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| that fight viruses; reduce cholesterol while increasing high-density lipoproteins (HDLs); reduce blood clotting, thus reducing the risk of heart attack; reduce blood sugar levels, thus helping control diabetes; reduce cell damage from radiation; prevent liver damage; counteract fatigue and improve the health of the elderly. In addition, ginseng is an antioxidant, which helps prevent cumulative cell damage leading to cancer. Its most popular reputation is as a tonic for the male reproductive system, and some say it has aphrodisiac powers. Although there is no human study to substantiate this last claim, experiments with laboratory mice showed increased mating activity in the ginseng-using group. |
| But for every study proving the herb's efficacy, another concludes it has no effect at all. Critics have always suspected researcher bias, for or against, and poor project design for contradictory findings, but a more likely cause is the adulteration of ginseng with other herbs and inefficient preparation techniques. Because ginseng is so expensive, adulteration has always been a problem. A 1978 study of 54 commercial ginseng products showed that 60 percent contained too little of the herb to have any biological effect. In fact, 25 percent contained no ginseng at all. Another adulterant is ginseng itselfthat is, the use of immature roots. The active constituents of ginseng increase with the plant's age, and roots should be at least six years old before harvest. Last, most of the active constituents are in the root bark, not the pulp. Researchers who used ginseng root pulp found the herb ineffective. |
| Is ginseng safe? The literature indicates that ginseng should not be used by anyone suffering from asthma, emphysema, fever, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure or anxiety disorders. But individual responses vary, and some of these conditions, such as irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, have in many cases been corrected by gin- |
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