Panax Ginseng & Its Many Benefits

With limited consumption, panax ginseng provides many benefits: it can boost the immune system, alleviate allergies, increase stamina and sexual vitality, and promote blood and chi circulation.

Not all ginseng are the same. There are different types, each one offering different health benefits. Also called Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng and Korean ginseng, this Asiatic ginseng can vary in a wide range of quality and is priced accordingly.

Generally, ginseng that grows in the wild is usually more potent but less common, and therefore much more expensive. The cultivated ginseng can also be effective but much more affordable.

If you don’t know how to cook the whole ginseng, rather than risk wasting its potency, you can go to any local herbal store in Chinatown to purchase the less expensive panax ginseng in the more conveniently processed powdered or liquid concentrate that you don’t have to cook.

Take two teaspoons of the powder or about 20 drops of the liquid and dilute with a cup of boiling water to drink. Add honey to sweeten if desired. Consume once daily, preferably before a meal, for ten days. Its benefits will last for at least three months.

Some contraindications:

1. Do not consume carrots, radish, daikon (Chinese radish) or green tea during the ten days of consuming ginseng. Consumption of these contraindicated foods can neutralize the potency and effects of the ginseng consumed.
2. Limit your consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits to small servings, especially within the first few hours of consuming the Chinese ginseng, for the same reason as #1.
3. Do not take Asian ginseng if you suffer from hypertension, as it can aggravate your condition.
4. Do not take the ginseng if you have influenza, a cough or a cold. Nursing these ailments will drain your body of energy, and taking any Asian ginseng, or any other tonifying herb for that matter, will aggravate and prolong your illness.
5. If you have a yang disposition, stop your consumption of the ginseng if you experience any of the following symptoms in the extreme:
   • canker sores
   • deep red tongue
   • insomnia
   • elevated blood pressure
   • headaches
   • nose bleeds

   Since Chinese ginseng produces very potent yang energy, these symptoms indicate too much yang energy present. If the symptoms are mild, you can try taking the ginseng in the morning to see if this will ameliorate the condition.

6. Limit your consumption of the ginseng to ten days. If you take it for prolonged periods, your body will adapt and weaken the effects of the ginseng until you no longer benefit from it.

Despite these contraindications, when taken correctly, panax ginseng offers a host of excellent health benefits. Try it for yourself and see what it can do for you.