The Tonic King

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - The Tonic King

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 07:00:00 -0400

 

 

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - The Tonic King

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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September 14, 2005

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Among the many reported benefits of ginseng, two of the most appealing

include evidence that ginseng may improve cognitive performance while

also stabilizing blood sugar levels among type 2 diabetics.

 

A new UK study confirms previous research on these benefits, but also

raises this interesting question: Could the blood sugar stabilizing

benefit be part of the mechanism that improves cognitive performance?

 

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Put to the tests

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Oriental ginseng is grown in China and Korea, and has a reputation

throughout Asia as the " king of all tonics. " It's also known as " panax

ginseng, " and this was the type of ginseng used in a recent study

conducted by researchers at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon

Tyne, UK.

 

A battery of tests was devised to evaluate the effects of ginseng

intake on 30 healthy young adults. Using computers, each subject took

a 10-minute math test. This was followed by the intervention: Either

400 mg of standardized panax ginseng extract, or 200 mg of the same

extract or a placebo. Testing resumed one hour later with six

additional 10-minute tests. All of the subjects participated in three

days of testing.

 

Mental fatigue was self-assessed by each subject throughout the daily

test cycle, and blood sugar levels were monitored before treatment,

after treatment and again after the daily testing was completed.

 

The results: Subjects in both of the ginseng groups had significant

reductions in blood sugar in each of the post-treatment measurements

compared to the placebo group. Testing scores in the ginseng group

were also higher, and mental fatigue in this group was significantly

reduced. The highest test scores were posted by the 200 mg ginseng group.

 

Writing in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Psychopharmacology,

the authors conclude that performance may be enhanced and mental

fatigue may be avoided by using moderate doses of ginseng during

sustained mental activity. And they add, " This effect may be related

to the acute gluco-regulatory properties of the extract. "

 

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The ginseng insider

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Oriental ginseng is just one of three ginseng types. The other two are

American ginseng and Siberian ginseng. The latter, however, is not a

true ginseng, but still produces many of the same beneficial effects.

Red and white ginsengs are both of the Oriental variety. When the root

is naturally dried it's white, but when processed a certain way the

root turns red.

 

Most ginseng products come from cultivation because wild ginseng is

increasingly rare. In fact, wild Oriental ginseng sometimes sells for

as much as $20,000 per ounce.

 

American ginseng has been used by Native Americans for several

centuries, and in addition to boosting immune function and energy,

this ginseng variety is also used to help alleviate hot flashes in

menopausal women.

 

Ginseng is also reputed to fight the common cold.

 

In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society

last year, researchers enrolled nearly 200 elderly subjects to receive

either 200 mg of American ginseng extract or a placebo twice each day

during flu season. At the end of the season researchers found that the

incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza was considerably higher in

the placebo group than among those treated with American ginseng. They

also noted that the treatment was well tolerated.

 

Ginseng is widely regarded as an adaptogen, which means it creates

little or no side effects while working through the adrenal glands to

help the body adapt to and cope with stresses such as fatigue and

anxiety. Other adaptogens include ginkgo biloba, garlic and echinacea.

But even though ginseng has a minimal negative impact on the body, you

should talk to your doctor or a healthcare professional before

beginning a regimen that includes a daily supplement of ginseng.

 

 

 

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....and another thing

 

Even though the weather is starting to turn cool, it's still lyme time.

 

An HSI member named Kenneth sent an e-mail with this question about

lyme disease: " My mother has lyme disease and the antibiotics are not

working. Do you have any suggestions?

 

Antibiotics provide the standard treatment for lyme disease. And while

it's typical for recovery to progress slowly, there are steps that can

be taken to help the antibiotic effort.

 

Lyme disease creates a serious stress on the immune system, so it's

important to eat nutritious, whole foods. Antioxidant-rich foods such

as blueberries and apples are especially beneficial. Personal habits

(such as stress reduction) that enhance immune system function are

also very important. And sugar intake should be avoided for two

reasons: 1) sugar impairs the immune system, and 2) lyme disease

spirochetes thrive on sugar.

 

A controversial natural treatment for lyme disease calls for

injections of bee venom. Some anecdotal evidence indicates this

regimen may be effective, but physicians who deviate from the

established protocols for lyme disease care put themselves at risk for

investigation by licensing agencies in some states.

 

And one more note for Kenneth: When antibiotics are used, acidophilus

and other probiotics are helpful in keeping the beneficial gut flora

in the intestines alive.

 

As we move toward the end of summer, we're also reaching the end of

Lyme disease season, but it's not quite fished yet. For more

information on how to avoid this debilitating disease, see the e-Alert

" Lyme Time " (6/29/05), which you can find in the e-Alert archives on

our web site at hsibaltimore.com.

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" Single Doses of Panax Ginseng (G115) Reduce Blood Glucose Levels and

Improve Cognitive Performance During Sustained Mental Activity "

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 19, No. 4, July 2005, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" Sharpen Your Wits with Ginseng " Maureen Williams, N.D., Healthnotes

Newswire, 8/18/05, pccnaturalmarkets.com " A Placebo-Controlled Trial

of a Proprietary Extract of North American Ginseng (CVT-E002) to

Prevent Acute Respiratory Illness in Institutionalized Older Adults "

Journal of the American Geriatric Society, Vol. 52, No. 5, May 2004,

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

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