| |
|
|
Panax
ginseng
Family:
Araliaceae.
Part
used: Generally, the root. The
leaves, although milder in action, can also be
used. |
Collection and
habitat: A
native of eastern Asia (Korea, Russia, China), panax
ginseng is rare in the wild because of overharvesting.
Occasionally, plants over 100 years old are still found;
these sell for up to $20,000 per ounce. The herb is now
extensively commercially cultivated; the roots are
harvested in the fall of the fifth year. The older the
roots, the better medicines they are considered to
be.
Actions:
Tonic, adaptogen, stimulant, immunomodulator, immune
system stimulant, blood pressure and sugar regulator, cerebral
circulation stimulant, cognitive function enhancer, adrenal
tonic, antitumor.
Functions in liver
disease: Helps
alleviate general weakness, fatigue, low libido, exhaustion,
brain fog, and lack of appetite. Enhances immune function,
interferon production, and phagocytosis. Modulates white blood
cell counts. Potentiates almost all liver functions, including
RNA and DNA repair and production of vital proteins. Lowers
liver enzyme levels in the blood. Hepatoprotective, antiviral,
antitumor.
About Panax
Ginseng
Panax ginseng is probably the
most famous of Chinese herbs and has been used in TCM for
thousands of years. It has been administered alone or in
combination for general weakness, sexual debility, lack of
appetite, anemia, forgetfulness, immune deficiency, high and
low blood pressure, and adrenal deficiency. Medical research on
ginseng can and does fill several large volumes with
exceptionally tiny type. What follows is only a sample of the
problems associated with hepatitis. In both human and
laboratory studies, ginseng has been found to be strongly
protective of the liver, to lower liver enzyme levels, to
positively affect cholesterol and lipid metabolism, and to be
radioprotective, antitumor, antioxidant, and
antiviral.
Panax ginseng has shown
antiviral activity in vitro against HBV One human trial
reported that ginseng, along with multivitamins, can
significantly reduce chronic liver disease in elderly patients
within 12 weeks. Ginseng has been shown to be hepatoprotective
in vivo against liver disease induced by
CC14, chloroform, galactosamine, and
ethanol. Other in vivo studies showed that it protected
the liver from ethanolinduced hyperlipidemia. It also
reduced cellular swelling, congestion, bile pigmentation,
and elevated aminotransferase levels; reduced liver
enzyme levels; prevented dexamethasone-induced increases
in aminotransferase levels; and protected against
ethanol-induced mitochondrial swelling and disruption,
pyknosis and fat deposition, depression of phospholipid
synthesis, and stimulation of triglyceride synthesis. A
combination of ginseng and bupleurum given in vivo before
CC14 injection significantly reduced
cellular-level liver damage in mice.
More than 500 published
scientific papers have addressed the actions of
ginseng. Some of
the most noted areas of activity concern the herb's
immune-enhancing, radioprotective, and antitumor
properties.
Ginseng has been found to
enhance antibody response, natural killer cell action,
interferon production, and overall power and strength of the
immune system. Many studies on the use of ginseng in cancer
treatment in China showed that ginseng possesses strong
antitumor actions. Treated panax (called red or kirin ginseng)
showed the strongest activity. Ginseng has also been reported
to have a strong ability to protect living organisms from the
effects of radiation.
Preparation and
Dosage
As powder or tincture. Powder:
1-2 tsp (5-10 mL) per day. Tincture: 1:5 in 70 percent alcohol.
White root, 20-40 drops; red cured root (Chinese of Korean),
5-20 drops, both up to 3 times per day. American species (Panax
quinquefolium): woodsgrown, 10-20 drops up to 3 times per
day.
Contraindications and Side
Effects
Men younger than age 40 should
use Siberian ginseng, not panax ginseng. Contraindicated in
high blood pressure, excessive menstrual bleeding, and
pregnancy. May cause high blood pressure, irritability,
insomnia, muscle tension, headache, and
restlessness.
Excerpted from Hepatitis C and the Liver by Stephen Harrod
Buhner
Copyright © 2000
Used with permission from Storey
Publishing, LLC (www.story.com)
 |
Herbs for Hepatitis C and
the Liver
by Stephen Harrod
Buhner
Herbal Medicines
Offer Hope for Combating Hepatitis C. More than 500
million people worldwide carry the deadly hepatitis
C virus (HCV), and hepatitis C poses a public
health crisis far greater that the AIDS epidemic.
This deadly disease, which can go undetected for
years, eventually attacks the liver, causing
cirrhosis, cancer, and even liver
failure.
Price:
$10.36
 |
|
|
|
|