American Ginseng

American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) is a species of Ginseng native to North America.  It contains similar active constituents to Korean Ginseng.

American Ginseng is used for the treatment of these conditons:

Alzheimer’s Disease:

A laboratory study fuond that constituents of American ginseng stimulate the brain receptors (named nicotinic receptors) that are most affected during the course of Alzheimer’s disease.

This stimulation of nicotinic receptors may temporarily improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Attention Deficit Disorder:

A clinical study tested American ginseng (combined with Ginkgo biloba) in childran aged 3 – 17 with ADD.  During the study, parents of ADD children filled in a questionnaire that assesses a broad range of problem behaviours (and was used as an indication of ADD symptom severity).  After 2 weeks of treatment, the proportion of the subjects exhibiting improvement ranged from 31% for the anxious-shy attribute to 67% for the psychosomatic attribute.  After 4 weeks of treatment, the proportion of subjects exhibiting improvement ranged from 44% for the social problems attribute to 74% for the overall ADD index.

Diabetes Type 2:

Two clinical studies have shown that American ginseng taken before or during a meal lowers blood sugar levels in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients.

An animal study using mice found that American ginseng lowers elevated blood sugar levels and reduces body weight in an animal model of diabetes mellitus type 2.

Libido (men):

A study conducted on rats found that American ginseng increases the number of sexual encounters initiated by males (indicating increased libido).  This effect may occur from American ginseng influencing the body’s ability to produce dopamine, probably by reducing prolactin levels.  High prolactin levels are known to reduce sexual desire.

Dosage:

500 – 1,500 mg per day (using unstandardized American ginseng products).

400 - 800 mg per day for American ginseng products that have been standardized to contain 10.28% Ginsenosides.

References

ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder_

· Lyon, M. R., et al.  Effect of the herbal extract combination Panax quinquefolium and Ginkgo biloba on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study.  J Psychiatry Neurosci.  26:221-228, 2001.

Alzheimer’s Disease

· Lewis, R., et al.  Non-ginsenoside nicotinic activity in ginseng species.  Phytother Res.  13(1):59-64, 1999.

Diabetes Type 2

· Vuksan, V., et al.  American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) reduces postprandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.  Arch Intern Med.  160(7):1009-1013, 2000.

Libido (men)

· Murphy, L. L., et al.  Effect of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) on male copulatory behavior in the rat.  Physiol Behav.  15;64(4):445-50, 1998.

The information presented in this topic is for informational purposes only. The publisher does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information or the consequences arising from the application, use, or misuse of any of the information contained in this topic. Also neither the publisher nor this website make any warranties or representations with respect to the completeness, accuracy or current ness of the information contained within this topic. This information does not constitute medical advice and makes no warranties as to fitness for any particular purpose for an individual’s condition or treatment. Users should consult a health professional about any information presented here to determine its suitability for their condition. Users are advised to seek the advice of a physician or health care provider before treating any health condition and the use of any supplements, herbs or other therapies not currently prescribed for treatment.

 

Copyright (c) 2004 Nutrition-Works all rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for any commercial purposes.