Panax ginseng (Asian, Chinese or Korean ginseng)
Panax quinquefolius (American, North American or Canadian ginseng)
Traditional Chinese medicine considers ginseng to have some unique healing powers of its own. The American form is supposed to be ‘a more cooling variant’ of its Chinese cousin. This ends up making it a tad more important for healing and curing respiratory track disorders and fevers. The Asian variety, with its heat, is known to improve circulation.
The active compounds available in ginseng are said to be components that are steroid like. These compounds are called ‘ginsenosides’.
The word ‘Panax’ is derived from a Greek word which means ‘all-healing’. In a lot of places around Asia, ginseng is given the spot of being a revitalizer that is effective on the entire human body system. One of the basic reasons for this is the fact that its shape resembles that of a root; which metaphorically, will resemble the human body.
Ginseng is said to be a natural adaptogen, which would mean that it is capable of increasing a person’s resistance to chemical, biological and physical stress. It also helps the body to build up on overall energy; and is known to positively influence general and overall vitality of the person.
A study was conducted wherein; people who had suffered a minimum of 2 colds the last year were instructed to take 2 capsules of the North American ginseng extract each day. Another group was instructed to stay on a placebo treatment method. They were asked to continue with the intake of either the ginseng or the placebo, for a period of four months. When they were checked later, the number of colds per person had significantly dropped in the case of those who had stuck to ginseng.
In yet another study, 36 patients who had been newly diagnosed with diabetes and weren’t on insulin as yet, were given doses of around 100 mg to 200 mg of Panax ginseng. After a period of around 8 weeks, they were checked for their blood sugar levels. It showed significant improvement; and other benefits included better mood levels; and psychophysical performance that had seen an upper. The ones who had consumed the 200 mg doses also did better with their hemoglobin A1C, which is a test that is used to determine how well the blood sugar levels of a person have been controlled in the last 3 months.
In a case study about erectile dysfunction, around half of a 90 men batch with the condition was put onto ginseng; with the others on a placebo. Around 60% of the men with ginseng in their systems ended up faring better. Prescription drugs that deal with erectile dysfunction need be taken only when the need appears. But that isn’t true in the case of ginseng. Ginseng will only show its effects if taken on a regular basis.
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