Jordan:Hi, I'm Jordan Rubin and welcome to Ancient Medicine Today, where we want to share
with you the power of plants and other wonderful remedies from the past to give you a healthy
future.
Ancient Medicine Today is brought to you by dr.axe.com, where we believe that food
is medicine.
Today, we're going to talk to you about one of the most powerful plants, one of the most
adored roots on the planet, throughout history and it's called ginseng.
And I bet you've heard of it.
Ginseng is also known as man root in China, because some ginseng roots, actually look
like a man, sort of, more like a hang man, in a root type way.
Some ginsengs have been sold for nearly one million dollars.
They are best grown in the wild but also ginseng is widely cultivated.
We're going to get into, what is ginseng?
What types are there?
What can it do for you?
Who should avoid it.
Best of all who should consume it and how?
Ginseng can give you benefits such as less stress, better mood and beyond.
Let's get started.
That's what ginseng looks like.
It's the root that gives you the benefits.
Ginseng is a perennial plant which means, it is self-seeding, long standing, and it
has fleshy roots.
It takes years to build the fleshy roots, so it is not a quick crop like kale per se.
It is from the Panax genus and its botanical name means "all heal" in Greek.
That's pretty awesome, that something means healing.
True ginseng is either American or Asian/Korean.
There's other forms such as Siberian ginseng, which is really not ginseng, similar benefits
but we're talking about Panax, Korean or American ginseng, which is grown right here in the
states.
Rich in ginsenosides, those are the compounds that benefit you internally and also topically.
Ginseng is made as a popular tea or herbal in fusion in China and has been for thousands
of years.
It is known as an adaptogen and it is a five-star adaptogen in Asia, meaning the highest rank
of all.
What are the benefits of consuming ginseng?
Believe it or not, ginseng has been popular for years, but I think it's still under-appreciated.
It is so good for men and women, and let's tell you why.
Number one, ginseng can reduce stress, as can all adaptogens, it helps your body resist
the effects of stress.
Ginseng can boost your brain.
Ginsenosides and other compounds, are great for your metabolic but also your cognitive
function.
Ginseng can be an anti-inflammatory, maybe not directly, but it can support your body
to fight inflammation.
Ginseng due to its heating benefits, metabolic boost, can aid in weight loss.
Ginseng can improve lung function.
Wow, how beneficial is ginseng for athletes?
Whether you're a weekend warrior or a professional, Ginseng is a must.
Ginseng can help lower blood sugar benefits . . . levels I should say.
This is one of the major benefits of ginseng.
If you're someone who has metabolic syndrome, or diabetes, make ginseng a part of your regiment.
Ginseng can help prevent cancer.
There's research on ginseng's ability to fight cancer.
And of course, it boosts your immune system.
One of the main benefits of ginseng is its increase in immune system cells to fight germs
and toxins.
And last but not least, if you're someone who's dealing with menopause, and some of
the challenges it brings, and andropause for that matter in men, ginseng is great.
It's equally good for women, as it is for men, it gives you more energy.
It supports what they would call your Ch in China, and it's very [inaudible 00:03:56],
which means heating strong.
Bam.
It's powerful.
Here's some ways to use ginseng.
Use it as a tea.
Now, I prefer to use the term tea for something with an actual tea plant, white, green, black
or ROY–boss, but use ginseng as an herbal infusion.
Take some roots, fresh or dried, pour hot water over it, steep it or you can make a
concoction, by boiling ginseng in water and it'd be amazing.
You can also do it in almond milk or other more nutritive substances such as coconut
milk, to have a delivery vehicle of good fats.
You can do it dry, powdered, in capsule or tablet form.
Look for Asian ginseng or Korean, sometimes known as Red ginseng, with the Latin binomial
Panax ginseng.
American ginseng has a little bit of a longer name Panax quinquefolius, grown right here
in the U.S.
In fact, there was a show called, Appalachian Outlaws on TV, where they were going and harvesting
ginseng, there were actually some battles over different properties, different pieces
of land that is, because ginseng can sell for thousands of dollars per pound, whether
it's Korean or Asian or American.
It's found wild, it's grown wild simulated, or you can cultivate it.
The longer it's grown, the more powerful compounds it is.
There are roots that have been around, for dozens if not hundreds of years that are worth,
as I mentioned, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Type 2 diabetes has been shown to respond to 200mg a day, of ginseng extract and for
stress, tension, fatigue.
Try one gram of ginseng powdered extract, once a day or 500mg twice a day.
Ginseng does have some precautions that come with it.
Generally mild side effects that you need to be aware of, it's such a heating powerful
herb, you need to check with your pharmacist or doctor for drug interactions.
It can stimulate some people.
Pregnant women or children or breastfeeding women, do not consume ginseng.
Ginseng can also interact with the following medications, diabetic medications, blood thinning
medications, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, stimulants or opioid pain medications such
as morphine.
So make sure to check with your doctor, if you're taking any of these medicines.
But bottom line folks, ginseng, is a well-kept secret in the States, but everyone in Asia
knows and loves it because it's a stress reducer.
It can improve brain function.
Ginseng can act as an anti-inflammatory, help you with metabolism or weight loss, improve
lung function, lower blood sugar levels, prevent cancer, boost your immune system and even
provide relief to menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, dryness, lethargy, bad mood
et cetra.
I recommend that you go to your local health food store or Asian market, buy some ginseng
root, fresh, dry, buy some powder, buy a supplement, buy a syrup.
Take ginseng every day for 30 days.
You'll thank me.
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I'm Jordan Rubin, here on Ancient Medicine Today, see you tomorrow.
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