Ginseng (Elixir of life)

From Aaushi
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Introduction

Ginseng has been used in Chinese medicine for >5000 years. Marco Polo introduced the root to Europe in 1274 AD, but it did not gain popularity until the early 1700s, when a French Jesuit missionary working in China wrote about the popular Chinese root to his colleagues in Canada. When Ginseng was found growing wild in regions of North America, the root was exported to China & sold at a high price. Allegedly, Daniel Bone made his living by collecting & selling ginseng. Ginseng is the top selling herbal medicine in the US today.

Ginseng is a perennial plant which takes 5-7 years to mature. Older roots are considered of higher quality because they contain a higher concentration of ginsenosides. Over-harvesting has made wild ginseng rare. Most Asian ginseng sold today is cultivated in NE China & most American ginseng is grown in farms in Wisconsin & Canada.

Uses

Traditional use:

Current uses:

Contraindications

Dosage

  • 0.5-2.0 mg QD (dried ginseng root)
  • 200-600 mg QD of extract
  • duration of therapy 3 months
  • discontiune 7 days before surgery[2]

Adverse effects

Drug interactions

Preparation

The root is dried prior to preparation. If it is air dried, it retains a slight yellowish color & is called white ginseng. If it is steamed before it is dried, it turns red & is called red ginseng. Ginseng can be prepared as teas, tinctures, wines, powders, capsules, tablets & salves. It is added to toothpaste, candies, & make-up. Some ginseng preparations may contain up to 34% alcohol.

Mechanism of action

More general terms

More specific terms

References

  1. Victoria Rand, UCSF Fresno Lecture
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Geriatrics at your Fingertips, 13th edition, 2011 Reuben DB et al (eds) American Geriatric Society
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 17, American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 2015