GINSENG SIDE EFFECTS, BENEFITS

Ginseng Side Effects, Ginseng Benefits
September 10, 2011

Ginseng Benefits and Side Effects Review
Ginseng is an herb used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. In Mandarin Chinese, the word
Ginseng literally means "root of man". It was so named because the root of this plant resembles the shape of
a human body. Almost 2,000 years ago, the great Chinese medical directory stated that ginseng increased
longevity. The main active ingredients in ginseng are called ginsenosides. The higher the quantity of
ginsenosides, the better the quality of the ginseng.

Ginseng Benefit claims for Asian ginseng are numerous and include the use of the herb to support overall
health and boost the immune system. Benefits may include improving the health of people recovering from
illness, increasing a sense of well-being and stamina, improving both mental and physical performance,
treatment erectile dysfuction, hepatitis C, and symptoms related to menopause, and finally lowering blood
glucose and controlling blood pressure. [C1] However, ginseng has a pile of side effects, and some people
should avoid ginseng. This article focus on ginseng side effect. For details of ginseng benefits, please, click:
ginseng benefits.
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Ginseng Benefits - Overview
Giseng may have many benefits. Some people classify ginseng as an adaptogen; a substance that benefits
the body resist the effects of physical and environmental stress. Some people also claim that ginseng can
increase physical endurance under stress, improve mental alertness, memory, thinking ability or even
resistance to infection. [12, 13, 15, 16] Based on the Herb Bible by Earl Mindel, PhD and Ginseng by Betty
Kamen, PhD, ginseng facilitates the reduction of cholesterol and blood pressure. Ginseng may also reduce
the risk of metastasis (spread) of tumor (cancer) [14]. In addition, ginseng may also helps protects the user
from viral infection and reduced cellular oxygen. Ginseng helps reduce discomfort caused by menopause. (?)

There are two major types of ginseng: American and Asian. Asian ginseng contains high contents of the
active ingredients, while American ginseng is mild. Siberian ginseng belongs to different family of herbs. The
"ginseng" in this article refers to Asian ginseng.

For details about Asian Ginseng Benefits, including its benefits on erectile dysfunction, physical performance,
please click: Asian Ginseng Benefits

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Is ginseng safe?
In a 4-week-placebo-controlled study involving 77 women, no side effects were observed for the 34 subjects
supplemented with a mixture of ginseng, ginkgo, and damiana, L-arginine, multivitamins, and minerals. [9]

Forty-five patients with class IV cardiac function were divided into three groups: group I (digoxin group), group
II (Red Ginseng group) and group III (Red Ginseng plus digoxin group). After treatment, the improvement of
the hemodynamical and biochemical indexes of group II and group III were greater than those of group I, and
group III was the most significant amongst all. The results suggested that Red Ginseng and digoxin had
synergism for treatment of congestive heart failure, and Red Ginseng was an effective and safe adjuvant
without any side effects. [10]

Song et al found ginsan-an important ingredient in Panax ginseng did not cause hepatic injury in their studies
[11]
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Ginseng side effects
When used appropriately, ginseng appears to be safe. NCCAM suggests that its use be limited to 3 months
because of concerns about the development of ginseng side effects. Ginseng potentially interacts with many
drugs, we must be more aware of its side effects and its drug interactions, and avoid long term use of ginseng
supplements. The common ginseng side effects are mental status changes [nervousness, restlessness,
excited feeling, trouble sleeping, gastrointestinal problems etc.]. Other ginseng side effects include vaginal
bleeding, mastalgia diarrhea, high blood pressures. However, some reported ginseng has hypotensive
effects. [8] Ginseng may also cause allergic reactions. [2,6,7] Because ginseng has side effects related to our
mental states, digestive and cardiovascular systems, certain types of people should avoid ginseng:

a. People with mental problems. A 56-year-old woman with a previous affective disorder presented a manic
episode during ginseng intake. Symptoms disappeared rapidly with low doses of neuroleptics and
benzodiazepines after ginseng suppression. [3]

b. People who are preparing for surgery. Ginseng may increase the risk of bleeding; ginseng should be
discontinued prior to dermatologic surgery to minimize the risk of surgical complications. [4,7]

c. People who drink coffee and smoke excessively. A 39-year-old female patient experienced
menometrorrhagia, after a prolonged use of oral and topical ginseng. This patient also had a habit of
smoking, and drinking coffee. After stopping smoking, drinking coffee and using ginseng products for about
two weeks, she had no sign of menometrorrhagia or tachyarrhythmia and her hemoglobin levels were in the
normal range. Smoking and coffee consumption, along with ginseng use, (or just ginseng alone) can be
responsible for arrhythmogenic effects [5].

d. People who have high/low blood pressure or diabetes or those who are using medications/herbs to control
blood pressure. Ginseng may have effects on blood pressure and increase the risk of bleeding. [4,7] Ginseng
may also lower blood sugar levels. This effect may be seen more in diabetes. Thus, people with diabetes
should use extra caution with ginseng, especially if they are taking blood sugar lowering medicines or other
herbs including bitter melon and fenugreek.

Users must consult with their doctors before taking ginseng supplements, because of its multiple side effects.
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What brand is good?
The brand is very important, it determines the quality of ginseng.

Serving recommendations and other information vary among different brands of ginseng supplements. The
content does not vary much among different lots of the same brand, while the content vary widely between
ginseng brands (e.g. total ginsenosides in ginseng ranged from 5.3-18.2 mg per serving).[1]

Because the ginseng content varies from brand to brand, its doesn't mean that the most expensive one
contains the largest amount of ginseng actives. I would consider only the brands manufactured under GMP.
After a few trials, if I don't see any effects, I will change the brand.

Siberian Ginseng Benefits
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Comment from Visitors
XXXXXXXXXX@webtv.net Sunday, November 28, 2010 7:53 AM
Hi Zhion, It is me again, On Ginseng, I never tried this, but I had a friend on Maui, and she was in
her 50;s   and she told me she is SPOTTING and she could not figure out why. I asked her   if she
is taking any type of herbals. She told me yes, gingseng, I said do NOT ever   take it again, I said
Females   should never take it, it will cause spotting. And she stopped and no more spotting. I told
her   I do lots of reading back then I never even knew anything about the internet.   So it is a good
thing she moved from California to Maui and was my new friend, she lived next door to me.   So tell
all the gals to watch out for this HERB ... I think it is only good for the men, not for us females.

My Response
This is my first time to hear this side effect of ginseng. Ginseng is not for everybody; some people have
transient hypertension after taking ginseng. But some people like it, they say ginseng can keep them warm
during the cold winter. Thanks for your comment.
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Send me an email and share your story with others: zhion@zhion.com
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REFERENCES
[1] Krochmal R Phytochemical Assays of Commercial Botanical Dietary Supplements. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.
2004 Dec;1(3):305-313. Epub 2004 Oct 6. [2] Boniel T et al The safety of herbal medicines in the psychiatric practice Harefuah.
2001 Aug;140(8):780-3, 805. [3] Vazquez I Herbal products and serious side effects: a case of ginseng-induced manic
episode. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2002 Jan;105(1):76-7; discussion 77-8..[4] Chang LK et al, The impact of herbal medicines on
dermatologic surgery. Dermatol Surg. 2001 Aug;27(8):759-63. [5] Kabalak AA et al, Menometrorrhagia and tachyarrhythmia after
using oral and topical ginseng. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2004 Nov;13(9):1071.][6] Wang ZW Observation of therapeutic
effect by combined administration of Salvia miltiorrhiza, ligustrazine and Panax notoginseng on late hemorrhagic shock of
rabbits Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1997 May;17(5):292-4. [7] Nocerino E The aphrodisiac and adaptogenic properties
of ginseng Fitoterapia. 2000 Aug;71 Suppl 1:S1-5. [8] Jeon BH et al, Effect of Korea red ginseng on the blood pressure in
conscious hypertensive rats. Gen Pharmacol. 2000 Sep;35(3):135-41. [9] Ito TY et al, A double-blind placebo-controlled study of
ArginMax, a nutritional supplement for enhancement of female sexual function. J Sex Marital Ther. 2001
Oct-Dec;27(5):541-9.[10] Ding DZ Effects of red ginseng on the congestive heart failure and its mechanism Zhongguo Zhong Xi
Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1995 Jun;15(6):325-7.[11] [11][Effects of polysaccharide ginsan from Panax ginseng on liver function. Song et
al, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Korea. Arch Pharm Res. 2004 May,27(5):531-8 [12] Kaneko et al,
Kaneko Heart Clinic, Proof of the Mysterious Efficacy of Ginseng.., J Pharmacol Sci. 2004 Jun;95(2):158-62.] [13] Nishijo et. al,
Proof of the meysterious efficacy of ginseng..., J. Pharmacol Sci.2004 Jun;95(2):145-52.] [14] Effect of ginsenosides Rg3 and
Rh2 on the proliferation of prostate cancer cells. Kim et al., Pusan National University, Korea. Arch Pharm Res. 2004 Apr;
27(4):429-35.] [15] Inteaperitoneal injection of ginseng extract enhances both immunoglobulin and cytokine production in mice,
Liou et al, Kang-Ning Junior College of Medical Care and Management, Taiwan, China. Am J Chin Med. 2004;32(1):75-88] [16]
Immunomodulating activities of polysaccharides isolated from Panax ginseng. Lim et al, Yonsei University, Korea. J Med
Food.2004 Spring;7(1):1-6.] [C1] Asia GinSeng, NCAM, December 2005

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people may experience different side effects and benefits of a product. You are encouraged to report adverse
side effects to FDA, its website is www.fda.gov., or report the adverse side effects to the manufacturer, you should
be able to find the contact information on the label.

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