Ginseng & diabetes

[Guest guest]

There was an article by Bob Condor in Sunday's The Chicago Tribune

which talks about ginseng as a possible treatment for lowering blood

sugar. The information is taken from the American Medical

Association's Archives of Internal Medicine from mid-April.

 

The study was done by Vladimir Vuksan, lead researcher of the

University of Toronto. The study was very small, only 9 diabetes

with Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes and 10 controls. It should also

be pointed out that the study was particially sponsored by Chai-Na_Ta

Corp. which markets ginseng. I automatically have a problem with

studies that are funded in part by businesses that stand to benefit

from a favorable finding. I've seen too much " science " for sale.

 

But having said this and given these cautions, the fact that ginseng

lowers blood sugar is old news to herbalists. It's mentioned in

Chinese Herbal Cures by Henry C. Lu, © 1991, p. 87. Ron Teeguarden

in Chinese Tonic Herbs, © 1984 also mentions this property.

Ginseng contains saponin which affects blood sugar levels. Ginsenin

acts sort of like insulin. (p. 83) This is old news.

 

I'm not an expert on diabetes and TCM. In fact I know very little

about diabetes and its possible TCM Roots except for some very

general info about Yin Deficiency which at this point I don't really

understand. However, I know that it would be irresponsible to

prescribe ginseng for any and all diabetics unless there is an

indication that the person is Qi Deficient in addition to being

diabetic. Ginseng is a Qi Tonic herb. It does benefit Yin and

generates Fluids but its primary use is as a Qi Energy Tonic.

 

There are some other cautions that healers recommending ginseng for

diabetes should be aware of that do not show up in studies such as

that done by the University of Toronto. The most obvious is what if

the person also has Qi Stagnation? This is a very powerful Energy

Tonic herb. If it is administered to someone with Qi Stagnation

without combining it with herbs that Move Qi, the result can be more

energy damming up in parts of the body and symptoms of False Fire

such as headaches, nervousness, tension, pains, insomnia,

palpatations, etc.

 

Another property of ginseng that healers need to be aware of is that

ginseng has warming energy. You give this herb to a person who is

too Hot already, and you're adding more Heat to a person who already

is too Hot. In short, you can make the person sicker. In fact,

ginseng is contraindicated in Yin Deficiency with Heat, in Damp Heat,

in Excess Heat, in Liver Yang Rising, and in cases of very high blood

pressure. I can't find any information on American ginseng (which has

cooling energy unlike the other ginsengs) and diabetes, so this may

not be something that one can substitute American ginseng for in

place of other species of ginseng.

 

Another caution has to do with the fact that long-term use of Rx

Ginseng leads to habituation in the body to its effects in some

people. This is one of those herbs that is best taken on an on-

again, off-again cycle. Healers need to be aware of this possible

habituation with ginseng in some people.

 

Diabetes is one of those conditions that you want to work with a MD

or DO and do NOT want to self-treat on your own without a doctor's

oversight and the doctor being aware of what you're doing. The

reason for this is that blood sugar lowering herbs work. Taking

these herbs plus taking insulin could trigger dangerously low blood

sugar.

 

Some of the other herbs with blood sugar lowering properties are

cooked rehmannia (see archieves for posts on cooked and raw

rehmannia - an herb that many Caucasians have trouble digesting),

sealwort (Rz Polygonati), and Chinese wild yam (Shan yao - Rz

Dioscoreae Oppositae). Shan yao is also a Qi Tonic Herb, but it also

tonifies Yin in the Middle Burner. It especially benefits Lung Qi

and Yin. It is not contraindicated in Yin Deficiency, but is

contraindicated in Excess conditions. (For example, in cases of

diabetes caused by a virus attacking the pancreas (Excess), this is

NOT an herb to use. All tonic herbs - Qi, Blood, Yin, and Yang

Tonics - are contraindicated in cases of Excess because they can

aggravate the Excess.) Shan Yao's thermal energy is neutral so it

won't aggravate either Hot or Cold conditions.

 

Victoria