Root to Health and Performance-Ginseng

Zubaida Qamar

Ginseng

Root of Araliaceous plant

Panax ginseng-most famous of all species

The term “ginseng” usually applies to the dried root of the plant

Active component=Ginsenoside

Potential Benefits of Ginseng

Ginseng is “believed” to have many beneficial effects relieving pain and headaches

stimulating appetite

improving mental function and physical stamina

boosting immune system

counteracting fatigue

ergogenic agent to optimize exercise performance

Animal Studies

Grandhi et al. compared aqueous suspensions of roots of P. ginseng (100 mg/kg

administered orally for 7 days)

significant increases in swimming time compared with a control group

Bodyweight gain was significantly higher following treatment and increase in weight of the levator ani muscle was significant

These studies demonstrate that administration of ginseng may prolong endurance performance in mice and rats along with gains in muscle mass

Animal Studies

Wang and Lee reported significantly prolonged aerobic endurance(18

minutes at 70% of maximal oxygen (VO2 max) in a placebo controlled study with non-trained rats

Study done for 4 days with 10 and 20 mg/kg/day ginseng intraperitoneally

Possible Mechanism: Ginseng enhances exercise endurance by altering fuel homeostasis during exercise by increasing free fatty acid utilization preference over glucose for cellular energy demands

Human Studies Physically active 13 male college students were divided into

two groups (AG or placebo) and received supplementation for 4 weeks, before the exhaustive running exercise

Treadmill speed was increased to a pace equivalent to 80% VO2max of the subject. A 4- wk washout period followed before the subjects crossed over and received the alternate supplement for the next 4 wk. They then completed a second exhaustive running exercise

The plasma creatine kinase (CK) and lactate were measured prior to exercise and after exercise at different time intervals

Supplementation with AG for 4 wk prior to an exhaustive aerobic treadmill running reduced the leakage of CK during exercise, but did not enhance aerobic work capacity

The reduction of plasma CK may be due to the fact that AG is effective for the decrease of skeletal muscle cell membrane damage, induced by exercise during the high-intensity treadmill run

Animal Studies

Contradictions

o Methodological flaws

o lack of double blind, control and placebo paradigms

o small sample size

o varied treatment duration

o compliance issues

o lack of “sourcing” data

o combination of ginseng with other items e.g. fenugreek

o differences in administration of ginseng dosage

o type of ginseng used

Recommendation

The recommended daily dose for dry ginseng root is generally 0.5 to 2.0g

There are no reports of acute toxicity of high-dose ginseng in humans

NOT a banned substance-the International Olympic Committee (IOC)and the US Olympic Committee (USOC)

Conclusion

The success of ginseng in animal studies could have been attributed to the higher dosage of ginseng .Hence, inferences from animal models must be carefully applied to humans

Very few human studies have shown positive benefits on ginseng

Be careful of the misleading claims on supplemental products

Try to follow the natural and scientifically proven “food first” approach for overall health and better performance

Questions??