Alkaline Diet

Ginseng Helps You Live Longer

Posted on 19. Apr, 2010 by George Tee in Alkaline Foods, Blog

Sometimes, you’ll come at a point where you literally can’t push yourself out of bed just by thinking of the stress and work that you’ll have to endure in the long day ahead. With the hustle and bustle of your daily life, it’s not surprising at all that one specific aspect of your life is being compromised: your health. You might not even be completely aware of it, but your body may be at a great imbalance of acid-alkaline. With too much acid toxins from your job, your environment, and your daily diet, ginseng may be turn out to be your apparent saving grace.

Ginseng, the Wonder Herb

What makes ginseng so effective in balancing the acid-alkaline imbalance in your body is in its adaptogenic properties. As an adaptogenic herb, it serves the purpose of maintaining your body’s balance once your body is thrown off balance by acid toxins.

You must seriously be doubting the ability of ginseng to offset the acidic effects of stress and pollution, but a quick look at the list of the best alkaline-forming foods will consistently show ginseng tea, among other herbs and teas, as a primary alkaline-forming substance and is therefore a great combatant to acid toxins.

For now, questions about the purported health benefits of ginseng are perfectly normal. If anything, these questions will even strengthen the claim that, indeed, ginseng is an herb of many wonders.

The Wonders of Ginseng

Aside from being an adaptogenic herb, ginseng is also a physical and mental stimulant, an analgesic, a booster of many sorts, a supplement for possible health problems, and, yes, evens an aphrodisiac during your down days. It is, however, less of a curative herb that can be used to directly cure already existing ailments. These claims are all backed up by scientific evidence that all the more proves the wondrous powers of this herb.

Here are the health benefits of taking ginseng:

Lowering Cholesterol Levels – Most diets do little to manage the cholesterol levels of a person. If anything, it even worsens the situation and causes a sharp rise in a person’s cholesterol levels. Most foods are white flour products and red meat. Aside from lowering the consumption of both, taking Ginseng tea or Ginseng extract can lower high cholesterol levels.

Increasing Vitality – Mental and physical stress can take a toll on one’s body and not only result in fatigue, but also acid-alkaline imbalance. To improve the energy level, mental clarity, and manage stress, Ginseng supplements or tea can help. As a matter of fact, taking it three times a week will both increase the vitality of athletes, employees and students. A research using ginseng extract G115 showed that ginseng can help in addressing the physical fatigue of a person in various situations.

Improving Mental Performance – When taken as a supplement, Ginseng can also improve the cognitive performance of a person. This claim has been proven by numerous studies in the past. One in particular reported that taking Ginseng extracts can increase mental performance, as proven by standard assessments such as math, reaction time, concentration and logic. This applies not just to young people, but also the older ones as well.

Providing Resistance against Illnesses – Ginseng is also able to combat against illnesses by strengthening the immune system. By stimulating the immune cells, specifically the T-lymphocytes and the neutrophils, the body has a more resistant response against infections and viruses.

Preventing Cancer – Taking ginseng regularly, either in powder form or as an extract, has been reported as an effective way of preventing various forms of cancer. Ginsenosides, a substance known to prevent cancer, can be found in ginseng. Although further studies have yet to be made on the subject, preliminary results of present studies show that there is a connection between cancer prevention and ginseng.

Lowering blood sugar levels – Type 2 Diabetes is becoming an increasingly common problem that can be addressed by taking Ginseng regularly. Cutting down on acid-forming substances like refined sugar products is definitely one great step, but taking Ginseng will also lower blood pressure without the danger of causing hypoglycemia.

Ginseng’s Best Benefit

These general health benefits of ginseng, amazing as they are, sound trivial if you get a hold of what is arguably the best benefit of ginseng: extending life expectancy. A study conducted in the University of Maryland finally provides scientific proof that, indeed, ginseng is an herb that can elongate a person’s life.

The study basically tested the effects of 10 herbal mixtures that are supposedly beneficial for boosting energy on tiny worms that have the same genes with regard to aging and other human traits. The results of the study showed that by taking Ginseng root (Panax ginseng), the lifespan of the worms increased by 7.7%.

Aside from the general effectiveness of ginseng in elongating life, it can also reduce the hydrogen peroxide level and strengthen the heat shock proteins—two effects that are crucial in protecting cell functions.

With the favorable results of this study, it just goes to show that what herbal specialists have been saying about Ginseng was true all along—that it is good for boosting the mental and physical energy of a person, and that it can combat acid toxins by forming alkaline in your body.

So where can you buy ginseng?

Ginseng is relatively popular compared to other herbs. Although Ginseng is found in rich quantities in Asia countries like Korea, Japan, and China, you can also buy them in most local drugstores. It has many variations that you should be familiar with before you even go ahead and buy some for yourself.

You can buy Ginseng capsules, Ginseng powder, Ginseng tea or Ginseng root extract. When buying Ginseng dried root, make sure that it has no discolorations or odd spots. These irregularities can have side effects in your body.

Ginseng is also grown in various places in the world. One example is the Asian Ginseng, which are common in Japan, Korea and China mainland. Another is Indian Ginseng, which is grown in the Indian subcontinent. Japanese Ginseng is native in Japan, while Siberian Ginseng is common in Russia, Japan, Korea and China. Ginseng found in Brazil is the Brazilian Ginseng; Peruvian Ginseng is grown in Peru and Bolivia; and, American Ginseng can be bought in select US states such as Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Georgia.

So what are you waiting for? Take a much-needed breather from your stressful life, set your acid-alkaline imbalance straight, and take Ginseng regularly to improve all aspects of your life, specifically your mental and physical health.

Tags: alkaline diet, Alkaline Foods, ginseng