Ginseng & Athletic Performance
How it works...
HISTORY It is said that in order to test for true ginseng, two persons walk together, one with a piece of the root in his mouth and the other with his mouth empty. If at the end of five li (two miles) the one with the ginseng in his mouth does not feel himself tired, while the other is out of breath, the plant is true. --Chinese Materia Medica, Dr. F. Porter Smith
CONSTITUENTS OF GINSENG: The root of ginseng contains...several steroid compounds such as panaxatriol. A steroid is a chemical compound with the same basic structure as the sex hormones and the adrenal cortical hormones, of which estrogen, testosterone, cortisone, and DCA are prime examples. Testosterone, the male sex hormone, is found in different proportions in the male and female body; and acts as the body's natural anabolic. By definition, an anabolic is a substance that builds up the health of the body by regulating the burning of energy. Because the steroid constituents of ginseng are so similar in structure to the body's own anabolic agents, it's certainly very feasible that they would act in a similar manner. The Complete Book of Ginseng, Richard Heffern
ENERGY: Among the general metabolic effects of Panax ginseng is a complex of phenomena that work to increase energy buildup in the body and to bring about a muscular efficiency in humans by as much as 40%. Adaptogens also enhance work capacity and reduce fatigue under arduous conditions such as severe temperatures or long hours.
The Book of Ginseng, Sarah Harriman
ENDURANCE: Some of the earliest experiments on this stimulant action were carried out on mice by Professor Brekhman, head of the Institute of Biologically Active Substances in Vladivostok. He devised a swimming test to see if ginseng could increase stamina. Mice are put into the water, where they swim until they are exhausted. They are allowed to rest, and then made to swim a second time. Professor Brekhman showed mice given ginseng were able to swim nearly twice as long before they were exhausted. The same experiment has been repeated in many parts of the world, with the same result. A European laboratory has recently demonstrated that even if the mice are given doses of ginseng similar to the normal human doses, their increase in stamina is still quite noticeable. The ginseng effect is cumulative. If the mice are given ginseng continuously for a month they can regularly swim for twice as long as those mice not given ginseng.
About Ginseng, Stephen Fulder, MA, PhD
OXYGEN: Consider for a moment the basic fact of the life process whereby food is burned by the body to give off energy, while carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) are created. CO2 is discharged from the lungs when we exhale, and H2 combines with oxygen to form water which is discharged in the urine and sweat. Hydrogen may be referred to as a positive ion, which is as useless to the body as dust clogging the inner workings of a machine. To insure that the body functions normally, hydrogen must be removed, but for a complete removal a large quantity of oxygen is needed. The germanium compound (found in ginseng) with its strong dehydrogenating effect takes the place of oxygen in combining with hydrogen to eliminate the latter from the body. (Laboratory) results obtained showed a remarkable decrease of oxygen consumption in the diaphragm and liver...clear indication that the compound acted as a substitute for oxygen in combining with hydrogen. (Korean Ginseng has the highest content of organic germanium).
Germanium, a Medical Godsend, Dr. Kazuhiko Asai
