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Seven Benefits Of Red Ginseng

Ginseng has been considered a panacea for thousands of years. And indeed: Hardly any substance deserves this name more than ginseng. The list of his benefits is long. For example, ginseng is considered to be a remedy against cancer and inflammation of all kinds. Recent studies also show that ginseng itself can be used to treat influenza. But ginseng has other properties too! Maybe just the ones that you could also use at the moment?

Ginseng – Powerful panacea for thousands of years

Ginseng is a herb native to Korea and Russia.

The roots of the ginseng plants, which are at least four years old, have been used for many centuries in traditional Asian healing teachings – mostly as a general tonic for all kinds of weaknesses (including mental ones), but also as a sexual enhancer and as a natural blood thinner (anticoagulant).

In recent years, studies on the outstanding effects of ginseng roots have been published time and again. Below we present the most interesting results:

Ginseng against flu

Scientists have shown, for example, that long-term use of red ginseng can specifically protect against the flu (influenza A) and colds (cough, runny nose).

Influenza – an infectious disease of the respiratory tract – is known to threaten millions of people every year with allegedly new types of virus. Once established, the disease can spread rapidly from person to person.

The daily intake of red ginseng over a longer period of time has now shown that the active ingredients in ginseng improved the survivability of infected lung epithelial cells and were able to reduce the associated inflammation.

The researchers suspect that the immune-modulating properties of red ginseng are responsible for this beneficial effect. A strengthened immune system can therefore either ward off the flu in its early stages or significantly alleviate its symptoms and accelerate the healing time.

Since ginseng is so excellent at protecting the respiratory tract from the flu, it stands to reason that the medicinal plant could also be helpful for other respiratory diseases, such as. B. in asthma and hay fever.

Ginseng for asthma and hay fever

Conventional asthma therapies are not without side effects. So it wouldn’t be a bad thing if there were natural ways to soothe the respiratory tract and reduce the need for medication.

According to a study published in the journal Allergy and Asthma Proceedings, ginseng clearly reduced symptoms of chronic lung damage in asthmatic mice.

A 2011 double-blind, placebo-controlled study also showed the beneficial effects of red ginseng in people with respiratory problems. The four-week Korean study, conducted by the Seoul National University College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, enrolled 59 patients with chronic hay fever.

After four weeks, the ginseng group reported significantly clearer airways and overall better quality of life compared to the placebo group. Skin sensitivity to allergens also decreased after ginseng therapy.

Ginseng against bad breath

Another study looked at ginseng and its effect on bad breath. Bad breath often occurs in connection with stomach diseases and consequently often in parallel with Helicobacter infections.

Helicobacter pylorus is a bacterium that promotes or causes inflammation of the gastric mucosa and also stomach cancer and is said to be responsible for almost all duodenal ulcers.

The research paper, published in the journal Digestion in 2009, showed that red ginseng can help prevent bad breath that occurs as a result of Helicobacter infection.

Yes, the study result was so clear that the bad breath had completely disappeared after the eradication (elimination with antibiotics) of Helicobacter and a ten-week intake of red ginseng.

Parallel to or at the latest after antibiotic therapy, taking red ginseng is a natural method with no side effects to get rid of annoying bad breath.

At the same time, the development of the intestinal flora should be considered, as this suffers extremely under such strong antibiotic therapies as are used for Helicobacter infections.

As a result, all the unpleasant consequences of dysbiosis (imbalance of the intestinal flora) can quickly occur – including obesity. But ginseng can also help here…

Ginseng against obesity

Ginseng can even support weight loss or prevent weight gain since a substance in red ginseng – ginsenoside Rg3 – is said to prevent the cells from storing fat. At least, that’s according to a study published in the Journal of Ginseng Research in April 2014.

The ginseng can therefore be used very well to accompany detoxification cures or diets.

Ginseng against tiredness

The ginseng as a pick-me-up is of course well known. After all, anyone who is chronically tired and just doesn’t feel quite able to perform (although everything seems to be fine physically) will usually reach for ginseng sooner or later.

Ginseng is a natural energy booster and is also a particularly good source of energy for people with serious illnesses like cancer or multiple sclerosis.

For example, scientists at the Mayo Clinic found that a daily dose of 2,000 mg of ginseng after eight weeks of use in cancer patients clearly improved the quality of life by combating the fatigue associated with cancer and increasing energy levels.

Ginseng in diabetes

Unfortunately, many of the effects of ginseng, which have been recognized in traditional medicine for a long time due to relevant experience, are still doubted by scientists.

However, here too, people are convinced of two properties of ginseng – namely that ginseng enormously strengthens the immune system and that it can also regulate the blood sugar level.

The latter naturally makes ginseng an excellent dietary supplement for diabetics or for people who suffer from blood sugar fluctuations.

The Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto/Canada conducted a randomized double-blind study with 19 types 2 diabetics who took red ginseng for 12 weeks. They wanted to check the antidiabetic effectiveness, but also the safety of taking ginseng.

Study participants took 2 grams of red ginseng three times a day to accompany their usual diabetes therapy (diet and/or medication).

After 12 weeks, it was found that in the ginseng group, the oral glucose tolerance test values ​​fell by 8 to 11 percent and the fasting blood sugar levels and insulin values ​​by 33 to 38 percent compared to the placebo group.

Side effects of ginseng

Ginseng is a very powerful medicinal plant. You should therefore use them judiciously and observe your body’s reactions.

Especially if you already suffer from a certain disease and have to take medication regularly, it may be that you can reduce your medication dose after taking ginseng for a while.

Because imagine you are diabetic and take ginseng. The ginseng will begin to regulate your blood sugar levels and your cells’ sensitivity to insulin. So, of course, over time you will need fewer and fewer diabetes medications.

The situation is similar to drugs that are used to thin the blood (anticoagulants/anticoagulants) since ginseng also has a blood-thinning or blood-clotting-regulating effect.

So if you are taking medication and/or have a chronic illness, it is best to let your doctor know that you are on ginseng cleanse (e.g. for over 12 weeks for the time being) and want to test its effects.

If the ginseng really hits you, you can of course also take it over a longer period of time (e.g. in two three-month cures a year) or even permanently.

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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