginseng (P. Quinquefolius). Most of the Asian Ginseng sold
in the United States and Europe is imported from Korea. Plants are
harvested and collected when they are from five to seven years old.
The so-called Red Ginseng is the ginseng yielding from steamed for
two to four hours. The containing ingredients of red ginseng are
the same found in white ginseng.
Ginseng is used as a tonic to treat
fatigue and debility. It is also used for chronic diarrhea due to
poor digestive function. Many times it is used non-specifically
during convalescence of sickness.
1) Action on the central nervous system: balance the excitatory
and inhibitory process of the cerebral cortex; increase the conditioned
reflex, enhance the analytic ability. There is research suggesting
that ginseng can improve the ability of young athletes to run and
to swim, of middle-aged men to work harder, and of elderly subjects
to do arithmetic.
2) Influence the organ's responses: similar action as the
"adaptogen"-can increase the defense mechanism of the
organism. Experimental animals treated with ginseng become resistant
to viruses, tumors, lack of oxygen, and even X-ray irradiation.
3) Action on the circulatory system: with small dose it act
as glycoside that increase the contraction of heart.
4) Act on the endocrine system: increase the function of
the adrenal cortex (related to immunity, resistance and allergy)
and stimulate the pituitary gland to produce more sexual hormones.
5) Action on the metabolism: synergistic action with insulin
to reduce blood sugar; regulate the metabolism of cholesterol in
a prospect of preventing arteriosclerosis.
6) Action on the reticuloendothelial system: stimulate the
production of immunoglobulin; increase the production of white blood
cells particularly the lymphocytes.
7) Antioxidant effects: the ingredients of ginseng, ginsenosides,
has an action of antioxidant effect. Probably this is what ginseng
can protect the heart and brain against the effects of aging. Ginsenosides
also stimulate production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide molecules
are used to send messages from one nerve to another and from nerves
to muscles and blood vessels. Increasing the amount of nitric oxide
can cause blood vessels to dilate and increase blood flow to the
brain. The nerves that control erectile function contain nitric
oxide.
Concerns
There is no obvious adverse effect
from taking Ginseng. There are reports in the medical literature
describing nervousness, insomnia, and gastrointestinal upset in
long-term users who were taking up a large amount of ginseng daily.
The real effect of the commercial product are various due to the
content ginsenosides and the process of manufacture. More recent
research studies use standardized formulations containing 4 percent
ginsenosides.
Precautions
According to the Chinese text the only
contraindication of use is for a person with true heat and pathogenic
factors. The translation is ginseng is not considered to use during
acute sickness, e.g. during infection status.
Dosage
3-9 grams of ginseng root per day.
Summary
Ginseng is a well-known herb in the
East and use for increase well-being for a long time. After it was
introduced to the West, a great number of laboratory study were
performed trying to explore its composition and tried to explain
why it provides such incredible effect to the body. Although no
such scientific evidences that convince the scientists, Ginseng
still continue demonstrated its valuable effect to people using
it. Lower cancer rates in ginseng-users are also suggested by the
epidermiologic surveys.
Interesting Facts
More than two thousand years, traditional
Chinese healers have used ginseng as a tonic herb for normal or
sick person. Rev. Fr. Petrus Jartoux (1668-1720) a Jesuit missionary
in northern China published a book containing his observations on
ginseng in 1709. This book made Europeans know this plant. Another
Jesuit, Pere Joseph Francois Lafitau (1681-1746) found that the
Mohawk Indians used a plant almost identical to the one described
by Fr. Jartoux and sent a sample of "American ginseng"
to him. Not long thereafter, North American ginseng is grown in
Madison County, Wisconsin and provided to the market. In China,
American ginseng also was farmed and referred as White-Seng. White
ginseng is generally considered to be lower quality.
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