Ginseng

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Ginseng

• Ryan Butterworth
• Andrew Gordon
• Avis Kusi

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Classification

• Family Araliaceae
• Genus Panax
• Panax ginseng (Asian) and Panax quinquefolius L.
  (American)
• Panax, derived from Greek Panakos, a panacea,
  or a cure-all

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Etymology

• Ginseng said to mean wonder of the world
• Roots referred to as Jin-chen by Chinese, meaning
  in the image of a man
• American Indian name, garantoquen, has same
  meaning

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History

• Prominent usage in ancient China, Manchuria and
  other parts of eastern Asia for centuries
• Originally thought to be confined to Chinese
  Tartary, but known to be native of North America
• Area of Mongol rule in 13th and 14th centuries
• Introduced into Europe (Paris) in 1704
• England in 1740

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History

• Held in high esteem by natives of China
• Necessity in all of the best prescriptions
• Remedy for fatigue and infirmities of old age
• Only the Emperor had the right to collect the
  roots in China
• Roots chewed by sick to recover health and by
  healthy to increase vitality
• Said to remove both mental and physical fatigue,
  to cure pulmonary complaints, dissolve tumors and
  prolong life

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History

• Chinese demand for root became so great that they
  began to import from Canada
• Jesuits of Canada in 1718
• First shipment from North America to Canton
  yielded enormous profits
• 1748, roots sold at a dollar/pound in America and
  nearly 5x in China
• Chinese and American export and trade of roots is
  still prominent

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History

• Preservation of cultivation and the natural
  supply
• Canada, fine imposed for collecting between
  January and September 1st
• Native Americans collect root only after maturity
  of fruit, and bend the stem down before digging
  the root, thus providing for its propagation
• Assert that large numbers of seeds will
  germinate, thus allowing for increase in
  collection area

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History

• 1876, 550,624 lb. were exported at avg. price of
  1.17/pound
• Amount available for export has steadily
  decreased and price has increased in proportion
• 1912, export was only 155,308 lb. at an avg price
  of 7.20/pound

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Cultivation and Harvest

• Requires a loose, rich soil, with a heavy mulch
  of leaves and about 80 shade for optimal growth
• Difficult to grow in U.S.
• Done mostly in greenhouses
• Propagation by cutting of the roots is the most
  successful method
• Cuttings placed in sand, under a handglass
• Seeds, obtained abroad, are sown in pots in early
  spring require gentle heat

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Cultivation and Harvest

• When plants are a few inches high, transplanted
  into beds
• Require good, warm soil, but much shade
• To grow on a commercial basis is not feasible in
  U.S.
• Root collected in autumn
• Retains shape after drying

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Plant Structure

• Fleshy, somewhat elastic and flexible
• Firm solid consistence if collected at proper
  time and properly cured
• Bark is very thick, yellowish-white, radially
  striated in old roots and contains brownish-red
  cells
• Wood is strongly and coarsely radiate, with
  yellowish wood wedges and whitish rays
• Roots valued for their large size and light
  color, plumpness and fine consistence and natural
  form

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Asian Ginseng

• Panax ginseng, L.
• Grows wild in Northern Manchuria and has been
  harvested there for thousands of years
• Prized in the Orient for curative properties
• Early emperors considered it a panacea to be
  ingested or used in lotions and soaps
• Older roots may be as old as an entire century
• Longevity said to be transferred from root to the
  person who consumes them

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American Ginseng

• Panax quinquefolius, L.
• Perennial herb native to deciduous forests of the
  eastern U.S.
• Over-harvested in the mid-1970s and subsequently
  defined as an endangered species
• Currently, 18 states issue licenses to export
• One of the earliest marketable herbs harvested in
  this country

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Medicinal Uses/ Uses in Alternative Medicine

• History of ginseng in alternative medicine goes
  back over 5,000 years.
• It has been used as an adaptogen, demulcent,
  pancea, sedative, stimulant, cardiotonic,
  stomachic.
• Used to cope with mental emotional stress
• Used to relieve heat, cold, stress, fatigue and
  even hunger.
• Supposeably increases mental physical
  performance.

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Other effects of Ginseng on Body

• Stimulates relaxes nervous system esp. medulla
  centers
• Increases secretion of hormones
• Improves stamina
• Lowers blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels
• Increases resistance to disease
• Stimulates endocrine activity in the body
• Promotes slight increase in metabolic activity by
  relaxing heart and artery movements

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Chemical Constituents

• Major components include
• Triterpenoid saponins
• Ginsenosides (about 29 identified)
• Acetylenic compounds
• Panaxans
• Sesquiterpenes

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Ginsenoside Structure

• Ginsenoside Rg2
• Chemical Structure
• C42H72O13
• Ginsenosides are active ingredients
  isolated from the oriental herb,
  ginseng. They are steroidal
  saponins. Many ginsenosides have been found
  to have anticancer
  properties against tumor cell lines and
  tumor growth.  Others have been shown
  to have CNS effects ranging from
  neurons from ischemic damage to
  preventing scopolamine-induced
  memory deficits. 
• - All information on this slide courtesy
  of
• www.axxora.com

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Over-the-counter products that contain Panax
Ginseng

• Celestial Seasonings Ginseng
• Centrum Herbals Ginseng
• Korean Ginseng Extract from Natures Way
• Nature Mades Chinese Red Panax Ginseng
• Pharmatons Ginsana
• PhytoPharmicas Ginseng Phytosome
• Dont take Ginseng with coffee or caffeinated
  beverages as it will accelerate the caffeine
  effects on the body and can cause diarrhea

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Economics of Ginseng

• In the United States sales of Ginseng reach
  nearly 100 million dollars
• Ginseng growers typically invest 20,000/acre and
  600hrs of labor annually and get no return until
  the third or fourth year
• An average crop might net 30,000/ acre
• Prices for dried roots range from 20 to 45/Ib,
  and prices for seeds range from 50 to 100/Ib
• Panax is not official in the British
  Pharmacopoeia, and it was dismissed from the
  United States Pharmacopoeia at a late revision.
  It is cultivated almost entirely for export to
  China.

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Ginseng has been used to

• Treat erectile dysfunction and premature
  ejaculation
• Help the body resist infections
• Lower cholesterol in the blood
• Lower blood sugar in diabetics
• Improve thinking and memory
• Increase strength and endurance
• Reduce cancer risk
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Treat mild depression
• Relieve fatigue
• Remove excess water from the body

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Ginseng should not be taken if you have

• A bleeding disorder
• Breast, uterine, or ovarian cancer
• Endometriosis
• Had an organ transport
• Heart problems
• Low or uncontrolled blood pressure
• Trouble sleeping
• Schizophrenia
• Uterine fibroids

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Clinical Data

• In the journal article entitled Efficacy of an
  extract of North American ginseng containing
  poly-furanosylpyranosyl-saccharides for
  preventing upper respiratory tract infections a
  randomized controlled trial
• The results of this study showed that cold
  symptoms and the number of days the cold lasted
  were decreased when subjects took ginseng

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Clinical Data continued

• In an article from the Journal of Korean
  Medicine, they conducted a study to see what
  affect Ginseng had on Aberrant Crypt Foci (ACF)
  in mice.
• ACF are precursor lesions for colon cancer
  dectection.
• This study showed that mice that were given
  Ginseng had fewer ACF then mice that were not
  given Ginseng

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Possible Side Effects

• Severe rash
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes
• Dark urine
• Unusual tiredness
• Nosebleeds
• Headache
• Trouble sleeping
• Diarrhea
• Menstrual problems
• Breast pain
• Increased heart rate
• Dizziness
• Mood changes

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Possible Drug Interactions

• Blood thinning medicines
• Caffeine and stimulants such as pseudoephedrine
• Diabetes medicines
• Medicines used to suppress the immune system
• Nonsteroidal anti-flammatory drugs
• MAO inhibitor antidepressants
• Herbal remedies with blood thinning effects
• Furosemide (Lasix)

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References

• Wargovich, Michael J. 2001. Colon Cancer
  Chemoprevention With Ginseng and Other
  Botanicals. Journal of Korean Medicine. Vol 16.
• Kiefer, David. 2003. Panax Ginseng. American
  Family Physician. Vol. 68(8).
• Predy, Gerald N, Vinti Goel, Ray Lovlin, Allan
  Donner, Larry Stitt, and Tapan K. Basu. 2005.
  Efficacy of an extract of North American ginseng
  containing poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides
  for preventing upper respiratory tract
  infections a randomized controlled trial.
  Canadian Medical Association Journal. Vol.
  173(9).
• Harrison, H.C. Lasted updated in 2000. Ginseng.
  http//www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/ginseng.ht
  ml
• Grieve, M. Last updated in 2006. Ginseng.
  http//www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/ginsen15
  .html

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Questions?