Nov 12

Ginseng to boost your immune system

Alternative therapies, Ginseng, Immune system No Comments »

This time of year colds and the flu are all around us and we need to keep our immune system strong to ward off their effects. Ginseng can help strengthen your immune system:

Long used in traditional medicine to boost energy and stimulate the immune system, ginseng got a shot in the arm after a much-publicized 2005 study from the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The placebo-controlled trial (which means that some subjects were given pills that contained active ingredients, while some were given pills that did not) examined the benefits of COLD-fX, a ginseng-derived product, on otherwise healthy individuals who had a history of upper respiratory tract infections. The results were impressive: When taken regularly, not only did the product, which is made from a proprietary extract of North American panax ginseng, reduce the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections, it also reduced the duration and severity of symptoms when subjects did get sick. Other studies on elite athletes and the elderly have produced similar results.

It seems that ginseng stimulates the immune system in a couple of different ways, though the mechanisms are only now being understood. For the average person, however, all they need to know is that it seems to help you feel better, faster. And for most people, it seems ginseng is safe, though it should be avoided by individuals taking anti-coagulents (like Warfarin), pregnant or breastfeeding women and those with kidney and liver problems. Of course, most of the research has been limited to this one particular – and proprietary – strain of ginseng; it remains to be seen if other preparations work as well.

Oct 20

Words of caution about herbs

Alternative therapies, General, Ginseng No Comments »

We have to remember that alternative medicines ARE medicines. It’s very important to talk to your physician if you are taking herbal remedies. This article contains some useful information about certain herbs and their interactions with drugs:

About 70 per cent of people now use herbs and other supplements routinely but are not necessarily aware of the dangers that may be associated with them when mixed with health problems, drugs, general anaesthetics and surgery.

A survey showed that the most used herbs are echinacea, ginseng and gingko biloba, but St Johns Wort, which has some special side effects, is also commonly used.

…

Siberian ginseng was used for over 2000 years in China, and Russian cosmonauts used it for alertness and energy and to aid adaptation to the stresses of life in space.

This herb helps to balance and protect from stress. It also helps the immune system and athletes use it believing it helps endurance performance and power.

It can help reduce the bad cholesterols, LDL and triglycerides and has generally been used for stress, nervous exhaustion and anxiety, as well as fatigue.

It is generally well tolerated but care must be taken because of some significant theoretical interactions with blood thinners, chemotherapy and diabetic medications.

In addition, care should be taken when taking Siberian ginseng if you have hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and you should not take it while pregnant.

Oct 18

Fighting the flu with herbs

Disease, Ginseng, Immune system No Comments »

Some good advice for fighting the flu using herbs:

Another way to enhance immune function is to take immune-boosting herbs. A great deal of research shows that some herbs activate the immune system against colds, flu and other diseases. For example:

* Andrographis Chilean researchers gave either a medically inert placebo or Andrographis (1,200 mg per day) to 158 adults who felt colds coming on. After five days, “Andrographis had a high degree of effectiveness in reducing symptoms.” The herb cut the severity and duration of sore throat and nasal symptoms in half. A Swedish study compared Andrographis and a standard antiviral drug (amantadine, Symmetrel) for treatment of flu. The herb worked almost as well as the more costly drug. Andrographis is available at health food stores and supplement shops. Take 1,200 mg a day or follow package directions.
* Echinacea “Echinacea is my favorite immune booster,” says James Duke, Ph.D., retired director of medicinal herb research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But Echinacea is controversial. Some studies show strong immunity rallying against colds. Others show no benefit. Swiss researchers analyzed what they called “the three best studies” and found that Echinacea cuts cold risk in half. It’s available at health food stores and supplement shops. Follow package directions.
* Ginseng Asians revere ginseng as an immune booster and total-body health promoter.

Canadian researchers gave 279 adults, ages 18 to 65, either a placebo or dose of ginseng (200 mg twice a day). Four months later, the ginseng group suffered fewer than half as many colds — and the ones they did develop were brief and mild. Likewise, University of Connecticut researchers gave flu shots to 43 people over 65 years, plus a placebo or ginseng (200 mg twice a day). The ginseng group was 50 percent less likely to develop flu. Finally, at Eastern Virginia Medical School, researchers gave flu shots to 198 nursing home residents, plus either a placebo or ginseng (200 mg twice a day). After three months, the ginseng group was an astonishing 89 percent less likely to catch flu.

Ginseng is available at health food stores and supplement shops. Take 200 mg twice a day or follow package directions.

Oct 11

Korean red ginseng

Ginseng, Traditional Chinese Medicine No Comments »

ginseng Interesting article about Korean red ginseng, including interesting pictures about how it is harvested:

Red ginseng, made by processing ginseng, is used widely as an ingredient for medicine and other health food products. With the spread of Influenza A, more people are turning their attention to ginseng and red ginseng to boost their immunity.

Ginseng, which used to grow strictly in the wild, is now grown in various ways. It differentiates into “sansam,” “jangnoesam” and cultivated ginseng, depending on its location. Sansam refers to ginseng grown deep in the mountains whereas jangnoesam is grown in the woods.

The ginseng also has different names depending on how it is processed. It is called “susam,” if used as unprocessed, “baeksam,” or dried ginseng, and
hongsam,” or red ginseng, to refer to ginseng that is peeled, cooked and then dried.

Among these, red ginseng preserves well as it’s easy to store for a long time without affecting its quality. Also, new elements are added into the red ginseng as it is peeled, cooked and then dried. It is first air-dried and then sun-dried, or dried through other methods so that the moisture level reaches about 12.5 to 13.5 percent.

Red ginseng is known to boost immunity, combat diabetes, reduce high blood pressure, enhance brain activity and fight fatigue.
Red ginseng was first raised in the country in 1080, and remained a government-owned production until 1996.

Check out DAAN’s Korean red ginseng capsules, or any of our other ginseng products.

Sep 12

Harvesting ginseng

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Ginseng

Ginseng

An interesting article about ginseng, and how it is harvested in China:

GINSENG root is revered as the “king of traditional Chinese medicine,” a precious tonic and source of energy and healing. Renshen (manroot) is considered “green gold,” a treasure boosts and adjusts both yang and yin energy as needed, cures just about everything and acts as an aphrodisiac.

But it doesn’t grow just anywhere, it needs a cool moist climate and considerable shade. Chinese ginseng (there is also distinct Korean and North American ginseng) grows only in rugged northeastern China, primarily Jilin Province.

Slow-growing wild ginseng is considered the most efficacious, more valuable than the same commercially cultivated herb.

The older the better. The fine hairlike roots are valuable, and ginseng must be removed whole from the soil, and very carefully, using wood or horn implements, never metal.

Thus, wild ginseng is rare and hard to find these days. People have been digging it up for a couple thousand years along the border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

One old, large and complete piece of wild ginseng can sell for thousands of dollars.

Mountainous Tonghua County in southeast Jilin Province is the place where wild ginseng is said to grow best.

Tonghua itself is small, but the 2,700-square-kilometer county is 80 percent mountain, and that’s where the ginseng grows.

Tonghua is also the home of legendary master Sun Liang, who first searched for the precious herb, suffered great hardship and finally was allowed by the ginseng god to find the herb.

In Tonghua many people speak of the “way of ginseng” and tell tales of Sun and his search for ginseng.

The prime ginseng area is famed Changbai Mountain, highest in the region and along the border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The area is famous for the “three treasures” of Changbai Mountain — ginseng, antlers (deer) and mink. Hunting is restricted, but genseng-hunting is popular among villagers.

Visit our ginseng page for information about the types of ginseng DAAN carries.

Aug 26

Lowering your cholesterol with natural supplements

Alternative therapies, Disease, Ginseng No Comments »

A useful round up of some natural supplements and how they affect your cholesterol levels:

Artichoke leaf – Dried leaf extract helped lower LDL cholesterol 23 percent in high risk patients (LDL>280) in a 2000 trial, but subsequent results have been much more mild.

Fenugreek – high doses of ground seed powder significantly lowered total and LDL cholesterol in several trials in the `90s, but those studies have been criticized for size and design, although some say the fiber content in fenugreek is the reason for any benefit seen.

Fiber – A review from Harvard researchers revealed for every gram of insoluble fiber intake, LDL cholesterol fell two points over an average of seven weeks.

Fish oil – High doses (3 g/d) of fish oil containing EPA and DHA are linked with 10- to 30-percent reductions in triglycerides—the third part of total cholesterol (HDL and LDL are the others), but not on LDL.

Garlic – One federal study in 200 found “small but measureable” decreases in LDL, butfollow-up trials have not been as positive.

Ginseng – A 2005 Harvard review found evidence of benefit from ginseng on cholesterol levels, but the studies’ sizes and designs were questioned.

Jul 15

Ginseng in Vietnam

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Ginseng is an integral part of the indigenous culture of the Vietnam central highlands. In the past, the method for preparing and using it was closely guarded by village elders, but now its cultivation and use is being promoted throughout the region:

Residents and governments of the Central Highlands have gone to great lengths to protect the Vietnamese ginseng that ethnic minorities once used like a cure-all without knowing that it was ginseng.

Locally, the plant was later named Ngoc Linh ginseng after the mountain where it grows.

The Sedang people live at the foot of the mountain. Every time a woman gets pregnant, or someone is bitten by a snake or attacked by wild animals, they would be brought to the village heads who were the only ones who knew how to process the plant and use it to treat ailments.

The secret became more widely known when the village heads showed French resistance soldiers in the area how to use the plant for curing malaria and gaining vigor, recalled war veteran Phan Quyet who stayed in the area from 1952-1953.

Nam, a veteran from the northern province of Ha Tay, has been living as a member of the ethnic community after his life was saved by the juice of the plant.

He had been unconscious for several days when he was fed the juice by a local woman is now his wife.

“The juice helped me gain consciousness,” Nam recalled. “My comrades were so surprised and happy to see me again. They thought I was dead.”

The perennial Ngoc Linh ginseng provides its most nutritious rhizomes, or root stems, after five years. The ginseng rhizome is believed to improve the immune system, prevent some cancers and extend the lifespan of cells.

Jul 07

Ginseng for inflammation

Ginseng No Comments »

Ginseng, in addition to its energy boosting properties, is also good for inflammation:

Researchers have shown that ginseng has anti-inflammatory properties in human cells. This finding has the potential to benefit millions of people who suffer with inflammatory conditions ranging from arthritis to heart disease and fibromyalgia.

What is ginseng?
Ginseng is one of the most ancient herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. For more than 2000 years, the roots of the perennial herb have been used to enhance the immune system, improve vitality, and promote overall health. In the past few years, ginseng has shown promise in improving the quality of life of cancer patients.

Ginseng and inflammation
Several previous laboratory studies indicated that ginseng extract has anti-inflammatory abilities. One conducted in mice in 2008 found that ginseng reduced inflammation in rodents that had ulcerative colitis.

In a more recent study, a team of scientists from the University of Hong Kong treated human immune cells with various extracts of ginseng. Ginseng contains chemicals called ginsenosides, which scientists have previously shown to have immune-suppressive and more specifically, anti-cancer fighting properties.

DAAN carries many different kinds of ginseng.

Jun 16

Ginseng for ADHD

Ginseng No Comments »

A study shows that ginseng may be good for ADHD:

Ginseng shows promise as an herbal treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), suggests a small study. Researchers investigated the use of Panax ginseng among three 14- to 17-year-old males diagnosed with ADHD, concluding that the herb “may be a slightly effective treatment for ADHD.”

Past studies have shown that Panax ginseng may strengthen immunity, aid in the management of diabetes, and enhance mood. Meanwhile, another form of the herb (American ginseng) has been found to benefit children with ADHD when combined with ginkgo biloba.

Oct 25

American ginseng will be studied as possible treatment for cancer

Ginseng No Comments »

The University of Chicago Medical School will study whether ginseng can fight cancer:

Researchers at the new center will apply scientific techniques to the study of herbal medicine. They will study the anti-tumor effects of different preparations of the herbs American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, and notoginseng, Panax notoginseng, which are widely used but little-studied herbal therapies for a variety of ailments, including prevention and treatment of colon cancer.

“At least one-third of adults in the United States use some sort of dietary supplement and many of them take herbal remedies, such as ginseng, to supplement or substitute for conventional pharmacotherapy,” said center director Chun-Su Yuan, M.D., Ph.D., the Cyrus Tang Professor of anesthesia and critical care at the University of Chicago, “yet we know very little about how, when or even if these products are beneficial.”

Scientific investigation of herbs is “still in its infancy,” he said, lagging far behind current trends in biomedical research. “Considering their widespread use, the time has come to apply contemporary research principles and techniques to the study of botanical medications.”

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. If detected early, it can be successfully treated, but patients with advanced colon cancer have a poor prognosis.

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