Ginseng: Ashwagandha Health Benefits and Side Effects
Indian ginseng, also known as winter cherry or Ashwagandha, is a herb used in an Indian based alternative medicine and has been used for over three thousand years for a variety of issues that improve the functions of the body as well as the brain. Ginseng is a small shrub, and the extracts or powders from the plant’s root or leaves are used for different conditions. Most of its health benefits being attributed to a chemical compound found in the plant, withanolides, which has exhibited medicinal properties that fight inflammations and even tumor growth.
For people who have a problem with high blood sugar levels studies using ginseng have shown to help reduce those levels in affected as well as in healthy people. One research with people who have type 2 diabetes has been demonstrated that ginseng can be as effective as their usual diabetes medication.
Another possible health benefit of ginseng but which has no human studies, though the results of animal and test-tube research have been promising, is the ability to promote the death of tumor cells. These studies have shown that the herb could be beneficial in treating an array of different kind of cancers.
Ginseng is best known for its use in reducing stress, and it does this by lowering cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone, especially in people known to be affected by chronical stress. Beside stress decrease, it also has shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders as well. There is also limited research that supports the possibility of ginseng helping to minimize severe depression, a study in adults showing a decrease of 79%.
If low testosterone is the issue, then ginseng can help boost its levels in men as well as women. Studies in men have shown that taking supplements of ginseng can increase fertility by increasing sperm count and quality. Besides this, the supplement had also shown promise when it came to muscle mass increase, body fat reduction and strength in men.
Studies in humans have shown that intake of ginseng helped with the activity of immune cells that fight off infections and keep us healthy. It also has demonstrated a reduction of a marker which has been associated with heart disease. In addition to the above, our heart health is also improved by a cholesterol and triglyceride level drop.
Another frequent use of ginseng is for brain function and memory improvement. Although human studies in this area are limited, those performed had shown significant results when it came to reaction time as well as task performance.
Although ginseng is safe for most people, there are some that should talk to a doctor before taking this supplement or thinking of increasing their dosage. People affected by autoimmune diseases, for example, should avoid this supplement unless prescribed by a doctor. Seeing how ginseng can affect hormone levels (testosterone), it is best that people affected by diseases involving hormones, like thyroid disease, to be careful when taking it.
The bottom line is that this traditional herb has shown to present a variety of health benefits. Of course, some people should be careful about taking this supplement and talk to a doctor beforehand, but for those that know that they don’t have any medical problems that it can conflict with ginseng’s benefits could improve our health and life.
Another possible health benefit of ginseng but which has no human studies, though the results of animal and test-tube research have been promising, is the ability to promote the death of tumor cells. These studies have shown that the herb could be beneficial in treating an array of different kind of cancers.
Ginseng is best known for its use in reducing stress, and it does this by lowering cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone, especially in people known to be affected by chronical stress. Beside stress decrease, it also has shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders as well. There is also limited research that supports the possibility of ginseng helping to minimize severe depression, a study in adults showing a decrease of 79%.
If low testosterone is the issue, then ginseng can help boost its levels in men as well as women. Studies in men have shown that taking supplements of ginseng can increase fertility by increasing sperm count and quality. Besides this, the supplement had also shown promise when it came to muscle mass increase, body fat reduction and strength in men.
Studies in humans have shown that intake of ginseng helped with the activity of immune cells that fight off infections and keep us healthy. It also has demonstrated a reduction of a marker which has been associated with heart disease. In addition to the above, our heart health is also improved by a cholesterol and triglyceride level drop.
Another frequent use of ginseng is for brain function and memory improvement. Although human studies in this area are limited, those performed had shown significant results when it came to reaction time as well as task performance.
Although ginseng is safe for most people, there are some that should talk to a doctor before taking this supplement or thinking of increasing their dosage. People affected by autoimmune diseases, for example, should avoid this supplement unless prescribed by a doctor. Seeing how ginseng can affect hormone levels (testosterone), it is best that people affected by diseases involving hormones, like thyroid disease, to be careful when taking it.
The bottom line is that this traditional herb has shown to present a variety of health benefits. Of course, some people should be careful about taking this supplement and talk to a doctor beforehand, but for those that know that they don’t have any medical problems that it can conflict with ginseng’s benefits could improve our health and life.
Comments
Post a Comment