Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 It's even acquired a reputation as the "female ginseng." Despite its long tradition of use, the hard-core research on using dong quai for hot flashes— and other issues around menstruation and menopause—is weak.
It's worth noting, however, that in Chinese medicine, dong quai is almost always used in combination with other medicines and herbs. Dong quai may be one of those herbs or compounds that's used best as part of an overall treatment plan or formula, where it might have a synergistic effect. It doesn't seem to have too much of an effect on its own, though. |
Francois Couplan, Ph.D.
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 An interesting fact is that while the greatest part of our American ginseng crop still goes to China, we import tons of Korean ginseng yearly for our domestic use, to satisfy the ginseng craze which has recently reached America and Europe.
Ginseng is heralded as a panacea, a cure-all and, of course, an aphrodisiac. It might actually delay senility and it does regulate blood pressure. It also has demulcent, febrifuge, stimulating, stomachic and tonic properties, but certainly does not possess the universal powers it is sometimes thought to have. |
Craig Pepin-Donat
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 Because it is a vasodilator, ginseng can decrease the effectiveness of blood thinners and cause blood pressure abnormalities."
It needs to be repeated, just as with over-the-counter and prescription drugs, you need to remember that natural products are not always safe. This runs counter to the commonly held and faithfully perpetuated belief that supplements have no side effects and don't negatively interact with prescription drugs or with each other. This claim should be recognized on the surface as obviously false. |
Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
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 Herbal Treatments
Herbal remedies, including dong quai {Angelica sinensis), black cohosh (Cimicifuga race-mosa), alfalfa (Medicago sativd), licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and ginseng (Panax ginseng), have been used for many years in treating menopausal symptoms, and they are frequently effective. As far as we are aware, black cohosh is the only herb that has been demonstrated by clinical research to relieve menopausal symptoms,14 although the other herbs mentioned have been shown to have estrogen-like effects in animal studies. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 My favorite example is ginseng as an herb. You go on the market and you can find it for as little as $5 a pound. The good stuff -- the wild-crafted or organic -- will run $400 to $600 a pound, depending on the seasons. You can put either on your label as ginseng, but they don't produce the same results.
Mike: Isn't this true about echinacea? Isn't there huge variation in the potency?
Barron: Absolutely. There's a great test for the potency of echinacea. Every herb has its signature characteristic. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 It's the second most prescribed herb in China, following ginseng.
Licorice Root Soothes the Throat and Lungs
The most common medical use for licorice is for supporting upper respiratory tract health. It's known for its soothing effect on inflamed mucous membranes. Licorice root, when mixed with water or used in cough drops, soothes mucous membranes like those found in the throat, lung, and bronchial tubes. (When I was a kid, my mom would give me Smith Brothers licorice cough drops at the first sign of a cough. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 We're also seeing research on ginseng and how ginseng extracts prevent colds and flus during the flu season. The list goes on and on.
Research is finally starting to show that diseases are not only prevented, but in many cases reversed, by consuming foods as medicine. And that's good news, because that's the kind of research that empowers people. It gives people options to taking prescription drugs and undergoing radical therapies such as chemotherapy.
So the big news in all of this is that it's all coming out, but it's just taking time. |
Bill Sardi
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 Ginseng and breast cancer... 284 Dietary supplements ... 285 Stress and breast cancer... 285
SUMMARY: What should women do? ... 286
Breast Cancer
THE TRUTH ABOUT BREAST CANCER
The known risk factors for breast cancer account for a small fraction of the population's attributable risk, and new risk factors are required.
Journal Clinical Oncology, April 20, 2006
Introduction
Writing as a journalist, I cannot be so separated from the women who will read this chapter, to not make a plea for them to re-evaluate, if they have the opportunity, their thinking about breast cancer. |
Steven V. Joyal
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 Antihyperglycemic effects of total ginsenosides from leaves and stem of Panax ginseng. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2005 Sep; 26(9): 1104-10.
Yamashita R et al. Effects of dehydroepiandrosterone on gluconeogenic enzymes and glucose uptake in human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. Endocr J 2005 Dec; 52(6):727-33.
Yan J et al. Reduced coenzyme Q10 supplementation decelerates senescence in SAMP1 mice. Exp Gerontol2006 Feb; 4l(2):130-40.
Yang TT, Koo MW. Hypocholesterolemic effects of Chinese tea. Pharmacol Res 1997; 35(6):505-12.
Yang TTC, Koo MW. |
Bryan Hanson, PhD
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 Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is another medicinally important plant that contains saponins.
Cardiac glycosides. Cardiac glycosides are named because of their potent effects on the heart; they increase the force of contraction and thus are useful in conditions such as congestive heart failure. They generally possess a narrow therapeutic margin, which means that the toxic dose is not that much larger than the therapeutic dose. Many of these compounds remain clinically important in spite of recent introductions of synthetic alternatives. |
Ben-Erik van Wyk
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 USES & properties ginseng is nowadays commonly used as a food supplement and is added to a wide range of health food products (including tonic drinks and food supplement bars). It is not aimed at any particular disease, but is considered to be an adaptogenic tonic to treat fatigue, weakness and lack of concentration. Clinical studies have indeed shown that ginseng has a positive effect on physical and intellectual performance, mood, immune response and convalescence. |
Jack Challem
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 Note: If you combine two or more of some of the following supplements—specifically, alpha-lipoic acid or R-lipoic acid, chromium pico-linate, silymarin, American ginseng, or glycine—you may be able to reduce their dosages by 25 to 50 percent.
• Alpha-lipoic acid. This antioxidant actually works through a variety of biochemical pathways, and people who faithfully take it often benefit from an improvement in insulin function and a gradual decrease in blood-sugar levels. If you are prediabetic, take 100 mg fifteen minutes before each meal; if you are diabetic, take 200 mg before each meal. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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 Some studies have shown that one of the substances in ginseng berries (not the root) and a half teaspoon of cinnamon a day can increase insulin receptivity by over 50 percent. The supplement chromium (at 200 meg a day) has been shown to increase sensitivity to insulin as well. If you get diabetes, all is not lost. A small amount of weight loss can make the difference between elevated blood sugar and normal blood sugar. Keeping your blood sugar and your Al c level (a test that shows a three-month average blood sugar) in the normal range are among the most important things you can do. |
Bill Sardi
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| Journal American College Nutrition 25:100-7, 2006]
Oddly, ginseng is one of the herbs doctors attempt to steer cancer patients away from.
Dietary supplements
Surveys show about 80% of women at risk for breast cancer recurrence take vitamin pills. [Journal American Dietetic Assn 98: 285-92, 1998]
A study was conducted by researchers at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, to ascertain whether a dietary supplement regimen would improve survival times for women with non-spreading breast cancer in one breast. |
| In one study, dong quai and ginseng induced the growth of human breast cancer cells in a laboratory dish, while black cohosh and licorice root did not. [Menopause 9: 145-50, 2002]
RED CLOVER
Red clover extract, widely marketed in the United States as Promensil or Rimostil, has been shown to reduce hot flushes among menopausal women. [Maturitas 42: 187-93,2002]
However, a recent study of Rimostil (57 mg plant estrogens) and Promensil (82 mg plant estrogens) did not provide evidence that it relieved hot flushes among postmenopausal women experiencing 35 or more hot flushes per week. |
| A study conducted in the United States of 25 commercial brands of ginseng found the ginsenoside content varied by as much as 15 to 36 times in capsules and liquids. [American Journal Clinical Nutrition 73: 1101-06, 2001] The possibility for cancer prevention may be nullified in this case by inferior products. Second, the dosage used in various studies, animal and human, is wide ranging, it is difficult to determine what an adequate daily dose is. |
Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
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 Ginseng: Many good studies on ginseng have been conducted on humans in recent years with very encouraging results. There appears to be a definite improvement in quality of life when consuming ginseng, especially in combination with vitamins. However there is no scientific evidence to support claims that ginseng boosts energy or endurance. Superoxygenated water: Oxygen-enriched water is advertised as an energy elixir But where's the research? There is none. This one is a gimmick. You don't get oxygen through the digestive tract; you get it via the lungs into the blood. |
Thomson Healthcare, Inc.
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 POTENTIAL INTERACTIONS
Albendazole: Panax ginseng significantly accelerated the intestinal clearance of albendazole sulfoxide (the active metabolite of albendazole) when co-administered to rats. The plasma AUC for albendazole sulfoxide was unchanged, as was the intestinal elimination of the inactive metabolite albendazole sulfone (Merino et al, 2003). Clinical Management: Monitor therapeutic efficacy of albendazole. |
| The following digoxin immunoassay instruments may not be falsely altered in the presence of Panax ginseng: the Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay (EMIT: Dade Behring); Chemiluminescent assay (CLIA; Bayer Diagnostics); Randox digoxin assay (Randox Laboratories); Beck-man digoxin assay (Beckman). overdosage
Palpitations, insomnia, pruritus, heart pain, decreased sexual potency, vomiting, hemorrhagic diathesis, headache, and epistaxis have all been reported infrequently. Ingestion of large amounts is said to be fatal (Baranov, 1982). |
| Oh KW, Kim HS & Wagner GC. ginseng total saponins inhibits the doperaminergic depletions induced by methamphetamines. Planta Med; 63:80-81. 1997.
Oshima Y, Sato K & Hikino HI. Isolation and hypoglycemic activity of quinquefolans A, B, and C, glycans of Panax quinquefolium roots. J Nat Prod; 50:188-190. 1987.
Palmer BV, Montgomery ACV & Monteiro JCMP. Gin Seng and mastalgia. £M/;1:1284. 1978.
Peigen X & Keji C. Recent advances in clinical studies of Chinese medicinal herbs, 2: Clinical trials of Chinese herbs in a number of chronic conditions. Phytother Res; 2:55-60. 1988.
Petkov VD et al. |
| Chinese Medicine: Siberian ginseng is used for kidney pain, retention of urine, impotence, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, pain and weakness in the hip and knee joints, rheumatoid arthritis, and as a stimulant for the immune system. contraindications
The drug should not be administered to patients with hypertension. precautions and adverse reactions
Health risks or side effects following the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages are not recorded. |
| Nishiyama N, Chu P-J & Saito H, An herbal prescription, S-113m, consisting of biota, ginseng and Schizandra, improves learning performance in senescence accelerated mouse. In: Biol. Pharm Bull; 19:388-393, 1996.
Nishiyama N, Wang YL, Saito H, Beneficial effects of S-113m, a novel herbal prescription, on learning impairment model in mice. In: Biol Pharm Bull, 21:1498-503, Nov 1995.
Nomura M & Nakachiyama M, Gomisin A, a lignan component of schizandra fruits, inhibits development of preneoplactic lesions in rat liver by 3?-methyl-4- dimethylamino-azobenezene. In: Cancer Lett; 76(1):11-18, 1994. |
| Possible influences of ginseng on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of warfarin in rats. J Pharm Pharmacol; 51:175-180. 1999.
Glechoma hederacea
See Ground Ivy
Globe Flower
Trollius europaeus description
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the whole fresh plant.
Flower and Fruit: Every branch of the stem bears a solitary, terminal flower. They are up to 5 cm in diameter, globular, and have no calyx. The flowers usually have 10 perianth segments. The petals are lemon yellow. The outer petals, which are bent, are occasionally green underneath. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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| INDICATIONS AND USAGE
¦ Tendency to infection
Siberian ginseng is used as a tonic for invigoration and fortification in times of fatigue and debility or declining capacity for work and concentration, and during convalescence.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
Health risks or side effects following the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages are not recorded.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Powdered or cut root for teas, as well as aqueous-alcoholic extracts for internal use.
Daily Dosage: The average daily dosage is 2 to 3 gm of root. |
Bill Sardi
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| An array of herbal molecules, found in cruciferous vegetables (indole 3-carbinol), turmeric (curcumin), ginseng, pollen, and pygeum, have been shown to have anti-prostate cancer properties. It is likely a combination dietary supplement will be developed to optimally reduce the risk for prostate cancer. European researchers recently provided a dietary supplement containing soy isoflavones, lycopene, milk thistle and other antioxidants to males who had undergone surgery or radiation therapy and found it slowed the progression of the disease. |
Berkeley Holistic Health Center and Shepherd Bliss
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| Ginseng, panax ginseng, is the fabled herb of immortality, used by the Chinese as a panacea for many different ailments. Modern research has demonstrated that ginseng helps the body adapt to stress. ginseng is a tonic for the endocrine glands and is soothing to the digestive system.
The Chinese used ma huang, ephedra sinica, as an herbal stimulant to improve circulation and open up bronchial passages. It wasn't until the late nineteenth century that scientists isolated the alkaloid ephedrine from this plant. This drug is commonly used today for hay fever, asthma, and the common cold. |
Marshall Editions
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 Ashwaganda increases vitality and ^ also acts as an anti-inflammatory and mild sedative. ginseng improves mental and physical stamina and is a wonderful herb specifically for adrenal fatigue. It also improves circulation, balances blood sugar, and is an antioxidant and antispasmodic. Combine m tsp of each loose herb or 1 ml of a tincture. Place 2 tsp of the mixed loose herbs in 1 cup of hot water and steep for 10-15 minutes before drinking. You can also take 4 ml of the combined tincture two to three times daily. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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 Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus Sentico-sus). A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a standardized extract of eleutherococcus showed a decrease in severity, duration, and frequency of outbreaks when used for at least three consecutive months. Although not commonly used by alternative practitioners for the treatment of herpes, this study supports eleuthero's role in suppression of herpes outbreaks. |
| In Asia, dong quai is to women's health what ginseng is to men's. It has predominantly been used as a female remedy to treat menopausal hot flashes, menstrual cramps, lack of menstruation, or frequent menstruation and to promote a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery. The coumarins in dong quai are found largely in the root. |
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