What is Ginseng?
Ginseng is one of the perennial plant species with a 5000-year history. Because of that, these roots are similar to the human body, they have taken the name "human herb". Thanks to its strong healing features, the botanical name is called "Panax" in the Greek language, which means "full improvement".
Do you feel tired and sluggish when you come home from school or work? Don't you have enough energy to do the job you like? Are you stressed during the day and you don't know why?
In that case, I suggest you read this article from beginning to end. I personally tried and saw the effects of ginseng. I think Ginseng can answer your problems.
Although Ginseng has been used in the far east for thousands of years, history of spreading in the world and our country is maximum 10 years. Ginseng is a valuable herb that has been used for many years in Siberia, Korea, China and North America.
The Ginseng family consists of 11 members, but the most known and used for medical purposes are known as American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus).
The "Panax" word is derived from ‘panacea’, which means healing in the Greek language. The Ginseng word is derived from the “rénshēn” which means human herb in China language.
Just as you can see in the picture below, the root of the Ginseng is similar to the human body. Because of this similarity, people in ancient times think that this plant is a divine source. And they suppose it is beneficial for the human body.
Ginseng is a plant with a history of about 5,000 years in China. Its root is especially sacred in the ancient Indian tribes.
In ancient Chinese inscriptions, there are writings about how to use the plant in treating many diseases. On the other hand, the Ginseng has a leaf and fruit but only the root is used in therapy. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to grow this plant.
Ginseng root must be found under the soil at least 6 years to reach the adult level. And the root which has reached the age of 7-8, is only 10 centimeters in diameter.
It may be white or red. Korean Ginseng is known as the most effective one of this plant species.
GINSENG VARIETIES
As mentioned above, there are many types of Ginseng. This variety is related to the geography where they grow. And of course, there are the different effects and uses of Ginseng species grown in different regions.
Ginseng root contains many different types of “ginsengoside”. And each of these substances can be used for different medical purposes. You can review the following ginseng varieties:
Korean Ginseng
The most known one is the Korean Ginseng. Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) grows mostly in Korea, China, and Siberia. However, the greatest reason for the naming of Korean ginseng is that it is the most suitable region for the cultivation of this plant, and it naturally grows in Korea.
Korean Ginseng can live for 100 years according to what is said. And the more soil it is under, the more useful it is. After being extracted from the soil, production takes 2 names according to the shape. These are Red Ginseng and White Ginseng.
According to the scientific researches done, red Korean ginseng has more effects than white Korean ginseng. So you mostly hear the name of red Korean ginseng. Korean ginseng contains 20-22 ginsenosides.
Red Ginseng
Ginseng root becomes Red because at least 6 years of fresh and used ginseng root is produced by leaving in a 100-degree hot steam for at least 3 hours and then drying in a humidity environment of at most 15%.
According to the researches, hot steam increases the bioactivity of the ginseng at a high percentage. If this process takes place at 120, the antioxidant feature can be increased 8 times and can increase the relaxation effect of blood vessels by 32 times by blood dilution.
White Ginseng
White ginseng is obtained by drying peeled ginseng roots in the sun or hot air stream. It has almost the same content with red one. However, the effect of the active ingredients is less because it is not left in the hot stream.
American Ginseng
American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is an important member of the ginseng family. It has been used mainly by local tribes since the 1700s in America.
American ginseng has a sacred value among tribes and is still being used for medical purposes.
American ginseng contains more Ginsengoside than the Korean ginseng as we mentioned. But when it comes to the treatment stage, it has been shown that Korean ginseng gives better results. Because the amount of ginsenosides used for treatment is lower in American ginseng.
Siberian Ginseng
Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) has used the name of the ginseng, and it has the same compounds and effects like the ginseng species. But in fact, it is not a member of ginseng family. Furthermore "Siberian ginseng" is forbidden for sale in the USA and it can be sold under the name of “Eleuthero”. It is called “eleutheroside” in the name of the active substance in the Siberian ginseng. And according to the researchers, it has the characteristic of promoting the functioning of the immune system.
At the same time, due to the “polysaccharides", it contains, blood sugar can be reduced. There is not much data to be researched about compared to other ginseng types. However, studies show that Siberian Ginseng has less energy enhancing and healing properties than Korean ginseng.
Chinese Ginseng
Chinese ginseng is actually the same as Korean ginseng. Maybe we can say that the difference is the more effect difference because ginseng in Chinese will contain less ginsenoside. Also, it is recommended to be used by children and elderly people. And it will be white when dry in the sun.
Panax Ginseng
Panax ginseng is actually a scientific name of Korean ginseng, as I mentioned above. But it is not a different type of ginseng. I want the separate this one because Panax and Korea are written like a different kind in some sources.
Ginseng Use
The roots of the plant are generally used in whole or sliced. The leaves of the plant are also usually sold as dried and sometimes used as the root.
It can be said that making a tea with leaves are more common. The ways of using ginseng have gone beyond traditional methods.
Ginseng based ingredients are used in energy drinks and some cosmetic products. The number of users in the world is increasing day by day. So has begun to be evaluated commercially and the wild ginseng species has become very vulnerable. May this plant face danger of extinction in the near future.
The plant began to be used for purposes such as giving shine to faces in China about 3,000 years ago. But today it is an important plant in the field of alternative medicine.
Preparing plant roots can be regarded as an easy task. First of all the ginseng has been pulverized. Then it is heated until it reaches the boiling point mixing a glass of water and half a dessert spoon of ginseng powder.
It is expected to be brewed in this manner and for about ten minutes on a low heat.
You can do this three times a day and drink one cup at a time. There is no harm. You can also find encapsulated forms of ginseng in pharmacies.
Besides being very useful for the plant, there are many side effects that can be caused. It is known to have some side effects such as nausea, headache, low blood pressure and high blood pressure, nosebleeds, diarrhea, and breast pain. Some sources say it causes sleeplessness, but other sources deny it.
When mixed with antidepressants it may cause the start of mania. For this reason, pregnant women who are treated for depression and people who have heart problems or kidney problems or blood pressure problems will show a proper behavior if they use ginseng after consulting the doctor.
BENEFITS OF GINSENG
- Red ginseng has the ability to increase sexual power. It shows aphrodisiac properties, helps to overcome problems related to fertility and increases the number of sperm.
- American ginseng has proved that it inhibits tumor growth according to researches.
- The red ginseng is a very strong antioxidant. For this reason, is used as an anti-aging drug.
- Helps you physically strengthen and solve the troubleshoot problems such as fatigue. It also increases the durability of your body.
- As a result of the researches, White Korean Ginseng increases the perception level of Alzheimer patients.
- There's been research showing that it drops blood sugar. For this reason, it is accepted as one of the important reinforcements that can be used by diabetic patients.
- It has been observed to have positive effects on cardiovascular diseases.
- Exposure to radiation destroys the cells. One of the positive features of ginseng is that it helps to reduce the damage.
- It has been observed that some negativities effect from aging has been prevented by this plant.
- It is known that it has positive effects on the central nervous system and strengthens it.
- The immune system helps your body for a fight all diseases. Ginseng supports this system to help prevent disease.
- It is helpful for people who have problems such as bronchitis or asthma. It is regarded to be good for these diseases.
- Another benefit is that reduce Cholesterol level in your body and by the way helping you to live a healthier life.
- The human brain is considered as a computer whose boundaries cannot be predicted yet. Ginseng helps you push these boundaries.
- It has appetizing properties.
- It is so beneficial to people who have stomach problems. It regulates the functioning of the digestive system and helps to get rid of the problems.
- It helps to neutralize a variety of stress factors, making your body more resistant to these factors.
- It has features that can help people suffering from tooth and gum disease.
- Ginseng helps you fight obesity problems through its anti-angiogenesis feature.
As a result, ginseng has proven to be beneficial in many research and thousands of years of experience. But you should always use ginseng carefully because that it can have different effects on different people such as in every healthy nutrient. Ginseng should not be given to children and older and sick people unless they have the doctor advise. If the ginseng root is used correctly, it shows very useful and effective results. Of course, this benefits depends on the quality and type of ginseng you are using.
Refferences
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1226845314000876
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001130074250.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23232078
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