Ginseng may improve cognitive performance

The Tonic King

Among the many reported benefits of ginseng, two of the most appealing include evidence that ginseng may improve cognitive performance while also stabilizing blood sugar levels among type 2 diabetics.

A new UK study confirms previous research on these benefits, but also raises this interesting question: Could the blood sugar stabilizing benefit be part of the mechanism that improves cognitive performance?

Put to the tests

Oriental ginseng is grown in China and Korea, and has a reputation throughout Asia as the “king of all tonics.” It’s also known as “panax ginseng,” and this was the type of ginseng used in a recent study conducted by researchers at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

A battery of tests was devised to evaluate the effects of ginseng intake on 30 healthy young adults. Using computers, each subject took a 10-minute math test. This was followed by the intervention: Either 400 mg of standardized panax ginseng extract, or 200 mg of the same extract or a placebo. Testing resumed one hour later with six additional 10-minutes tests. All of the subjects participated in three days of testing.

Mental fatigue was self-assessed by each subject throughout the daily test cycle, and blood sugar levels were monitored before treatment, after treatment and again after the daily testing was completed.

The results: Subjects in both of the ginseng groups had significant reductions in blood sugar in each of the post-treatment measurements compared to the placebo group. Testing scores in the ginseng group were also higher, and mental fatigue in this group was significantly reduced. The highest test scores were posted by the 200 mg ginseng group.

Writing in the July 2005 issue of the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the authors conclude that performance may be enhanced and mental fatigue may be avoided by using moderate doses of ginseng during sustained mental
activity. And they add, “This effect may be related to the acute
gluco-regulatory properties of the extract.”

The ginseng insider

Oriental ginseng is just one of three ginseng types. The other two are American ginseng and Siberian ginseng. The latter, however, is not a true ginseng, but still produces many of the same beneficial effects. Red and white ginsengs are both of the Oriental variety. When the root is naturally dried it’s white, but when processed a certain way the root turns red.

Most ginseng products come from cultivation because wild ginseng is increasingly rare. In fact, wild Oriental ginseng sometimes sells for as much as $20,000 per ounce.

American ginseng has been used by Native Americans for several centuries, and in addition to boosting immune function and energy, this ginseng variety is also used to help alleviate hot flashes in menopausal women.

Ginseng is also reputed to fight the common cold.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society last year, researchers enrolled nearly 200 elderly subjects to receive either 200 mg of American ginseng extract or a placebo twice each day during flu season. At the end of the season researchers found that the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza was considerably higher in the placebo group than among those treated with American ginseng. They also noted that the treatment was well tolerated.

Ginseng is widely regarded as an adaptogen, which means it creates little or no side effects while working through the adrenal glands to help the body adapt to and cope with stresses such as fatigue and anxiety. Other adaptogens include ginkgo biloba, garlic and echinacea. But even though ginseng has a minimal negative impact on the body, you should talk to your doctor or a healthcare professional before beginning a regimen that includes a daily supplement of ginseng.