Ginseng
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Ginseng is a group of plants belonging to the genus Panax, consisting of several species of slow-growing perennials with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. It grows in Korea, China, Japan ,Siberia ,Vietnam and North America. It is considered to be one of the most important plants in herbal medicine, with many health benefits arising from consumption of the root and its extractives.
Botanical aspects
The Korean ginseng plant requires a cool,temperate climate. This perennial plant grows to a height of about 60 cm in the wild and up to 90 cm when cultivated. It takes about six years to reach maturity. The plant requires shade and does not grow well in direct light. The mature plant has three to four palmately compound leaves, with each leaf comprised of five leaflets. The flowers have five petals arranged as an umbel. The berries are flat ,oblong and green when immature and become bright red at maturity. Grayish white seeds form within the berries. Cultivated ginseng yields 40-60 seeds per plant.
The most prized portion of the plant is the main root,which is large and white to yellow-white in color. When fully mature, Korean roots sometimes resemble the human body with head,trunk,arms and legs; but many times a large number of lateral roots or rootlets obscure the "ideal shape" of the main root. According to the 'doctrine of signatures',the shape of a plant's parts provide a clue about which part of a human being can be aided by the plant. For example, a shelled walnut, which resembles the brain, would be considered good for brain health. Likewise, the ginseng root which resembles the human body would be considered good for all parts of the body . The word panax is derived from the Greek word 'pan'-meaning all,and the Greek word 'akos'- meaning remedy. The literal translation is 'a remedy for all things'.
The six year old root weighs about 75 grams but sometimes reaches 300 grams. It is about 7 cm long with a maximum diameter of 2.5 cm. The size of the root depends on the quality of the soil and the amount of water available. The wild plants have a slightly different appearance than those that have been cultivated.
Once ginseng has been harvested it can't be planted in the same soil for 15 years. The soil must be rebuilt and tilled with fresh leaves ,such as oak(World ginseng expo 2006).
Species of Ginseng
Many people refer to 'Siberian Ginseng' (Eleutherococcus senticosus) as a type of ginseng but it is not considered a true ginseng. It has a woody root instead of a fleshy root; and it contains eleutherosides instead of ginsenosides.
There are 11-12 recognized species of ginseng,depending on the method of classification. All the species belong to the genus panax.
The following list contains all known species of ginseng.
- Panax bipinnatifidus Seemann
- Panax bipinnatifidus Seemann var. angustifolius (Burk.)Wen
- Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer
- Panax japonicus C.A. Meyer
- Panax notoginseng F.H.Chen,C.Y.Wu et K.M.Feng
- Panax pseudoginseng Wallich
- Panax quinquefolius L.
- Panax stipuleanatus H.T.Tsai et K.M.Feng
- Panax trifolius L.
- Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushvitsky
- Panax wangianus Sun
- Panax zingiberensis C.Y.Wu et K.M. Feng (Awang 2003).
History
The English word ginseng derives from the Chinese term rénshēn (simplified: 人参; traditional: 人蔘), literally "man root" (referring to the root's characteristic shape, resembling the body of a man). The word ginseng originates from the Japanese reading of the very same chinese characters. It was originally the common name for several plants valued for their medicinal properties; although ginseng is now associated with the genus Panax, some researchers believe that the original ginseng used in ancient China may have been a different plant. Ginseng is usually thought of as an Asian plant,but American ginseng has been used by Native Americans in the United States for centuries.
There are many legends that have created a mystique about ginseng as the "King of Herbs". It is said that ginseng has been used in the Orient for 5,000 years.
The German botanist, Nees Von Esenbeck , first classified Korean ginseng as Panax shinseng var. coraiensis Nees in 1833; with the term coraiensis referring to Korea as its wild habitat. The Russian botanist Carl Anton Meyer renamed the plant Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer in 1843.
The earliest documented usage of ginseng (Bae 1978) appears in a 2,000 year-old Chinese book of the Chien Han Era (33-48 B.C.E.).
The first mention of ginseng as a medicine was by the Chinese physician , Chang Chung-ching , who lived during the Latter Han Dynasty (196-230 C.E.). In his book ,Shang han-lun (a treatise on diseases caused by cold) he described 113 prescriptions of which 21 used ginseng.
Ginseng and gold fragment are described as important preparations for the "elixir of life" to produce eternal youth and immortality (Bae 1978) in the book Shen Nung Pen Ts'ao Ching translated as The Book of Herbs by Shen Nung or The Divine Husbandman's Materia Medica. The true authorship of this book is unknown . It was revised sometime between 456-536 C.E. by T'ao Hung Ching. This book is purported to represent the early experiments of the legendary emperor Shen Nung - considered by many to be the father of Chinese agriculture,medicine and the originator of acupuncture.
Ginseng Chemistry
The ginseng root has been the focus of many chemical studies in an attempt to understand the nature of the active ingredients. Many plants contain a group of compounds known as saponins, but the saponins within ginseng are unique and have been named ginsenosides. These compounds resemble steroids and are known as tetracyclic damarane saponins. The tetracyclic ring has carbohydrate groups attached to it. When the carbohydrate portion is removed,the remaining portion is an aglycone or sapogenin,categorized as either a panaxadiol or a panaxatriol.
The ginsenosides were first isolated by thin layer chromatography and named alphabetically according to how far they migated on the plate in a given system eg. Rb1,Rb2,Re,Rc . At present, about 30 ginsenosides have been identified (Kennedy et al. 2003),each of these can be further classified as belonging to either the panaxadiol group, panaxatriol group or the oleanolic acid group.
Within the ginseng plant,the precursors of the panaxadiol type and panaxatriol type are known respectively as protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol. Similarly,within mammals, the metabolic breakdown products have been identified as either protopanaxadiols or protopanaxatriols.
Ginseng root contains a group of compounds known as polyacetylenes.
Numerous polysaccharides or glycans have been reported in Panax ginseng and named sequentially panaxan A - U . The glycans in Panax quinquefolius have been named quinquefolans. The complete structure for these glycans has not been reported
Ginseng Pharmacology
Ginseng water extract has an LD50 in mice of 1400 mg/kg (Gold et al. 1999).
Ancient and Modern medicinal uses
Ginseng has a long oral tradition as being a plant with the ability to cure all human diseases. This tradition is linked to the 'doctrine of signatures' and the shape of the ginseng root resembling a human body.
In Shen Nung Pen Ts'ao Ching ,Shen Nung claimed that ginseng is a tonic for the five viscera,quells animal spirits,establishes the soul,allays fear,expels evil effluvia,brightens the eyes,opens up the heart and benefits the understanding (Bae 1978).
There are many legends about the ability of ginseng to increase stamina or endurance.
Nurses at a London Hospital were given ginseng or a placebo on three consecutive days before night duty. The nurses who received ginseng reported feeling more alert and performed better on tests for speed and coordination (Hallstrom et al. 1982)
MIT scientists have discovered that ginseng extracts with a ratio of Rg1/Rb1 greater than one, will promote growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and a ratio less than one will inhibit growth (Sengupta et al. 2004).
Panaxan B,a glycan, has been reported to elevate plasma insulin and increase insulin sensitivity in mice (Suzuki et al. 2006).
Frequently, there are contradictory results from different studies. This is due, in part, to the wide variety of the type of ginseng extract used in studies. Ironically, one of the better studies involving ginseng actually uses a proprietary formula of ginseng (McElhaney 2004).
Ginseng is promoted as an adaptogen (a product that increases the body's resistance to stress). Mice experiments to determine whether ginseng would enhance swimming endurance or live longer under stress ,gave negative results (Lewis et al. 1983).
A group of 338 people who received ginseng plus multivitamins every day for 12 weeks experienced significant improvement in their quality-of-life index compared to the controls receiving only multivitamins(Caso Marasco et al. 1996).
Panax ginseng appear to inhibit some characteristics associated with cancer in animal models; nevertheless, this effect is unclear in humans (Shin et al. 2000). | author= Shin HR, Kim JY, Yun TK, Morgan G, Vainio H | title= The cancer-preventive potential of Panax ginseng: a review of human and experimental evidence | journal= Cancer Causes Control | year= 2000 | volume= 11 | issue= 6 | pages= 565–576 | id= PMID 10880039}}</ref>
Side Effects
Ginseng's most common side effects are nervousness and excitability, which usually decrease after the first few days[citation needed]. The ability to concentrate may be decreased, and blood sugar may decrease to abnormally low levels (causing hypoglycemia). Because ginseng has an estrogen-like effect, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take it, nor should children. Occasionally, there have been reports of more serious side effects, such as asthma attacks, increased blood pressure, palpitations, and, in postmenopausal women, uterine bleeding. To many people, ginseng tastes unpleasant.
Tradition Chinese Medicine
- According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer promotes yang energy, improves circulation ,increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness,and stimulates the body
- Panax quinquefolius,North American ginseng is particularly prized in Chinese societies, and many ginseng packages are prominently colored red, white, and blue. Most North American ginseng is produced in the Canadian provinces of Ontarioand British Columbia and in the American state of Wisconsin.
According to T.C.M., American Ginseng promotes yin energy, cleans excess yang]] in the body, calms the body. The reason it has been claimed that American ginseng promotes Yin (shadow, cold, negative, female) while East Asian ginseng promotes Yang (sunshine, hot, positive, male) is that, according to traditional Chinese medicine, things living in cold places are strong in Yang and vice versa, so that the two are balanced. Chinese/Korean ginseng grows in northeast China and Korea, the coldest area known to Chinese in the old time, so ginseng from there is supposed to be very Yang. Originally, American ginseng was imported into China via subtropical Canton, China ,the seaport next to Hong Kong, so Chinese doctors believed that American ginseng must be good for Yin, because it came from a hot area. However they did not know that American ginseng can only grow in temperate regions. The ginseng is sliced, a few slices are soaked in hot water to make a tea.
Wild ginseng
Wild ginseng is ginseng that has not been planted and cultivated domestically, rather it is that which grows naturally and is harvested from wherever it is found to be growing. It is considered to be superior to domestic ginseng by various authorities, and it has been shown to contain higher levels of ginsenoside. Wild ginseng is relatively rare and even increasingly endangered, due in large part to high demand for the product in recent years, which has lead to the wild plants being sought out and harvested faster than new ones can grow (it requires years for a ginseng root to reach maturity).
Red ginseng
Red ginseng (simplified: 红蔘; traditional: 紅蔘), is Panax ginseng that has been heated, either through steaming or sun-drying. It is frequently marinated in an herbal brew which results in the root becoming extremely brittle. This version of ginseng is associated with stimulating sexual function and increasing energy. Red ginseng is always produced from cultivated roots, usually from either China or South Korea.
A double-blind, crossover study of Red ginseng's effects on impotence show a marked positive effect (Hong et al. 2002). A study shows that Red ginseng reduces the relapse of gastric cancer versus control (Suh et al. 2002).
A study of ginseng's effects on rats show that while both white ginseng and red ginseng reduce the incidence of cancer, the effects appear to be greater with red ginseng (Yun et al. 2001).
See also
- Traditional Chinese medicine
- New Age
- Food therapy
- Poor man's ginseng
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Awang, D.V.C. 2003. What in the name of Panax are those Other. HerbalGram 57:35 The Journal of the American Botanical Council
- Bae,Hyo-Won (editor). 1978. Korean Ginseng. Korea :Korean Ginseng Research Institute.
- Caso Marasco, A., R. Vargas Ruiz , A. Salas Villagomez ,C. Begona Infante. 1996. Double-blind study of a multivitamin complex supplemented with ginseng extract. Drugs Exp Clin Res.22(6):323-329.PMID 903475
- Gold,L.S. and T.H. Sloan. 1999. Ranking possible toxic hazards of dietary supplements compared to other natural and synthetic substances. Testimony to F.D.A.,Docket No. 99N-1174.[[1]]
- Hallstrom, C.,S. Fulder ,M. Carruthers. 1982. Effects of ginseng on the performance of nurses on night duty. Comparative Medicine East and West 6(4): 277-282.
- Hong B, Y.H.Ji ,J.H. Hong ,K.Y. Nam ,T.Y.A. Ahn. 2002. A double-blind crossover study evaluating the efficacy of Korean red ginseng in patients with erectile dysfunction: a preliminary report . Journal of Urology 168(5):20-21 . PMID 12394711
- Kennedy,D.O. and A.B.Scholey. 2003. Ginseng:potential for the enhancement of cognitive performance and mood. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 75(3):687-700. Elsevier Science Inc.
- Korean Ginseng Studies,vol.1. 1977. Seoul,Korea: Il Hwa Co. Ltd.
- Lewis, W.H.,V.E. Zenger ,and R.G. Lynch . 1983. No adaptogen response of mice to ginseng and Eleutherococcus infusions.Journal of Ethnopharmacology 8(2):209-214 PMID 6685799
- McElhaney ,J.E. 2004. A placebo-controlled trial of a proprietary extract of North American ginseng (CVT-E002) to prevent acute respiratory illness in institutionalized older adults. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc.52(1):9-13.PMID 14687309
- Sengupta S.,S.A. Toh ,L.A. Sellers ,J.N. Skepper ,P. Koolwijk , H.W. Leung ,H.W. Yeung ,R.N. Wong ,R. Sasisekharan ,T.P. Fan . 2004.Modulating angiogenesis: the yin and the yang in ginseng. Circulation 110(10):1219-25. PMID 15337705
- Shin H.R.,J.Y. Kim ,T.K. Yun ,G. Morgan ,H. Vainio. 2000. The cancer-preventive potential of Panax ginseng: a review of human and experimental evidence.Cancer Causes Control 11(6):565-576.PMID 10880039
- Suh S.O.,M. Kroh ,N.R. Kim ,Y.G. Joh ,M.Y. Cho . 2002.Effects of red ginseng upon postoperative immunity and survival in patients with stage III gastric cancer.American Journal of Chinese Medicine 30(4):483-494.PMID 12568276
- Suzuki,Y. and H.Hiroshi. 2006. Mechanisms of hypoglycemic activity of panaxans A and B,glycans of Panax ginseng roots:effects on plasma level,secretion,sensitivity,and binding of Insulin in mice. Phytotherapy Research 3(1):20-24.
- World Ginseng Expo 2006.[2]]
- Yun T.K.,Y.S.Lee ,Y.H. Lee ,S.I. Kim ,H.Y. Yun . 2001. Anticarcinogenic effect of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer and identification of active compounds.Journal of Korean Medical Science 16:S6-S18. PMID 11748383
External links
- Phytochemicals in Korean Ginseng
- The Journal of the American Botanical Council HerbalGram. 2003;57:35 American Botanical Council
- Ginseng Abuse Syndrome disputed
- "Ginseng may reduce number, severity of colds". (Nov. 6, 2005). New Sunday Times, p. F19.
- Drugs & Supplements - Mayo Clinic
- Panax ginseng - American Family Physician
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