From: [n k raft] at [bkhouse.cts.com] (Norman Kraft)
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: ginseng?
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1993 12:39:32 PDT

[b--ch--h] at [vms.ocom.okstate.edu] writes:

>[p--g--r] at [ejv.com] (Peter Wagner) writes:
>> Is it a stimulant?  Is it bad for you?  Good for you?  What does it
>> do?  Okay, this is too broad.  Does anyone have any information on
>> Ginseng?  Thanks!
> 
> Ginseng is a herbal product with stimulant properties.  It's main use is as 
> an aphrodisiac in the orient.  American grown ginseng is supposed to be 
> more potent than Korean grown ginseng (better soil, same situation with 
> pot).  South American indians chew on the coccoa leaf (cocaine) as a 
> stimulant while working.  Asians chew on ginseng root for the same reason.
> I don't know what the specific stimulatant in ginseng is.  I've read that 
> ginseng has an estrogenic action in the male testes and this estrogenic 
> action is responsible for the aphrodisiac effect (many aphrodisiacs are just 
> irritants of the male gential system or urinary tract).

Wow! That's a lot of misinformation about ginseng all in one paragraph! :)
Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad information out there about ginseng,
and it looks like you may have run across some of it.

Ginseng is an herb, the root of which is most commonly used, but not a 
"product" per se. It has adaptogenic, antifatigue, antistress,
immunostimulating and reproductive effects, but it is not an aphrodisiac
in the usual Western use of the term. What it will do is improve, over
time, sexual function of both men and women and is used in the treatment
of impotence and infertility. It is more of a sexual tonic than something
you slip into someone's drink or take before a big night out.

Ginseng has a systemic effect on the human body, and it's effect on
sexual function is the least researched and least reliable use of the
herb. (In many ways, you are better off with damiana and saw palmetto
for this use.) 

The chemistry of ginseng is pretty well understood, and the primary
substances believed to be responsible for much of its action are so-called
ginsenosides (triterpenoid saponins). In the West, it has been used to 
treat diabetes, cancer and viral infections, among other diseases.

Ginseng is *not*, however, an appropriate herb for all people and this has
led to some folks winding up with problems as a result of the current 
trendiness of this herb.

In the Orient, it's main use is as a qi tonifying herb, for a variety of
conditions. It is used to relieve the effects of stress. It is used for
lack of energy (qi deficiency). It is used seasonally to ward off the
effects of cold winters (ginseng is very warming in nature). 

When combined with other herbs ginseng is commonly used to treat impotence. 
It is not in any conventional sense an "aphrodisiac", since improvement 
in sexual function generally happens gradually over a period of several 
weeks to several months. 

Ginseng has no direct effect on sex hormones, but it's use does 
eventually lead to both testosterone-like and estrogen-like actions in 
men, actually raising the testosterone level in some studies. In women, 
it has an estrogen-like effect on the reproductive system. Still, such
results have generally been from animal studies, and there is very
little human data available. Also, these uses have not been without
their side-effects, such as breast-tenderness in women and headaches
in men.

Worldwide it is most often taken for its anti-stress and stimulatory
actions. Asians chew on ginseng, and take it regularly, because it is 
held to be one of the herbs that is good for you (seasonally), will help 
to keep your energy levels up, will help keep stress down, and may help 
lead to a longer life. It is frequently used after a long illness to
restore one's energy levels.

There are more than a dozen types of ginseng available. Of these, Korean
ginseng is stronger (hotter), in general, than the Chinese variety.
American ginseng is the weakest, or coolest. (American ginseng contains
fewer of the ginsenosides than the Korean and Chinese varieties.) Often 
when people find that the Chinese and Korean ginsengs are too tonifying, 
American ginseng is used. American ginseng is quite popular in China
for this very reason. You will also see tiechi ginseng, Siberian ginseng,
and Japanese ginseng. With the Korean and Chinese varieties, there are
both "red" and "white" varieties, each with different traditional uses.

Again, ginseng is not for everyone. There are groups of people, 
constitutionally speaking, that should not use it. Some preparations of
the herb will be overly tonifying, and overuse is always something to 
watch out for.

Ginseng should not be used by people who do not have a "qi deficiency", 
or those that have "hot" tendencies (feeling hot, acid stomach, fevers, 
etc.) or by those with "deficiency heat" (night sweats, insomnia, dry
mouth/throat, mental restlessness, anxiety, etc.) [These conditions
should be diagnosed by a qualified practitioner of Chinese medicine.
This list is only for informational purposes.] 

Ginseng should not be used by people with blood pressure over 180mmHg 
systolic. Overuse can lead to headache, insomnia, palpatations, a 
general restless feeling, and a dangerous rise in blood pressure.

A full description of ginseng is a bit beyond net-news, but there are
several good books about the herbs which give a lot more information.
Avoid the ones that describe ginseng as the ultimate panacea for all
human diseases, or those with titles that have exclamation points. :)

There are some very good reasons to take ginseng, and there are some
good reasons not to. If anyone would like more information, please
feel free to reply, and I'll answer what I can. I have access to some
pretty good information about this, including references to studies
that have been done.

Norm.

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Norman Kraft                            INET  : [n k raft] at [ucsd.edu] (work)
Peptide-T Clinical Trial                or try: [n k raft] at [bkhouse.cts.com] (home)
HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center     UUCP  : ucsd!nkraft
Dept of Psychiatry, School of Medicine  
University of California, San Diego          Usual disclaimers...
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