Can Women Take Ginseng?
The old adage that women should not take ginseng is mostly untrue. It is
true that processed red Korean or Chinese ginseng (Panax ginseng)
is quite stimulating and is often used in energy and sports formulas, but
not more so for women than for men. Whether this kind of ginseng will have
an adverse effect on a person, when taken in large amounts, depends more
upon one's constitutional type than sex. Although it must be noted that
Panax ginseng has proven to have a mild estrogen-promoting activity
in some women--and thus would be contraindicated where estrogen is already
excessive, as may be the case with PMS or breast cancer--eleuthero is not
estrogen-promoting. Eleuthero is considered to be neutral in energy, and
can therefore be taken safely by both sexes and by many constitutional types.
|
|
Schizandra berries (Schizandra chinensis)
In the American horticultural trade, schizandra is called magnolia vine,
and indeed, botanically it is closely related to the familiar magnolia tree.
In China, the small red fruits of schizandra are considered to balance all
bodily systems because they have all of the five different flavors Chinese
herbalists use to classify medicinal herbs: sour, salty, bitter, sweet,
and acrid. Thus schizandra has been an important ingredient in traditional
Chinese tonic formulas since antiquity.
In the West, schizandra is often combined with eleuthero in adaptogenic
formulas, and has been extensively studied in this form in both Sweden and
Russia. It is also often included in commercial anti-stress, weight-loss,
and sports formulas in this country. Scientific studies have supported these
uses of schizandra, and have clarified the herb's liver-protecting and strengthening
capabilities. The liver is a vital "adaptogenic" organ, because
it helps regulate blood sugar and hormone levels, and because it is the
main detoxifying organ of the body.
Schizandra can be taken as a tea (added to eleuthero with a little licorice
and ginger), or it can be purchased in a wide variety of commercial preparations,
such as tinctures and powdered extracts in tablet form.
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
Reishi mushrooms are one of the most revered of the adaptogens. There
are stories of people in Japan traveling for hundreds of miles on foot to
pick them in the hopes of curing their cancer or other incurable disease.
The list of benefits observed in laboratory and clinic experiments reads
like a panacea wish-list. Reishi has shown a wide range of adaptogenic properties,
including blood sugar regulation, immune support, anti-cancer properties,
ability to oxygenate the blood efficiently, speeded regeneration of the
liver, a sedative and calming effect, free-radical protective effect, radiation
protective effect, reduction in sensitivity to allergens, anti-hypertensive
effect, and it lowers cholesterol.
Ken Jones and Terry Willard, in their book Reishi Mushroom, Herb of Spiritual
Potency and Medical Wonder, quote clinical studies in China with 90
coronary heart disease patients in seven different hospitals who were given
oral preparations of reishi over a four-month period. Although these studies
were uncontrolled (most Chinese studies are), the results suggest that reishi
has adaptogenic properties. Reishi relieved feelings of weariness in about
78% of the patients, feelings of cold extremities in 74%, and insomnia in
78%. In China, reishi is often added to herbal medicine combinations that
lower serum cholesterol and normalize blood pressure.
In one well-designed Japanese study, 53 patients with hypertension were
given 1.44 gms of the concentrate for 6 months. Blood pressure dropped from
156/103 to 137/93 in the group with genetically-based (essential) hypertension.
My own experience with this medicinal mushroom is that it can be of immediate
value for strengthening people who are recovering from chronic illness,
especially where there is general weakness. Children seem to respond quickly
to reishi. The following soup, modeled after a traditional formula, has
shown excellent results if taken for a week or two, or up to six months.
Wei Chi (Protective Vitality) Soup
Simmer
1 ounce of reishi (dried),
3 ounces of fresh shiitake (or 1 oz dried),
1 ounce astragalus (optional)
for 30 minutes in 6 quarts of water.
Add
1/4 cup of organic barley and a variety of sliced or chopped organic vegetables
(celery, beets, carrots, etc.)
Simmer for another 30 minutes, adding a quarter cup of sea vegetables (nori, wakame), or to taste.
|
Copyright © 1996
|
 |
|
| |
Disclaimer: The information provided on HealthWorld Online is for
educational purposes only and IS NOT intended as a substitute for
professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek
professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified
healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
|
|
|
Tell A Friend
Printer friendly version 
on 
Christopher Hobbs is a fourth generation herbalist and botanist with over 30 years experience with herbs. Founder of Native Herb Custom Extracts (now Rainbow Light Custom Extracts) and the Institute for Natural Products 
