Ginseng: Nature's Solution to Stress

The American Academy of Family Physicians in Kansas City, MO, estimates that approximately two-thirds of all office visits are for stress-related complaints. The stressors have changed over the years, but human physiology has remained the same.

The body expends a great amount of energy keeping itself in a heightened state of readiness. When weakened by prolonged stress, illness can result. Adaptogenic herbs have traditionally helped prevent the imbalances that can result from stress and have therefore prevented or minimized disease.

An adaptogenic substance is one that demonstrates a non-specific enhancement of the body's ability to resist a stressor. Modern herbalists say adaptogenic herbs are plants with properties that exert a normalizing influence on the body, neither over-stimulating nor inhibiting normal body function, but rather exerting a generalized tonifying effect.

The list of plants with adaptogenic properties is long because of the term's broad definition. Ginseng tops the list.

ASIAN GINSENG (Panax ginseng) is usually given to people who display yang deficiency-weakness in muscles, voice, and constitution.

In a double-blind controlled study, 36 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients were treated with Asian ginseng for eight weeks. Patients were given either 100 mg or 200 mg of Asian ginseng or placebo. The ginseng elevated participants' moods, improved physical activity and performance, improved glycosylated hemoglobin, and reduced fasting blood sugars and body weight.

Asian ginseng has been shown to increase RNA and protein content in the muscle and liver tissue.

In 1,987 cancer cases, researchers found that the risk of developing certain cancers in a population that used ginseng for at least one year was less than the risk for the general population.

AMERICAN GINSENG (Panax quinquefolius) is considered a yin tonic. As such, American ginseng is indicated for a hotter, more aggressive constitution. It contains many of the same ginsenosides as the Asian ginsengs and has similar effects on the body.

SIBERIAN GINSENG (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is not actually a ginseng, but it has been called one because of its similar properties. Russian researchers consider it to be even more effective than Asian ginseng.

Siberian ginseng has been shown to normalize reactions to physical and mental stress with great effectiveness when used for several months. A large study reviewed the results of a number of clinical trials involving 2,100 healthy men and women ages 19 to 72. Subjects were given doses of ginseng ranging from 2 to 16 ml of fluid extract, from one to three times per day for up to 60 days. Subjects had increased mental alertness and work output, enhanced athletic performance, and improved work quality.

Reference: Protocol Journal of Botanical Medicine, 1(4):194, 1996.

Milk Thistle Therapy

Nicholas Culpepper, a seventeenth-century apothecary, thought milk thistle was good for removing obstructions of the liver and spleen. The Eclectics, a school of medical herbalists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, used milk thistle to treat varicose veins and various pelvic congestions, including those linked to menstruation and to the liver, spleen, and kidneys.

During the 1970s in Germany, scientists began testing the herb and discovered some compounds collectively called silymarin.

During the 1980s, researchers learned that silymarin increases the ability of liver cells to regenerate through a vital body process known as protein synthesis. Additionally, laboratory and human research showed that silymarin counteracts the effects of poisons, even that from the deathcap mushroom, the most virulent liver toxin known.

More than 300 laboratory and human trials have proven that there is strong scientific basis that it can protect the liver from damage by toxins such as carbon tetrachloride and alcohol while showing no toxic side effects. German health officials recognize silymarin as helpful in treating hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other chronic inflammatory liver disorders.

A 1988 study focused on thirty workers who had been exposed to toluene and/or xylene vapors on the job for five to twenty years. All the workers had low blood platelet counts and abnormal liver function tests. After taking silymarin for thirty days, researchers reported that the workers all showed a significant improvement in liver function tests.

Reference: Szilard, S., et al. "Protective Effect of Legalon in Workers Exposed to Organic Solvents." Acta Medica Hungarica 45:249-56, 1988.

Natural Vitamins Proven Superior Over Synthetic

Natural vitamin E is retained in humans twice as long as the synthetic form, according to a study headed by Graham W. Burton, Ph.D., and colleagues from the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa. As reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, healthy volunteers took either a 30- or 300-mg single dose of half natural/half synthetic vitamin E. A month later, the subjects took the same dose daily for eight days. Blood tests revealed that natural vitamin E was present in twice the amount as the synthetic form, regardless of dosage.

The 30-mg dose used in the study was equivalent to 35 IU, or slightly more than double the RDA for vitamin E. The higher dose was equivalent to 354 IU, close to the 400 IU dose commonly used in supplements-an amount found effective in reducing the risk of heart disease.

This is the second study in several months to demonstrate that natural d-alpha-tocopherol vitamin E is better retained and more active than the synthetic dl-alpha-tocopherol form of the supplement. An earlier study found that when pregnant women took supplements containing both natural and synthetic vitamin E, the natural form was retained 31/2 times better in the umbilical cords. The results suggest the placenta delivers natural vitamin E to the fetus much more efficiently than synthetic.

References: Health & Nutrition Breakthroughs, October 1998; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 76, April 1998; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 67, March 1998.

Nutritional Support for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

More than 2 million Americans, most frequently young, white, professional women, are estimated to suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Although exercises is the last thing fatigued people feel like doing, research shows that moderate exercise can be a valuable part of a CFS treatment protocol.

Some research suggests that an abnormality in the regulation of blood pressure is the underlying cause of CFS. This problem with blood pressure regulation has been documented in adults and teenagers suffering from CFS.

The herb licorice is potentially valuable for CFS sufferers who have problems with blood pressure. One small study found that a CFS patient taking 2.5 grams of licorice daily showed improvement.

Recent research from the University of Southampton, U.K., found that patients suffering from CFS tend to have low blood levels of magnesium. Furthermore, CFS patients taking magnesium supplements report greater energy levels, improved emotional state, and less pain that those taking a placebo.

Deficiencies of carnitine have been reported in some people with CFS. Even more suggestive is a study that found that 3 grams of carnitine daily can alleviate some of the symptoms of CFS.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is a coenzyme that facilitates the body's energy-producing processes. Recently, NADH was approved by the FDA for clinical trial in patients with CFS in which almost one-third of the CFS patients improved significantly while taking the NADH supplement.

For more information about coping with CFS, contact the Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) Association of America at 1-800-442-3437.

Reference: Grant, J.E., Veldee, M.S., Buchwald, D. "Analysis of dietary intake and selected nutrient concentrations in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome," J Am Diet Assoc 96:383-6, 1996.

Why Take Supplements?

Despite hearing dietary recommendations for years, most people still fail to get enough essential nutrients from their diet.

More than 50% of Americans consume inadequate amounts of calcium.

The dietary intake of chromium in Western countries is roughly 50-60% of the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board's estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intake of selected vitamins and minerals.

For folic aid, the average Americans' daily intake is 242 mcg compared to the U.S. RDA of 400 mcg.

The typical American diet provides only one-half to two-thirds of the RDA of 400 mg of magnesium.

In one survey, about one-third of the population consumed less than the RDA for niacin and about 10% consumed less than 70% of the RDA.

At least 20% of the population receives less than 70% of the RDA of vitamin A.

In a large national survey, 71% of males and 90% of females consumed less than the RDA of vitamin B6.

Additionally, there is a great deal of evidence that suggests the RDAs are often far too low for optimal health. Nutrition scientists generally agree that people who consume less than 70% of an RDA are at risk for developing nutritional deficiency, and these disturbing figures suggest that nutrient deficiencies may be common.

The lesson to be learned here is dietary deficiencies are so common that we should never assume people eat a nutritionally adequate diet. Although a healthy diet is the backbone of any nutrional program, many-and perhaps even most-people would benefit from regularly taking dietary supplements to achieve the minimum RDA.

Even the federal government, in its efforts to update the RDAs, has recommended vitamin supplements for certain segments of the population, admitting that diet alone does not always provide adequate nutrition.

Reference: McCarron, D. A., & Hatton, D. JAMA, 275(14): 1128-9, 1996.

Vitamin C Helps Constricted Blood Vessels

Relatively high doses of vitamin C increase arterial dilation in people with chronic heart failure, report researchers at Medizinische Hochscule Hannover, Germany.

Overly constricted blood vessels are a hallmark of chronic heart failure (CHF) and, when combined with other classic symptoms such as salt retention and poor circulation, can lead to high blood pressure and tissue fluid accumulation.

Because people with CHF generally have low antioxidant reserves, researchers investigated the effects of vitamin C on arterial dilation.

They gave non-smoking patients with chronic heart failure and healthy volunteers either intra-arterial vitamin C at a rate of 25 mg per minute for 10 minutes or placebo. Researchers then measured the diameter and blood flow of the radial artery in the forearm. Compared to placebo, vitamin C significantly increased the CHF patients' arterial dilation by up to 9%. The control group showed no increased arterial dilation.

Next, two groups of patients with CHF took either 1 gram of oral vitamin C daily for four weeks or placebo. Twenty-four hours after the last dose, researchers measured vascular dilation. The placebo group showed no change, yet the vitamin C group showed 12% greater radial artery dilation.

Both intra-arterial and oral vitamin C treatment improved arterial dilation to the point that it equaled that of a healthy person.

Reference: Health & Nutrition Breakthroughs, October 1998.

Health Tip

More than 100,000 patients die and another 2.2 million are harmed in hospitals every year by adverse reactions from properly administered pharmaceutical drugs, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The published results place deaths from adverse drug reactions (ADR) as the fourth leading cause of death overall. The researchers found that in 1994, 106,000 deaths were caused by ADRs. The leading causes of U.S. deaths each year are heart disease (743,460), cancer (529,904), stroke (150,108), pulmonary disease (101,077), and accidents (90,523).

Reference: JAMA, April 15, 1998.