effects of gingseng?

[Gangsterfist]

Hi,

I was reading up on vitamins and minerals lately, trying to tweak my diet and I came across an interesting article about gingseng. Now, I drink a lot of iced green tea, because I like it, but now I am curious to exactly what type of gingseng is in it.

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20040901-05.html

Anyone out there that can extrapolate on this?

[David Jamieson]

in a nutshell-

white ginseng = yin (cooling)

red ginseng = yang (heating)

ginseng helps the body to heal faster, but can have adverse effects if too much is ingested. Better to take it easy. IMO, it is not really that useful of a thing for young people and is more suitable for middle aged to the elderly to keep energy levels up.

[Gangsterfist]

Thats a pretty broad description. What the article was implying is that some of it could be bad for your health.

thanks for a response tho

[herb ox]

Actually, the article was not really implying negative health effects... only if you are trying to control the growth of a tumor does this really become an issue. It's funny because it took a group of MIT researchers to determine the following:

"The researchers found that different varieties of ginseng -- whether Korean, American, Chinese or Sanqi -- have different chemical compositions"



... duh! TCM has known each has distinctly different properties for aeons.

BTW, American Ginseng is cool and benefits the lungs - perfect for the average 'hot' running Amercan. This is the only one I'd recommend taking if you're young and healthy - and then only in moderation.

peace

herb ox

[Gangsterfist]

herb ox-

Thanks for the info man, I appreciate it. I am an ex-smoker, anyway the americian gingseng benefits ex-smokers?

Other than that, I am in pretty decent health, I work out regularly now, and my diet is far better than it used to be. I don't eat any fast food at all anymore.

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

i'm not sure of the legitimacy of this statement, but i've heard the Chinese and korean red ginseng extracts that are aged 12 or more years develop a plaque that coats your testes and prevents nutrient and waste transfer. the plaque can only be lifted by a blood-sludge scraper. so, in a way it is good for your health since it prevents your chi from escaping... :rolleyes:

[7 star Method]

Red Korean and Chinese aged Ginseng also creates large amounts of heat, which can seriously harm you if you are young.
If you are under 40 it is best to take American white ginseng - low level...

[David Jamieson]

Red Korean and Chinese aged Ginseng also creates large amounts of heat, which can seriously harm you if you are young.
If you are under 40 it is best to take American white ginseng - low level...

I would like to add that Canadian Ginseng is the same in efficacy and properties as American. I have noticed that it is also slightly more pale than the american type and a little sweeter to the taste.

I personally prefer the powder extract to the teabags of same.