American ginseng,how to use this magic tonic from the past.

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Research Progress Selected of American Ginseng.

American Ginseng Extract INCI Name Panax quinquefolius extract CAS 090045-38-8 Panax quinquefolium extract Ginsenosides photo picture image American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) reduces postprandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.American Ginseng, Panax quinquefolius L., has been one of the best-known American medicinal plants since its discovery over 280 years ago.

 Since the eighteenth century, the vast majority of both wild-harvested and cultivated supplies of American ginseng have been exported to the Orient. The subtle biological activity of ginseng, along with conflicting results and interpretation of studies, has produced an enigma in assessing the plant's value in health. While more questions than answers about predictable benefits of American ginseng exist, investigations conducted over the past 15 years have sharpened scientific focus in directing research efforts for the future.

 Ginseng and Emotional Wellness:

 Saponins are considered the primary biologically active components of Panax and are called ginsenosides. A review that analyzed saponins in clinical trials found that two of the ginsenosides in ginseng demonstrate stimulant and anti-depressant activity in the central nervous system.

 Ginseng has also been shown to affect biochemical neurotransmitter processes in the brain.It is believed that ginsenosides may play a neuroprotectant role in the dopaminergic system and possess anti-stress action on Acetylcholine receptor sites in the brain.These effects may be partially responsible for Ginseng stress relieving benefits.

 Medical research has recently begun to investigate the benefits that the ginseng herb may offer. While additional clinical study data is still needed, a 2002 study assessed patients who took regular daily doses of ginseng over an eight (8) week period. After four (4) weeks of ginseng therapy, the study also found that individual who were taking the ginseng therapy were more

 likely to know they were on the therapy when compared to those taking placebo,suggesting that ginseng's effects were noticeable in the therapy patient group.

 Studies involving, both, single-herb preparations and combination-herb preparations, suggest that Ginseng may help to improve cognitive function related to mental arithmetic,memory quality,response time, accuracy and general memory improvement.

 Although direct human trials are warranted,one animal study reinforces the use of ginseng as an energy supplement. The study showed that ginseng treatment provided effective adaption to fatigue and increased endurance in both males and females.

 Ginseng and ADHD(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder):

 Attention Deficit Disorder affect millions of adults and children each year. Adult ADHD is a particularly difficult disorder to cope with as it can affect daily life at home,work and social settings.Some of the symptoms that may be associated with ADHD include:

 Forgetfulness and memory difficulty
 Being easily distracted
 Inattentive listening skills
 Taking Impulsive action without prior thought
 Lack of focus(shifting from one uncompleted task to another)

 In a recent clinical study involving children and adolescents with ADHD,patients were given a dose of combination-therapy panax ginseng and ginkgo biloba.Patients assessed their children based on the Corners' Parent Rating Scale. After four weeks of therapy,patients exhibited a significant improvement in respect to social problem attributes and DSM IV hyperactive-impulsive scores.The results of the study lead researchers to suggest that this combination therapy may improve the symptoms of ADHD.further human trials are needed in order to determine ginseng's exact roll as a therapeutic agent in ADHD.

 American ginseng, when combined with other natural constituents such as Bacopa,Choline,GABA,Magnesium,Zinc and Valerian may help to improve some of the symptoms commonly associated with attention deficits,such as focus,memory and impulsivity problems.

 Simplified extraction of ginsenosides from American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) for high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet analysis.:Corbit RM, Ferreira JF, Ebbs SD, Murphy LLDepartment of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA.

 Four methods were tested for extraction and recovery of six major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1) found in roots of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius): method A, sonication in 100% methanol (MeOH) at room temperature (rt); method B, sonication in 70% aqueous MeOH at rt; method C, water extraction (90 degrees C) with gentle agitation; and method D, refluxing (60 degrees C) in 100% MeOH. After 0.5-1 h, the samples were filtered and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV. A second extraction by methods C and D was done, but 85-90% of ginsenosides were obtained during the first extraction. Lyophilization of extracts did not influence ginsenoside recovery. Method D resulted in the highest significant recoveries of all ginsenosides, except Rg1. Method C was the next most effective method, while method A resulted in the lowest ginsenoside recoveries. Method B led to similar recoveries as method C. All methods used one filtration step, omitted time-consuming cleanup, but maintained clear peak resolution by HPLC, and can be used for quantitative screening of ginsenosides from roots and commercial ginseng preparations.

 Protective effect of steamed American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) on V79-4 cells induced by oxidative stress.:Kim KT, Yoo KM, Lee JW, Eom SH, Hwang IK, Lee CY.Korea Food Research Institute, San 46-1, Baekhyun-Dong, Bundang-Ku, Songnam-Si, Kyunggi-Do 463-746, Republic of Korea.

 Heat-processed Asian ginseng roots (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), also known as "red ginseng" in Asia, are reported to have more bioactivity than the no-processed white ginseng roots. Therefore, American fresh ginseng roots (Panax quinquefolius L.) were processed to the red ginseng and examined changes in bioactivity during heating process. The fresh America ginseng roots were steamed at 100 degrees C for 30, 60, 90 and 120 min, and their bioactivities were examined by analyzing the content of ginsenosides and total phenolics, and measuring DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging acivity and their protective effects on V79-4 cells viability and lipid peroxidation. The heating treatment proportionally increased total ginsenosides (4.97%, w/w) content compared with white ginseng (3.27%) and total phenolics from 444.5 mg GAE/100 g to 489.6-574.2 mg GAE/100 g. The antioxidant activity also increased from 285 mg/100 g (vitamin C equivalent) to 353-487 mg/100 g. Heated ginseng showed high levels of DPPH radical scavenging activity (59.5-88.5%) and the high level of superoxide radical scavenging activity (44.2-90.9%). The heated ginseng protected cell viability against H2O2-induced oxidative damage, and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase by dose dependently in V79-4 cells.Published 27 April 2007 in J Ethnopharmacol, 111(3): 443-50.

 American Ginseng Improves Glycemia in Individuals with Normal Glucose Tolerance: Effect of Dose and Time Escalation.:Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 19, No. 6, 738-744 (2000)

 Objective: We studied the effect of escalating the dose and administration time of American ginseng (AG, Panax quinquefolius L.) in nondiabetic individuals to achieve further improvements in glucose tolerance seen previously when 3g of AG was taken 40 minutes before a 25g glucose challenge.

 Methods: Ten nondiabetic individuals (6M:4F; mean +- STD: age = 41 +- 13 years, BMI = 24.8 +- 3.5 kg/m2, FBG = 4.5 +- 0.1mmolL-1) on 12 separate occasions, randomly received 0 (placebo), 3, 6 or 9g of ground AG root at 40, 80, or 120 minutes before a 25g oral glucose challenge. Capillary blood glucose was measured prior to ingestion of AG or placebo capsules and at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes from start of challenge.

 Results: Compared with the placebo, 3, 6 and 9g of AG reduced (p less than 0.05) postprandial incremental glucose at 30, 45 and 60 minutes; also, 3 and 9g of AG did so at 90 minutes. At 60 minutes, 9g of AG reduced incremental postprandial glucose relative to 3g of AG (p less than 0.05). All AG doses reduced (p less than 0.05) area under the incremental glucose curve (3g, 26.6%; 6g, 29.3%; 9g, 38.5%). AG taken at different times did not have an additional influence on postprandial glycemia.

 Conclusions: In nondiabetic individuals, 3, 6 or 9g of AG taken 40, 80 or 120 minutes before a glucose challenge similarly improved glucose tolerance.

 Changes in neutral and malonyl ginsenosides in American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) during drying, storage and ethanolic extraction.:X. W. Du 1, R. B. H. Wills , and D. L. Stuart.School of Applied Sciences, University of Newcastle, P.O. Box 127, Ourimbah NSW 2258, Australia

 Changes in the neutral and malonyl ginsenosides of American ginseng roots (Panax quinquefolium) were examined during drying, storage and extraction. Freshly harvested roots dried at 40, 55 or 70 Deg C in a hot air drier showed a marked decrease in the time taken to dry as the air temperature increased but the colour of roots dried at 70 Deg C was darker than the desired cream colour. Increasing the drying temperature decreased the concentration of total ginsenosides but with an increase in the neutral ginsenosides and a decrease in malonyl ginsenosides. Dried root powder, stored at 5, 20 and 30 Deg C in air of low humidity, showed a decrease in the concentration of total ginsenosides at all temperatures with the rate of loss increasing at higher temperatures. The concentration of malonyl ginsenosides showed the same trend but the concentration of neutral ginsenosides did not significantly change during storage at any temperature. Extraction of ginsenosides, from dried root powder with aqueous ethanol, varied with the ethanol content. Maximum extraction of neutral ginsenosides was obtained with 70% ethanol while, for malonyl ginsenosides, it was 40% ethanol and 60% ethanol for total ginsenosides. The ratio of neutral to malonyl ginsenosides in the extract increased as the proportion of ethanol in the solvent increased. The findings show that the relative proportions of neutral and malonyl ginsenosides vary considerably during postharvest handling and reinforce the need to measure both types to obtain the true level of total ginsenosides.

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last edit date:19th,June.2009.