Good to know. I live in Wisconsin and had wild Ginseng on the hill tops in my woods. I no longer live at that place but still recognize it when I see it. Happy Easter to you.
Thanks for all the hard work and research that you do. I will add that Ginseng is an interesting medicinal plant. When we talk about "Ginseng" we're mainly talking about Chinese red Panax Ginseng. The root gets its reddish color from a steaming process that it traditionally undergoes that actually alters some of the root's chemical constituents. Other medicinal plants that will sometimes be called "Ginseng" are "Siberian Ginseng" — Eleutherococcus or Eleuthero root — which is not related to real Ginseng but also acts as a powerful tonic adaptogen, and Panax Quinquefolius, or "American Ginseng," which grows in the shady areas of the Wisconsin region.
American Ginseng shares some but not all of the active ginsenosides that Panax Ginseng contains without the stimulating, "warming" ones, making it perhaps a safer tonic for long-term use, though it is quite expensive. Another plant, Gynostemma Pentaphyllum, Jiao Gu Lan, is a sweet tasting leaf made into a lovely tea that has some of the ginsenosides (as well as its own) making it a cheaper adaptogen that is generally safe for long-term use.
Let's get back to Ginseng: Ginseng, in its long use in traditional Chinese medicine is almost never used in acute, external pathogen invasions (colds and flu) because it is a tonifying herb. In an acute situation we are usually trying to expel a pathogen, which generally means we use herbs that are diaphoretic, or have strong detoxifying, anti-viral or anti-bacterial qualities. These herbs are almost always bitter and sometimes spicy, with either cooling or warming qualities. Their use will depend on the unique presentation of the patient — their constitution and the presentation of the disease itself.
It's possible that if a patient was very weak, frail, pale, and cold, with cold symptoms (chills, etc), then Ginseng could be used with other warming herbs that have the previous qualities discussed, like ginger or cinnamon, etc, but it would never be used as a stand alone. This is one of the problems of using functional medicine products (herbs and nutriceuticals) without understanding the traditional medical systems in which they are derived nor the energetics of the plant itself. You treat the patient, not the disease.
All of the Ginsengs, along with the medicinal mushrooms like Reishi, Cordyceps, etc and immune modulators like Astragalus, have a role to play in post-viral syndromes like Long Covid, EBV, CMV, and other chronic viral illnesses. This is an area that the herbs of traditional Chinese medicine excel at. GInseng itself, the Chinese red Panax Ginseng, is used for immune and vitality enhancement, particularly targeted to people over 40 who are more on the depleted, weak, deficient side of things. For younger people or generally healthy people, American Ginseng, Jiao Gu Lan, and perhaps Astragalus or Siberian Ginseng would be better long-term options...
Wonderful to see Jacob Teitelbaum md shared here he has been an incredible advocate and fighter for patients for decades around fatigue/chronic issues. He’s an honourable man 😊🙏
I bought the 100 mg chewable tablets, which are the least expensive of the HRG80TM products. The study suggested that you don’t get additional benefit from the more expensive varieties or by taking more than one 100 mg tablet per day. The tablets have the extra ingredient gamma cyclodextrin, generally recognized as safe, which is meant to enhance ginseng absorption.
Some HRG80TM products are available on Amazon, and they receive decent reviews. The chewable tablets don’t seem to be listed there.
The study documented clearly significant improvements. On the flip side, the study admitted there was no control group. Also, at least some funding came from EuroPharma, which is the company with distribution and marketing rights for the supplement in North America.
Thank you, Walter, for letting us know about this study.
Good to know. I live in Wisconsin and had wild Ginseng on the hill tops in my woods. I no longer live at that place but still recognize it when I see it. Happy Easter to you.
Thanks for all the hard work and research that you do. I will add that Ginseng is an interesting medicinal plant. When we talk about "Ginseng" we're mainly talking about Chinese red Panax Ginseng. The root gets its reddish color from a steaming process that it traditionally undergoes that actually alters some of the root's chemical constituents. Other medicinal plants that will sometimes be called "Ginseng" are "Siberian Ginseng" — Eleutherococcus or Eleuthero root — which is not related to real Ginseng but also acts as a powerful tonic adaptogen, and Panax Quinquefolius, or "American Ginseng," which grows in the shady areas of the Wisconsin region.
American Ginseng shares some but not all of the active ginsenosides that Panax Ginseng contains without the stimulating, "warming" ones, making it perhaps a safer tonic for long-term use, though it is quite expensive. Another plant, Gynostemma Pentaphyllum, Jiao Gu Lan, is a sweet tasting leaf made into a lovely tea that has some of the ginsenosides (as well as its own) making it a cheaper adaptogen that is generally safe for long-term use.
Let's get back to Ginseng: Ginseng, in its long use in traditional Chinese medicine is almost never used in acute, external pathogen invasions (colds and flu) because it is a tonifying herb. In an acute situation we are usually trying to expel a pathogen, which generally means we use herbs that are diaphoretic, or have strong detoxifying, anti-viral or anti-bacterial qualities. These herbs are almost always bitter and sometimes spicy, with either cooling or warming qualities. Their use will depend on the unique presentation of the patient — their constitution and the presentation of the disease itself.
It's possible that if a patient was very weak, frail, pale, and cold, with cold symptoms (chills, etc), then Ginseng could be used with other warming herbs that have the previous qualities discussed, like ginger or cinnamon, etc, but it would never be used as a stand alone. This is one of the problems of using functional medicine products (herbs and nutriceuticals) without understanding the traditional medical systems in which they are derived nor the energetics of the plant itself. You treat the patient, not the disease.
All of the Ginsengs, along with the medicinal mushrooms like Reishi, Cordyceps, etc and immune modulators like Astragalus, have a role to play in post-viral syndromes like Long Covid, EBV, CMV, and other chronic viral illnesses. This is an area that the herbs of traditional Chinese medicine excel at. GInseng itself, the Chinese red Panax Ginseng, is used for immune and vitality enhancement, particularly targeted to people over 40 who are more on the depleted, weak, deficient side of things. For younger people or generally healthy people, American Ginseng, Jiao Gu Lan, and perhaps Astragalus or Siberian Ginseng would be better long-term options...
Happy Easter Walt, and TYVM as always for all you do on our behalf.
Enjoy some holiday music: https://cheapthoughts.substack.com/p/the-best-music-for-eastertide-2024
Thank you Walter. May God bless you. Happy Easter.
Maybe you should be checking in with TCM docs that have been treating post covid sequelae for decades🤦
Post covid:
Tonify the Qi: Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (has ginseng but much more)
Tonify the Yin: Sha Shen Mai Men Dong Tang (balances immune sys)
If concerned about thrombosis: Dan Shen Wan
Wonderful to see Jacob Teitelbaum md shared here he has been an incredible advocate and fighter for patients for decades around fatigue/chronic issues. He’s an honourable man 😊🙏
Any studies on elderberry? There was one attempt in OZ at the start as I recall.
Thank you Walter, for your tireless efforts. Greatly appreciated! 🙏
I would not use Ginseng, it's healing property relies on increasing your clotting factors. If actively clotting it will make you very sick.
I guarantee it from personal experience.
I live in Vermont (like you) and the American ginseng also grows in the woods around my house.
Okay, I ordered some. The products tested, called HRG80TM (Hydroponic Red Ginseng), can be found here: https://www.terrynaturallyvitamins.com/search/?q=ginseng
I bought the 100 mg chewable tablets, which are the least expensive of the HRG80TM products. The study suggested that you don’t get additional benefit from the more expensive varieties or by taking more than one 100 mg tablet per day. The tablets have the extra ingredient gamma cyclodextrin, generally recognized as safe, which is meant to enhance ginseng absorption.
Some HRG80TM products are available on Amazon, and they receive decent reviews. The chewable tablets don’t seem to be listed there.
The study documented clearly significant improvements. On the flip side, the study admitted there was no control group. Also, at least some funding came from EuroPharma, which is the company with distribution and marketing rights for the supplement in North America.
Thank you, Walter, for letting us know about this study.