Ginseng FAQ



Search:

Ginseng - a herb to reduce stress?

Would you like to
contribute to this site?

Ginseng Menu

Submit an Article
Submit a Tip
Place your Ad
Add URL
Ginseng Questions?
Contact Us


 Benefits of Ginseng 
 Health and Ginseng 
 American Ginseng 
 Korean Ginseng 
 Red Panax Ginseng 
 Siberian Ginseng 
 Wild Ginseng 
 Ginseng Products 
 Buying and Selling Ginseng 
 Growing and Farming Ginseng 
 Ginseng Plant 
 About Ginseng 
 Additional Ginseng Topics 
 About Chinese Herbs 
 Types of Chinese Herbs 
 Chinese Herb Guide 
 Uses of Chinese Herbs 
 Chinese Herbal Medicine 
 About Alternative Medicine 
 Using Alternative Medicine 

Return To Ginseng Article Archive
 

Search the Article Archives

Ginseng - a herb to reduce stress?

By John Gibb


Many health benefits have been claimed for ginseng, but, as with many other traditional remedies, little has been proven. As ginseng is a plant that is freely able to grow by anyone, there is little incentive for drug companies to invest in large-scale trials, which means that most of the studies we have are the efforts of enthusiastic amateurs and perhaps-biased Chinese researchers.

The primary health benefit claimed for ginseng is that it reduces stress without otherwise harming the body - something like alcohol, only without the side effects. The few studies that have been done have shown a few other benefits: it was proven to slightly reduce the risk of flu in old people, for example. The most controversial claim (again, one that is made for many traditional medicines) is that ginseng helps to fight cancer - but while this has been shown to be true in animals, it does not seem to have any effect in humans.

Red ginseng has a few extra health benefits: it even further reduces the risk of cancer in some animals, and has also been proven to be an effective treatment for impotence, although nowhere near as effective as real impotence medicines such as Viagra. Similarly, wild ginseng has the same effects as normal, domestic ginseng, but is a lot more powerful. Many of the problems with studying ginseng come from the sheer number of different types on the market and different places they are grown, as every variety seems to produce slightly different effects.

Studies from China make somewhat vaguer claims for ginseng, including one government-funded study that concluded that ginseng increases quality of life. It seems likely that this is more of an attempt to promote Chinese agriculture than anything, however.

In the end, the only real proven benefit for ginseng is that it reduces stress, and, indeed, this is the reason most people take it. As a stress treatment, ginseng can be very good, but dont expect the world from it.

About the Author:

John Gibb is the owner of Ginseng sources, For more information on ginseng check out http://www.Ginseng-guidance.Info




clear

Get your Ginseng questions answered... Subscribe to our
Ginseng
Newsletter FREE!

Your First Name:

Your Email Address:









Ginseng Partner Sites
Copyright © Ginseng FAQ, 2006. All rights reserved.
Contact Us