Fwd: [wiseweeds] Hot Steam Dramatically Increases Ginseng's Potency

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Does anyone else have any info on this?

 

>wiseweeds

>wiseweeds

>[wiseweeds] Hot Steam Dramatically Increases Ginseng's Potency

>Tue, 5 Dec 2000 13:04:59 EST

>

> http://www.healthmall.com/newsletter.cfm?type=article & id=1138 & a=

>

>Report Says Hot Steam Dramatically Increases Ginseng's Potency

>

>Steaming ginseng at higher temperatures can boost its potency dramatically,

>according to research reported in the current (November 21) issue of the

>Journal of Natural Products, a peer-reviewed journal of the American

>Chemical

>Society, the world's largest scientific society.

>

>Ginseng root has been used mostly in Asian cultures for centuries to

>enhance

>physical and mental vitality. The nutritional supplement in recent years

>has

>become widely available in world markets - either dried, or steamed at

>standard boiling temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit) - for

>use as an antioxidant and blood thinner.

>

>Steaming for approximately three hours at 120 degrees Celsius (248

>Fahrenheit) can multiply the herb's antioxidant qualities by eight times

>and

>its ability to relax blood vessels by up to 32 times, according to

>researcher

>Jeong Hill Park of Seoul National University in Korea.

>

>The hotter steam produced an optimal amount of biological activity from the

>same ginseng used in normal supplements, Park found. The higher temperature

>amplifies certain ginsenosides - the ingredient believed responsible for

>ginseng's sought-after qualities - and generates others not normally found

>in

>dried versions of the root, Park said.

>

> " This very simple steaming can significantly increase the biological

>activities of ginseng, " Park said. " I believe we can develop more potent

>health foods or related products using this process. "

>

>Such high temperature steaming would be part of the manufacturing process

>of

> " sun ginseng, " named after the dark purple color achieved from the heat,

>Park

>said. The additional heating above normal boiling temperature requires

>applying pressure to the water. This cannot be done without special

>equipment, he said.

>

>Ginseng steamed at boiling temperatures is known as " red ginseng " because

>of

>the coloration it assumes.

>

>Park reported no negative side effects from the higher concentration levels

>produced by the hotter steaming. As a food supplement, ginseng does not

>require extensive clinical trials in the United States. But those taking

>anti-inflammatory or blood thinning drugs should be alert to possible

>interactions, according to health sources.

 

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