What are the characteristics of Ginseng?
Gin seng means in Chinese "root man" because of the shape of its root which recalls the human silhouette. It was in their quest for immortality that the Chinese selected ginseng, mentioned in the treatise on fundamental herbs (bencao) of Shennong, dated from the first century under the Han dynasty: ginseng is the root of long life, useful to fight against senescence. In traditional Chinese medicine, it belongs to the tonic remedies indicated in insufficient energy, respiratory difficulty (dyspnea) and asthenia; its effectiveness is best when used as a single remedy. Widely used in China, it is available in all traditional markets or pharmacies at affordable prices, but some boxed presentations are overpriced. It is to prolong the life of a dying parent, by the time their children come to their bedside, that the Chinese will be able to acquire a luxurious box presenting the long roots and rootlets of a thirty-year-old wild ginseng, at prices ranging from 100 to 10,000 euros.
The root also enjoys an ancestral reputation for being able to awaken sleeping sexual ardors, it is considered to be an aphrodisiac by stimulating the libido.
Latin name :
Botanical family :
Producing organs :
- Roots: the best are the oldest, 5 years and older
Known or suspected mode of action :
- Action on GABA
- Increased blood dopamine level
- Increased oxygen absorption capacity, reduced blood lactate levels
- Inhibition of platelet aggregability and thromboxane formation
- Hormonal stimulation
Precautions for use :
- Pharmacokinetic interactions:
- Weak interactions with CYP 1A2, 2C9, 2D6, 1E2, P-glycoprotein inhibition, suspected drug interactions (each ginsenoside has an action on a different cytochrome p450)
- Pharmacodynamic interactions:
- Oral anticoagulants, MAOIs, triptans, doubt with digitalis
- Side effects :
- At high doses: insomnia, nervousness, morning diarrhea, hypertonia, menopausal bleeding, arterial hypertension
- Can cause gynecomastia in men
- Contraindicated in pregnant or breastfeeding women
- Reserved for adults
- Not recommended in cases of uncontrolled arterial hypertension, in psychosis
- Because of its estrogenic properties, avoid its prescription in the history of gynecological cancers
Main components of the plant :
- Tetracyclic triterpene heterosides of the dammarane series (which have the properties of saponosides ), ginsenosides Rg1, Rc, Rd, Rb1, Rb2, Ro, Rh (1.5 to 8% of the dried root) or panaxosides :
- Ginsenosides are divided into two groups based on their chemical structures:
- Protopanaxadiols and protopanaxatriols :
- Protopanaxadiol saponosides Rg3, Rd, Rc, Rb1, Rb2
- Protopanaxatriol saponosides Rg1, Re, Rg2
- Polysaccharides ( glycans, peptidoglycans, starch, oligosaccharides )
- Group B vitamins (B1, B2, B12, nicotinamide, pantothenic acid), vitamin C
- Essential amino acids
- Sterols, estrogen
- Monoterpene essential oil
- Fatty acids
The root is dispensed in pharmacies or in any trade; it is included on the list of medicinal plants of the French Pharmacopoeia and has a control monograph from the European Pharmacopoeia and a Community monograph from the EMA. It is an ingredient authorized in food supplements in France.
