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Ginseng panax has a long history of  use as an alternative medicine going back over 5,000 years and has been studied over the past 30 years in many countries. It has been difficult to either verify or quantify the medicinal benefits of ginseng using science, as there are contradictory results from different studies, possibly due to the wide variety and quality of ginseng used in the tests. High-quality studies of the effects of ginseng are rare.

The ginseng root has been the focus of many chemical studies in an attempt to understand the nature of its active ingredients. This section will focus on those compounds that seem to be specific to ginseng.

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, which have carbohydrate groups attached at several points. When, in the course of isolation, the carbohydrate portion is removed, the remaining portion is called an aglycone or sapogenin and can be categorized as either a panaxadiol or a panaxatriol.

There are three main varieties of Ginseng :

  • Panax ginseng, which is also known as Asian ginseng, is one of the most understood and utilized species of ginseng. This slow growing perennial has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an herbal remedy to combat fatigue and weakness. It takes about 5 years for a plant to produce roots that are ready for harvest. Ginseng is classified as an adaptogen, which means it increases the body’s resistance to stress. American Family Physician: Panax ginseng It is also used as an aphrodisiac and for erectile dysfunction
  • American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, was was discovered in American in 1716. Asian ginseng is noted to elicit more of a yang, or warming, effect, while American ginseng has a cooling, or yin effec.
  • Siberian ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus is different from Panx ginseng pharmacologically and it is from another botanical family. It does not have the active principles, known as ginsenosides, that are found in Panax. These plants do contain eleutherosides which may function like steroid hormones. There appears to be immune-boosting capacity in those who take this herb.

Health Benefits of Ginseng with Good Scientific Evidence :

  1. Boosting the immune system
  2. Herpes Simplex Type 2 – can reduce the severity, intensity and duration of outbreaks.
  3. Type 2 diabetes
  4. Improved quality of life in the elderly
  5. Heart disease and Hypertension- As an antioxidant, ginseng enhances nitric oxide synthesis in the endothelium of the organs and blood vessels in the body, helping prevent hypertension, atherosclerosis and other types of heart disease. P. Sandroni. 2006. Aphrodisiacs Past and Present: A Historical View. Clin. Autonomic Res. 11:303-307
  6. Aphrodisiac – Ginsenosides enhance smooth muscle relaxation that is needed for erectile function, affecting nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway. Animal studies support a role of this herb for increasing reproductive capacity.

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