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Health Benefits of Ginseng

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Ginseng is any of eleven different varieties of short, slow growing perennial plants with fleshy roots. Ginseng is believed to restore and enhance normal well-being and has become one of the most popular herbal remedies in the world today.The herbs consist of a light-colored, forked-shaped root, a relatively long stalk and green leaves with an oval shape.

Ginseng has traditionally been taken to aid a number of medical conditions, which we discuss below. However, as a note of caution, there remains little scientific research to back up how effective ginseng actually is for these.

Both American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius, L.) and Asian Ginseng (P. Ginseng) are believed to provide an energy boost, lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, reduce stress, promote relaxation, treat diabetes, and treat sexual dysfunction in men.

Ginseng goes to GYM

It should be noted that Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosis) is not a true ginseng and doesn’t belong to the genus “Panax”. It does belong to the Araliaceae family of plants, but consumers should be aware that it is not the same as American or Asian ginseng.
Athletes around the word have adopted Siberian ginseng as a training aid. Athletes use it to increase the performance, bolster of the immune system against the demands made on during the exercise, reduce fatigue after workouts, and reduce the effects of stress.
The Russians were the 1^st one to use the Siberian ginseng as the training aid. A Russian scientist name I.I Brekhman conducted years of painstaking studies on dozens of native Russian plants, trying to find a replacement for red ginseng as a cold- and flue fighters. Brekhman wanted an herb that would increase resistance to stress and normalize physicals functions, and do so without causing the side-effects
All of these qualities are present in SIBERIAN GINSENG, which Brekhman and his colleagues found to have an impressive of benefits.

In time , the herb was investigated as a legal stimulant for the Soviet Union International athletes. The Soviet Olympic team has publically acknowledged its use of Siberian Ginseng since the Munich Olympics of 1972, and the herb was created by the team of nutrition and pharmacology adviser Sergei Portugalov for Russia’s unexpected capture of 11 gold medals at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994.Chess players, cosmonauts , musicians and high-level Russian military officers  Siberian ginseng , while its use in athletes went global. Charles Barkley for instance, is reported to drink Siberian ginseng tonic a week.

Unfortunately, scientific studies of Siberian ginseng usefulness in athletic performance have  yielded results that are difficult to interpret. For instance in a study conducted an a old Dominion university in Virgina, athletes who were given Siberian ginseng had consistently higher maximum hearts rates and higher rate of oxygen consumption than athletes who were given in a placebo. Athletes taking the herb also did not become exhausted as quickly. Runners had higher concentration of lactic acid in their muscles after their races, an indication of greater muscular activity. These complicated measurements could be  conducted on only sixteen athletes, however, so the study failed to capture statistically significant differences in the performance. Other studies have shown positive but not statistically benefits from Siberian ginseng.

Benefits of Ginseng

• Cancer and mumps: Siberian ginseng was found to have a pronounced effects  in T cells, mostly T-helper cells, but T cells, also cytotoxic and natural killer(NK) cells. It stimulates sarcoma, and all forms of carcinoma that have spread. It stimulates B cells aswell. It increases the production of interferon, an immune-system chemical, which makes it useful in treating mumps and several kinds of cancer
• Chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease , viral infection and tuberculosis: Siberian ginseng has proven ability to prevent upper respiratory infection. Russian studies involving tens of thousands of participants found that taking Siberian ginseng before 8 to 10 weeks before the beginning of the cold and flu season reduces the incidents of these diseases by more than 95%.(stimulates B and T cells).
  Recent evidence suggests that Siberian ginseng may prove valuable in the long term management of various diseases of the immune system, including HIV/AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, and autoimmune illness such as lupus.
• Depression and Stress: Research has shown that Siberian ginseng stimulates resistance to stress. In a stress full situation, the adrenal glands release corticosteroids and adrenaline, which initiate the fight or flight response. When these hormones are depleted, the body reaches an exhausted phase. Siberian ginseng delays the exhausted phase and allows a more efficient release of the hormones. Siberian ginseng is used to treat problems with concentration and sensitivity to environment stress, such as noise, drafts, and changes in weather. It helps people who suffer from clinical depression. It also eases depression directly by balancing serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine , brain chemicals that determine mood.
• Diminished  sex drive: In men, Siberian ginseng stimulates the body’s production of testosterone. This allows the herb to both increase sex drive and fight impotence.
  
  
• Meniere’s disease: Siberian ginseng’s capacity to reduce inflammation makes it useful in the early stages of Meniere’s disease. It acts by reducing the activity of mast cells, which release bursts of chemicals that causes the inflammation and tissue destruction.

Consideration for use
Siberian ginseng is available as eleuthero extracts, tablets and teas. It is also available in bottled ginseng tonics, but you need to make sure that any such product actually contains real Siberian ginseng(Eleutherococcus senticosus), and not other herbs blend that maybe falsely labeled as “ginseng”
Do not use Siberian ginseng if you have autoimmune disease, such as lupus or RA
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