If you drive through north-central Wisconsin on your way from Minneapolis to Green Bay, no doubt you’ll notice some odd-looking farm fields along the way: one- to two-acre plots of knee-high, red-berried bushes growing beneath canopies of fabric. You’re in the ginseng capital of the United States. Those fabric canopies cut the light by about 80 percent, artificially reproducing the muted light of a hardwood forest, which was the original home of American ginseng.
Wild ginseng, once found east of the Mississippi River, is rather rare these days due to overharvesting. Cultivating the herb remains a difficult endeavor, but Wisconsin’s cool weather and glacial soils, along with growing techniques that have been passed down through many generations, permit the region to produce 95 percent of America’s ginseng crop. Most American ginseng root—the medicinal part of the plant—is exported to the Orient, where herbalists and doctors of oriental medicine value it as an overall body tonic or energy tonic.
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is only one type. There are two other plants that are commonly called ginseng. Asian ginseng (P. ginseng) is also used in the Orient.
For over 2,000 years, American ginseng has been a mainstay of oriental medicine, used as a revitalizing agent for general weakness, lack of appetite, anemia, forgetfulness, and deficiency of the "vital energy" known as chi. But oriental doctors often use American ginseng instead of the Asian species because it is said to be milder, less stimulating, and better suited for older patients and long-term use.
In recent years, many herbalists and herbal companies have begun using Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), the third type. This plant isn’t a true member of the ginseng family, but it’s less expensive. Although it’s a bit weaker than the true ginsengs, it has many of the same properties. Siberian ginseng is most often found as part of herbal formulas.
The medicinal properties and active ingredients of the three types are similar, and all can accurately be called energy herbs. Take them when you’re fatigued, run-down, worn out, or dealing with stress, suggests Alison Lee, M.D., a pain-management specialist and medical director of Barefoot Doctors, an alternative medicine practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Herbalists credit ginseng with elevating mood and reducing fatigue. It won’t make you leap tall buildings or run a four-minute mile, but it does seem to restore energy and improve performance—both physical and mental—says Julie Clemens, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in Sagle, Idaho.
"I use it primarily as a tonic, mostly to improve people’s vitality when they’ve been experiencing times of weakness," says Dr. Clemens. "That could be after the flu, after a funeral, or during times of great mental stress. I tell patients to use it for a short period of time, until they start feeling better."
Dr. Lee notes that the herb is not an instant stimulant. You might have to take it for a while before you begin to feel its effects.
SUPPLEMENTSNAPSHOT
| Ginseng Botanical names: Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng), P. ginseng (Asian ginseng), and Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng). May help: Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, genital herpes, impotence, stress, muscle soreness, low immunity, and depression; may improve stamina, breathing, and coordination; normalize blood sugar levels; strengthen appetite; and increase alertness and reaction time. Special instructions: Avoid coffee while taking. Origin: Grows only in eastern Asia and parts of North America; plants may be remnants of ancient forest that covered much of the Northern Hemisphere some 70 million years ago. Cautions and possible side effects: If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, or an anxiety disorder, consult your doctor before taking ginseng. May cause insomnia, nervousness, diarrhea, headaches, and sometimes high blood pressure. Has been reported to cause menstrual bleeding in postmenopausal women. |
The Friskiness Factor
Ginseng comes from the Chinese words jen shen, meaning "man root." The branches of the root resemble arms and legs, and the Chinese felt that the human appearance was a clue to its effectiveness as a whole-body tonic. Many Native Americans viewed the herb in the same way. The Penobscots believed that native ginseng increased female fertility, while the Fox of Wisconsin considered the plant a universal remedy. The plant genus, Panax, actually comes from the Greek word panacea, or cure-all.
Although there is a lack of scientific evidence, ginseng also has a reputation as an aphrodisiac. In the early 1800s, Appalachian folks gathered the plant in the wild to use when "old-timers used to go a’courting." The Ginseng Board of Wisconsin publishes an herbal recipe for baked goods called Sex Muffins, although they do acknowledge that any increase in sexual activity among ginseng users is probably related to a boost in energy rather than any direct elevation of the libido. In other words, if you feel more energetic, maybe you’ll feel more frisky.
Despite all of this folk use and titillating talk of aphrodisiac qualities, ginseng never became a very important herb in American medicine, and it was never a favorite among old-time practitioners. One reason may be that ginseng really isn’t a panacea, and many of the claims for it are exaggerated, says Tirun Gopal, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist who practices holistic and Ayurvedic medicine in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
"Ginseng is one of the most abused herbal medications that I know of. If you look in any lay literature or magazine, it’s still being touted as therapeutic for everything from cancer to an ingrown toenail," he says. "It certainly has its uses, but it is not a panacea."
Despite these reservations, though, there are still some things that ginseng seems to do quite well.
Adapting to Conditions
The Chinese think of ginseng as a normalizing or restorative agent. Western herbalists classify it as an adaptogen, an herb that has the ability to normalize function. It can be a stimulant, increasing alertness, reaction time, respiratory output, and motor coordination, or it can have a milder tonic action, lowering blood pressure, regulating blood sugar (glucose) levels, maintaining the immune system, and helping the body deal with the effects of stress.
"An adaptogen just sort of goes where it’s needed, putting your body into a more balanced state," says William Page-Echols, D.O., an assistant clinical professor of family medicine who teaches alternative medicine at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing.
Ginseng’s dual nature as both a calming influence and an energy booster can be traced to a group of active ingredients called panaxosides or ginsenosides. There are at least 13 types of ginsenosides in ginseng. Some stimulate the central nervous system, while others apparently act as pain relievers and tranquilizers, calming the stomach and nervous system.
Asian ginseng may be more stimulating than its American cousin because it contains a different balance of ginsenosides. No one is really sure, however, because there may be as many as 30 active ingredients in ginseng.
"I prefer American ginseng, because less stimulation is usually better," says Dr. Lee.
Energizing Agent
Ginseng has been used for thousands of years as a tonic to elevate mood and reduce fatigue. Some of the first scientific studies to gauge the herb’s effectiveness included a study of mice that were able to swim longer distances after being given ginseng. A Russian study showing that soldiers who were given an extract of ginseng ran faster in a three-kilometer race than those given a look-alike substance (a placebo).
Ginseng may give you an extra push in several ways. It temporarily increases the amount of oxygen uptake by the body and causes the muscles to use glycogen, the body’s stored sugar, more efficiently, says Dr. Page-Echols. Also, ginseng augments the number of insulin receptors in the body, thus driving the sugar in foods into your cells, where it can be burned, he says.
"Not only does that give you more energy, it also lowers or regulates your blood sugar," says Dr. Page-Echols. "Ginseng improves the glucose balance in the body and improves its sensitivity to insulin." That’s important to people who have high blood sugar, because insulin is the chemical released by the body to "escort" glucose into the cells, where it becomes a useful energy source.
A Finnish study found that people newly diagnosed with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes who took 200-milligrams of ginseng extract daily for eight weeks experienced improved blood glucose levels, enhanced mood, and better psychological and physical performance. When first diagnosed, these people were fatigued and depressed by their illnesses. Ginseng gave many of them the energy lift they needed to change lifestyles and to cope better with their conditions, the researchers concluded.
Ginseng’s stimulating properties have also been helpful in treating people with chronic fatigue syndrome. It can also help with depression when fatigue and stress are contributing factors.
Withstanding Stress
Adaptogens like ginseng have a unique capacity to strengthen the body’s resistance to stress and limit damage caused by stress, says Dr. Lee.
Stress can make you irritable, weaken your immune system, and accentuate any pain or discomfort you may be feeling, she says. She sometimes prescribes ginseng to her chronic pain patients, especially if they work in stressful environments like noisy offices or construction sites or have high-pressure jobs. "Pain is a stress, too, so I use ginseng to help people tolerate pain and not be so run down by it," says Dr. Lee.
Apparently, ginseng helps inhibit the output of chemicals and hormones that stress you out, says Dr. Page-Echols. An increased capacity to withstand stress keeps your immune system strong and makes you less susceptible to colds and other illnesses, he adds.
Ginseng also stimulates the immune system directly, increasing the function of natural killer cells and accelerating phagocytosis, the process in which white blood cells eat up invading bacteria or viruses. Although ginseng is not as powerful an herb as echinacea in this regard, it can help you fight off an infection, says Dr. Page-Echols.
"In the wintertime, some people take an immune stimulant, like echinacea or astragalus, daily, but you don’t want to take the same one all the time because eventually, the herb loses its effect," says Dr. Page-Echols. "You can use ginseng as a substitute for a couple of weeks."
Spotting the Disguises
Because ginseng is reputed to be a cure-all, many herbal formulas contain it. At the typical health food store, you’ll confront a bewildering array of ginseng-type products—everything from candy to teas and soft drinks.
Yet, many of these herbal combinations or products contain either little ginseng at all or ginseng of questionable quality, says Dr. Lee.
"I like the assurance of seeing the whole root," she says, but adds that purchasing a standardized extract of ginseng root from a reputable manufacturer is another option. A list of Wisconsin ginseng producers is available by writing to the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, 16H Menard Plaza, Wausau, WI 54401. The board has also developed a seal to identify Wisconsin-grown ginseng products; look for it on the ginseng products at drugstores or health food stores.
Your best bet is to look for capsules or pills standardized to 7 percent ginsenosides. Most clinical studies of ginseng use this standard, and the supplement gives you some assurance that you’re getting the real thing, says Dr. Page-Echols. You’ll also find ginseng as a tea, tincture, or root powder.
Both American and Asian ginseng tend to be very expensive, and American ginseng is in short supply because it’s often shipped overseas. Consequently, much of the ginseng found in the U.S. market is Siberian.
