Ginseng, an adaptogen that improves the body’s resistance to mental and physical stress

More than 2000 studies have been published on the biological and therapeutic effects of ginseng. Among others, they suggest it helps the body react and adapt whenever it is physically or mentally below par, such as during periods of convalescence or overwork. Ginseng boosts energy, improves mental and physical performance and increases our ability to cope with periods of stress and overcome problems. It appears to alleviate erectile dysfunction and for some diabetics, it helps control blood sugar levels.

An age-old tradition

The first written texts to reference ginseng’s therapeutic benefits are found in Chinese medicine and date back more than two millennia, though its healing powers have been recognised and used for over four thousand years.

Emperor’s privilege

According to ancient tradition, the ginseng root was cooked and made into a drinkable liquid. To begin with, only the privileged few - the emperor, his family and a few senior dignitaries - were allowed to drink it. But when it was realised it could benefit those engaged in gruelling battles, its use became more widespread.
From the 9th century, Arabs began to travel to China for its ginseng. At first, wild ginseng was collected from forests. Legend has it that Marco Polo discovered the plant in the 13th century on a trip to China – indeed, it is mentioned in his Book of Wonder.
A German botanist called Carl Anton Meyer first wrote about ginseng in 1542, finally generating European interest in the plant. However, it was not until the end of the 1600s that the Compagnie des Indes began importing it, and it only became available to Europeans in the 18th century, via the Jesuits. Many doctors at that time prescribed it for a diverse range of ills.

Ginseng enters the French pharmacopoeia

Ginseng appeared in the French pharmacopoeia in the 19th century under the name Panax ginseng CA Meyer, Panax being from ‘panakeia’ - Greek for ‘panacea’.
By the end of that century, some American farmers were successfully cultivating it in Wisconsin.
Around 1920, ginseng was attracting the interest of researchers in Russia, Korea and Japan who began conducting scientific studies on the plant.
But it is only in the last 30 years that it has really captured the attention of scientists in the West.
Ginseng, or Panax ginseng CA Meyer, is a herbaceous plant grown in Canada, the US, Japan and China. Optimal growing conditions are mainly found in certain regions of Korea and Manchuria.

Ginseng, an adaptogen

The term ‘adaptogen’ was coined in 1968 by Professors Brekhman and Dardymov of the Institute of Physiology and Pharmacology in Vladivostok to define a substance that improves all the body’s reactions to stress, be it physical, chemical or biological. It perfectly describes ginseng which, when the body needs additional resources or when its resistance is compromised, exerts a normalising or stabilising effect.

Improves general well-being

A double-blind study compared the effects of a nutritional supplement with and without ginseng on feelings of well-being among 625 subjects with an average age of just under 40. Quality of life was measured by a set of 11 questions. Those taking the supplement containing ginseng reported a significant improvement compared with those taking the non-ginseng supplement. Similar results were found in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 36 newly-diagnosed diabetics. After eight weeks, participants who had taken 200mg of ginseng a day reported improvements in their mood, well-being and psychophysical performance that were significant compared with controls. Meanwhile, a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 120 subjects noted an improvement in general well-being in women aged between 30 and 60 and men aged 40-60, though not in those aged 30-39.

Improves resistance to stress and fatigue

The German Commission E of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices is considered the authority on efficacy and modes of use of plants and phyto-therapeutic products. It supports the use of Panax ginseng “as a tonic for invigorating and fortifying at times of fatigue, weakness, declining capacity for work, loss of concentration and convalescence”.
A study of 270 mice showed that ginseng extract increases the capacity to resist stress. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted on a group of nurses fatigued from night shift work. 1200mg of ginseng extract was administered during the first three days following the switch from day to night shifts. The third night is usually the most difficult - with frequently-observed and significant decreases in alertness, energy, competence, activity and capacity for work. After three days, a daily dose of 1200mg of ginseng was found to have restored the nurses’ competence, mood and overall performance to almost the same level as that of a normal day shift. The researchers concluded that ginseng had an anti-fatigue effect.

One study conducted by researchers from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina monitored 50 individuals suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome.
This is a condition characterised by extreme fatigue and general malaise and, in some cases, depression.
Symptoms such as headache, sore throat, loss of appetite and muscular pain can also be present. The participants in this study were treated with ginseng.
The majority of patients saw a clear improvement in their condition with a reduction in several symptoms.

Improves physical performance and recovery

In the 1970s, Professor Brekhman carried out a number of studies to evaluable ginseng’s effect on physical performance. Russian soldiers were given either a ginseng extract or a placebo before running 3000 metres. Those given ginseng ran the fastest and also recovered more quickly than those given a placebo.
Ginseng improves oxygen use by muscles and reduces production of lactic acid, a metabolic waste product generated when muscles are working hard which promotes cramps.

Confirming these results in humans, another scientist found a similar anti-fatigue effect in mice: those given ginseng swam for longer than control animals.
In a nine-week study, a group of elite athletes aged between 18 and 30 were given 200mg/day of a standardised extract of Panax ginseng. Results showed an increase in performance and endurance, with effects generally felt from the first two weeks of treatment and maintained for three weeks after treatment had ended.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study lasting eight weeks examined ginseng’s effects with and without exercise in 41 subjects. The participants were given either ginseng or placebo, and then underwent a period of exercise training or remained untrained throughout the study. The results showed that ginseng improved aerobic capacity in individuals who did not exercise, but offered no benefit in those who did. In another double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 30 trained athletes were given ginseng alone or combined with vitamin E over nine weeks. Both produced significant improvements in aerobic capacity, while another such study on 37 individuals showed no improvement.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 120 individuals, 12 weeks’ ginseng treatment was found to gradually increase reaction time and lung function in those aged between 40 and 60 years of age, but produced no such benefit in younger subjects.

Positive effect on mental performance

In a study of 60 subjects aged between 22 and 80, half were given 200mg a day of ginseng extract for 12 weeks. Supplementation was found to improve reaction and concentration, resistance to fatigue and dexterity while also reducing post-exercise recovery times. .
Thirty-two healthy students aged 20-24 were monitored for 12 weeks, with one half given 200 mg of ginseng extract, and the other half a placebo. The study’s authors observed improvements in cognitive capacity in the Panax ginseng group, notably in attention, reflection, decision-making time and response to auditory stimuli.

The effects of a combination of ginseng, vitamins and minerals on fatigue induced by night shift work were evaluated in a group of 30 nurses in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants underwent cognitive tests before and immediately after their shifts. The nurses were then randomly assigned to receive either 40mg of ginseng extract combined with vitamins and minerals, or a placebo, for twelve weeks. The tests were repeated at six, and twelve weeks. The treatment was found to reduce disruptions to the nurses’ cognitive function during their shifts, the clearest effects being improvements in their ability to store and recall information in their long-term memory.

Benefits for mood and cognitive performance

A number of scientific studies suggest that regular supplementation with ginseng can improve cognitive performance in animals and humans.
British researchers demonstrated that a single dose of ginseng had a positive effect on various aspects of cognitive performance in healthy young adults. Twenty participants were given 360mg of ginkgo biloba, 400mg of ginseng, a combination of the two extracts or a placebo. Confirming earlier results, the study showed an improvement from all three treatments in performance of secondary memory. The ginseng also improved the speed of performing memory tasks and the accuracy of attentional tasks.

Dr Medvedev of the Academy of Sciences in Vladivostok investigated the immediate effects of Panax ginseng on a group of 32 male radio operators aged 21-23, trained to send coded messages. They sent and received signals in figures and translated them directly into letters.
After tests of transmission accuracy and speed had been carried out to provide control data, a three day, double-blind study was conducted in which just over half the participants received a drink containing ginseng and the remainder a placebo. No significant difference was noted in the speed of transmitting codes but in those given the ginseng drink, the error rate was only 17% compared with 31% in the control group, suggesting Panax ginseng may play a key role in promoting efficiency at work.

In Swedish research, subjects underwent a spiral labyrinth test, with some given ginseng and the rest a placebo. The ginseng group finished the test first, and showed better memory and more effective learning capacity.

Benefits for stroke victims’ memory

Chinese scientists have demonstrated that ginseng improves memory scores in patients suffering from dementia following a stroke. Loss of memory and dementia are common among the elderly, particularly stroke patients.
Ginseng was given to 25 subjects who had had a stroke and were suffering from mild to moderate vascular dementia. The participants underwent memory tests at the beginning of the study and after 12 weeks of supplementation. The scientists reported that overall, memory tests were significantly better after just 12 weeks’ treatment. In another study, researchers examined 40 patients who had suffered brain damage following multiple minor strokes. A group of 25 patients was randomly assigned to receive ginseng tablets three times a day, with the other 15 given Duxil, a drug which increases oxygen in brain cells and which is widely used in China to treat stroke patients. Both groups underwent memory tests before the treatments, and after 12 weeks.
The scientists found greater improvements in memory among those patients given the ginseng.

Stimulates the immune system

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 277 volunteers were given either 100mg of ginseng or a placebo. After four weeks’ supplementation, they were also given ‘flu vaccinations. The ginseng group was shown to have a lower risk of catching a cold or ‘flu (two reported cases compared with 15 in the placebo group).
The researchers also found a greater antibody response to the vaccination in the supplemented group. Ginseng is beneficial for anyone experiencing physical or emotional stress. It works at different levels to help the body respond to the increased demands placed on it by physical and mental challenges.
During periods of intense work, exams or competitive sport, ginseng stimulates mental faculties, improves physical condition and boosts stamina. …
It seems to have a more pronounced effect in tired, depressed or unmotivated people, symptoms typically observed after a period of illness.

Improving sexual functionh4> In a randomised, double-blind, crossover study, Korean researchers examined the effects of Korean red ginseng on 45 men with erectile dysfunction. Participants were given either 900mg ginseng or a placebo three times a day. After eight weeks, the ginseng group had a two-week break in their treatment and were then given a placebo. Likewise, those initially given a placebo began to take ginseng for eight weeks. Erectile function, sexual desire and satisfaction scores were all greater when the men were taking the ginseng. The men reported being more able to obtain and maintain an erection, leading the study’s authors to hypothesise that the ginseng was improving erections by increasing nitric oxide production.

A blood sugar-regulating effect

In a double-blind study of 36 people with adult diabetes, ginseng at doses of 100mg or 200mg a day were found to improve blood sugar control, an effect the study’s authors attributed to a spontaneous increase in physical activity in the group taking ginseng.

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