Herbal & Plant

Ginseng is a small perennial plant which is native of northern China and Korea and which has the botanical name of Panax ginseng. It should not be confused with Siberian Ginseng which is a different plant with different properties and which has the botanical name of Eleutherococcus senticosus.

Ginseng has been traditionally used in the Far East for thousands of years. It is normally used as a general tonic for well being and vitality, with particular emphasis on increasing energy levels and stamina, as well as improving cognitive function and concentration levels. Ginseng has also been traditionally used to help increase libido and sexual vigour.

Although many trials have been set up to try to demonstrate the efficacy of ginseng, these have been blighted by lack of consistency both in the trial set-up and in the dosages of ginseng used.

  

Nonetheless, this albeit inconsistent body of evidence still suggests that ginseng seems to have a positive effect on energy levels for physical activity and also for mental function. For instance in one study, nurses switching from day to night shift performed better when taking ginseng than their colleagues who didn’t. Similarly, in another study, university students taking ginseng performed better in exams than classmates who didn’t.  

 

As well as this evidence, a substantial amount of work on animals suggests that ginseng does have an effect of increasing energy levels, and improving some aspects of sexual function. There is however insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about positive action of ginseng in improving libido/sexual performance from human studies.

Ginseng contains a group of at least 13 substances collectively called ginsenosides. The effective dosage of ginseng is difficult to define, but most studies have used between 500mg and 3000mg of the dried herb per day. This would contain anything from 5-90mg of ginsenosides. It is for this reason that products are standardised to provide a ginsenoside concentration and this should be quoted on all high quality products.   

 

In most circumstances the higher level of ginsenosides per daily dose, the more likely the product is to deliver the intended benefit.

 

Ginseng supplementation should continue for at least 2 months to observe benefits.