Home >> News

News

Go back to news-page

(Actual) publications 2005 Ginseng

25-12-2005:"ginseng, the Miracle Healer"
23-12-2005:"Fight the Flu Naturally"
09-11-2005:"ginseng, antler detecting dogs to fight smuggling"
25-10-2005:"ginseng extract prevents colds, reduces symptoms, finds new study"
21-10-2005:"Mountain Dew introduces MDX"
19-10-2005:"Asian plant extract adds novelty to European foods"
24-08-2005:"RushNet introduces new products"
08-08-2005:"ginseng export regulations pose problems for industry"
22-06-2005:"Herbal supplement improves memory in patients at risk of Alzheimer's"
03-06-2005:"ginseng appears to protect brain"
24-01-2005:"V-Net to test rival beverages for ginseng"





Ginseng, the Miracle Healer

2005/12/25 - ginseng is among the many natural health products that more people are using to manage and improve their health. There are several species of ginseng, all belonging to the Panax genus. The two main species with medicinal qualities are "Panax ginseng," which refers to Korean ginseng, also known as Asian ginseng or Chinese ginseng, mainly found in China and Korea; and "Panax quinquefolius," which refers to American ginseng, native to North America.

miracle-healer HEALTHFUL HARVEST: South Korean ginseng field(Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)


Siberian ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus, a plant indigenous to China, Japan, Korea and Siberia is a different plant.

ginseng is a deciduous, slow-growing perennial herb that has a light-colored fleshy root and a single stalk with dark green, oval-shaped leaves. The root is the only portion of the plant used in medicinal preparations, which are available in various forms, such as powder, cut and dried roots, tea and liquid extracts.

Written records of the medical use of ginseng first appeared about 2,000 years ago. The word "panax" comes from the Greek "panakeia," meaning "all healing" or "universal remedy," indicating the wide belief that ginseng is effective in combating ailments of all kinds.

The name "ginseng" is derived from the Chinese name for the plant, "renshen," meaning "man-root," because the long and slender ginseng root is thought to resemble the shape of the human body.

A number of stories have been passed down from ancient times about the medicinal effects and mystical shape of the ginseng root. A Chinese story tells of a deity named Wei who ate only a soup made of ginseng and poria, a Chinese herb, but always managed to stay 30 steps ahead of a man riding a horse and was able to climb very fast up a steep mountain.

A Korean folktale tells of the high regard that the Korean people have for ginseng as an elixir of life and a miraculous medicinal plant. In one variation of the story, the Mountain Spirit tested a man's filial piety to his terminally ill father by disguising himself as a monk and telling the man that the only way to cure his father was to make a broth from boiling his own young son in water. Satisfied that the man's devotion was genuine, the Mountain Spirit sent him a 1,000-year-old wild ginseng disguised as the boy. By the time the real boy arrived home the next day, his grandfather had completely recovered from his illness after drinking the medicine made from the ginseng boy.

There is also an account that describes one method by which traditional Chinese medicine tests the effectiveness and potency of ginseng. Two people are asked to walk a long distance, one with ginseng in his mouth and the other without. After the walk, the one with ginseng is still breathing normally while the one without ginseng feels exhausted and out of breath.

A great deal of traditional usage and anecdotal reports, along with some research in Asia and North America, support the effectiveness of ginseng and its long history of safe use. Among the many benefits, ginseng is said to protect the digestive system, alleviate stress and fatigue, improve blood circulation, enhance brain activity, strengthen the organs and improve the overall disease-fighting systems of the body.

Along with this knowledge, consumers would also be wise to ensure that they are purchasing authentic ginseng products. Moreover, they should be aware that wide variations in quality exist among different brands.

Physicians should closely monitor patients on warfarin who are also taking dietary supplements that contain ginseng. ginseng should not be taken when one has a fever, and those who develop side effects such as redness in the eyes, rashes or diarrhea should stop taking it.

To minimize adverse effects, it is particularly advisable for seniors, pregnant or breastfeeding women, patients scheduled for surgery or those diagnosed with a serious disease or significant medical condition to consult their healthcare provider before taking ginseng.

FROM: http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-12-25/36177.html
This news is provided by: nieuws-theepochtimes



Go back|Go back to news-page




Fight the Flu Naturally

2005/12/23 - Cold and flu season is upon us once again. The flu (short name for influenza) is a highly contagious infection caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs creating fever, malaise and fatigue. The flu is normally a relatively mild disease for people who are healthy. However, the flu can be an acute disease for the elderly and for people of any age who have chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart, lung or kidney diseases.

Can you Count on your Immune System?
Each winter, millions of people suffer from the flu. It comes about quickly and can linger for days, even weeks. So, what are you doing to protect yourself against the flu? Can you count on your immune system? The immune system is the body's defence mechanism that protects us against infections (viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi) and foreign substances. Unfortunately, the immune system is subject to many negative lifestyle choices and environmental hazards that may weaken its status. By understanding the enemies and friends of the immune system, we can slowly learn how to take care of ourselves and stay as healthy as possible.

Friend or Foe?
The following is a list of possible contributors for a weakened immune system, resulting in frequent colds/flus and long-term illnesses:

By acknowledging and recognizing the effect that these enemies have on our immune system, we can slowly start to change our behaviour and habits in order to help our body become stronger and healthier.

The following list includes a few basic guidelines to assist you in achieving a balanced immune system: Three Common ginsengs
Every year, there are a billion upper respiratory tract infections that occur in the United States. It is no wonder that researchers and virologists constantly strive to come up with effective treatments against these viruses. As we come closer to understanding the process of how these pesky viruses change each year and how they impact our immune system, the viruses continue to mutate and become more virulent. As a result, the flu is a common cause of morbidity every year. Thankfully, different treatments are being explored such as supplementation with various vitamins and minerals (i.e. vitamin C and iron), botanical herbs and the flu vaccine.

A recent study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal examined the effects of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) on the immune system. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that ginseng has the potential to modulate the immune response thereby playing a large role in preventing colds. From the study, researchers concluded that administering a standardized extract of North American ginseng (rich in poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharide) for four months was effective in reducing the absolute risk of recurrent colds, the mean number of colds per person, proportion of subjects experiencing two or more colds, the severity of symptoms and the number of days cold symptoms were reported.

ginseng is a product commonly seen on the shelves in health food stores. What many people don't know is that there are many different types of ginseng available. Three common ginsengs sold all over the world are North American, Asian and Siberian.

North American ginseng (Panax quinqufolium) is a plant that grows wild in northern and central United States and in parts of Canada. It has been used in conditions such as type 2 diabetes, athletic performance, infection and stress. The active ingredients are compounds called ginsenosides, which are thought to fight fatigue and stress by supporting the adrenal glands and the use of oxygen by exercising muscles. From an Eastern philosophy, North American ginseng is considered to be more "yin" (in the balancing of yin and yang) or 'cooling' and is better suited for long-term use.

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), on the other hand, incorporates Korean, Manchurian, Vietnamese and Chinese ginseng and has been a part of Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. It is considered to be very "yang" or 'warming' and is normally used for relatively limited periods of time. Like American ginseng, Asian ginseng contains ginsenosides, but contains roughly half the amount. Its effect is a complex interaction between all constituents in the plant that make Asian ginseng so effective against a wide variety of conditions such as erectile dysfunction, male infertility, type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, immune function, athletic performance, chronic fatigue, cancer and stress.

Siberian ginseng (Eleutheroccocus senticosus) is not really a ginseng at all. The active ingredient is not a ginsenoside, but a compound called eleutherosides. Similar to the other ginsengs, Siberian ginseng may benefit energy, stress and fight infection.

Balance your Immune System
It is natural to get sick every year or once every other year. In fact, exposing our body to new viruses strengthens our immune system and keeps it up-to- date so it can help with future infections. By following the above recommendations and by improving your lifestyle choices, your immune system will be closer to being in balance. When you have a healthy immune system, you will reduce the severity and shorten the duration of each subsequent illness.

So, the next time you feel a sore throat and fatigue coming on, rather than waiting for the "pesky bugs" to invade your throat, nose and chest, be proactive naturally and stop the invasion from happening in the first place. If you are unsure about what to take, consult your Naturopathic Doctor or other health care provider.

FROM: http://www.christianpost.com/article/life/2985/section/fight.the.flu.naturally/1.htm
This news is provided by: nieuws-thechristianpost



Go back|Go back to news-page




Ginseng, antler detecting dogs to fight smuggling

09/11/2005: ginseng and antler velvet detecting dogs will be placed at Incheon International Airport and Incheon port to uncover smuggling of these products.

The Incheon Airport Customs said on Wednesday (Nov. 9) that two dogs will come into action beginning next month to cope with a growing number of attempts to smuggle ginseng and young antlers.

The dogs are one male and one female _ five-year-old Miles and four-year-old Scooter, both Labrador Retrievers.

detecting-dogs The two dogs were trained to detect the smell of ginseng and antlers for eight weeks from September to October at the drug detecting-dog training center at the customs office.

"Miles and Scooter originally trained for drug sniffing. But they have been re-trained for ginseng and antler with our know-how on drug sniffing-dog training," an official of the customs said.


Smuggling of antler velvet and ginseng has been as serious as that of drugs, the official added.

The two dogs will start detecting the goods next month at Incheon port, and at the international airport afterward.

The prices of antlers and ginseng, the two most favored Oriental medicinal herbs for Koreans, are much lower in China and other countries than in Korea, so smuggling of the products has never decreased.

Antler and ginseng smuggling is also strictly restricted, as harmful insecticide was found on the two products.

"It is the first time that dogs have been trained for articles other than drugs. We plan to add more specific items on the training lists, and place such dogs at every airport of the nation," the official said.

Besides the two dogs, 15 drug detecting dogs and four explosive detecting dogs are being trained at the dog sniffing training center near the international airport on Yeongjong Island.

FROM: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=63440-ginseng-cold-flu
This news is provided by: nieuws-nutra



Go back|Go back to news-page



Ginseng extract prevents colds, reduces symptoms, finds new study

25/10/2005: Taking ginseng supplements through the winter appears to help the immune system fight off colds, report Canadian researchers today.

The team from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Alberta found that when people who usually suffered colds took a standardized extract of the roots of North American ginseng, they had significantly less colds than a placebo group, and less severe symptoms.

Only one in 10 of those given daily doses of the supplement suffered two or more colds during four months including winter, compared with almost a quarter of those taking placebos.

"Our results can be compared with those for many of the common antiviral drugs such as rimantadine, amantadine, zanamivir or oseltamivir for the prevention or treatment of influenza," said the researchers in today's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (173, issue 9).

The new findings follow a warning from the UK's Meteorological Office last week that this winter is likely to be significantly colder than average. And the charity Age Concern has warned that 20,000 people over 65 across Britain will have died by the time the cold season is over in March.

While it has previously been shown that extracts of the root of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) have the potential to modulate both natural and acquired immune responses, as well as fighting colds and flu, many of these studies have been criticized for poor quality.

The new randomized, double-blind study followed 170 people aged between 18-65 years of age with a history of at least two colds in the previous year. They were instructed to take two capsules per day of either ginseng or a placebo for four months, beginning at the start of the flu season.

The ginseng supplement, called Cold-fX, is a standardized extract developed by a spin-off company of the University of Alberta, CV Technologies. It contains 80 per cent poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides and 10 per cent protein from the ginseng roots. It is freeze-dried and encapsulated to contain 200 mg/capsule.

Only 10 per cent of the ginseng group had two or more colds during the test period compared with 22.8 per cent in the placebo group.

Symptom score was also significantly higher in the placebo group and the number of days cold symptoms were reported was higher too - 16.5 days compared with only 10.8 in the ginseng group.

The authors say the supplement could be a safe, effective "prophylactic treatment for upper respiratory tract infections", and recommended further studies on its efficacy and safety for children and immunocompromised populations (such as the elderly).

However in a commentary in the same journal, Ronald Turner, from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, warned of the many pitfalls faced by clinical studies of natural remedies for viral infections.

"The absence of information about active constituents and the mechanism of action of most natural remedies prevents the development of specific hypotheses to guide the design of clinical trials and increases the risk that statistically significant effects may be found by chance," he writes.

Since the proposed mechanism of action of ginseng on colds is unclear, and the active compounds have not been identified, even though the extract was standardized "it is possible that there is lot-to-lot variability for important phytochemical components that are not measured", he added.

The authors do point to prior research showing how the extract is capable of enhancing lymphocyte function and initiating acquired immune responses. It may also boost production of natural killer cell activity, thought to decrease susceptibility to frequent colds. But Turners says it is not clear how these relate to viral respiratory infection.

"Further studies that evaluate the effect of well-characterized and standardized preparations of ginseng in virologically proven influenza infections or more typical common cold illnesses will be needed to confirm and extend the results of the study reported in this issue," he concludes.

FROM: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=63440-ginseng-cold-flu
This news is provided by: nieuws-nutra



Go back|Go back to news-page



Mountain Dew introduces MDX

21/10/2005: MDX features the familiar citrus flavor of Mountain Dew, but is fueled by a "power pack" of ingredients including ginseng, Guarana, Taurine, and D-Ribose.

Mountain Dew will bridge the gap between energy drinks and soda with the launch of MDX. Pioneering a new category of "energy sodas," MDX features the familiar citrus flavor of Mountain Dew, but is fueled by a "power pack" of ingredients including ginseng, Guarana, Taurine, and D-Ribose, helping to provide a higher level of energy than regular soda. MDX will hit stores nationwide on November 1.

The launch of MDX also marks the debut of a new and unique single-serve 14-oz PET bottle. MDX's exclusive packaging is convenient, portable and features a re-sealable cap and easy-to-grip bottle. The clear bottle also highlights the cool neon green look of the beverage.

The ingredients in the "power pack" are commonly found in energy drinks. Below is a description of the ingredients, as sourced from PDR: Physicians' Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines.

ginseng -- A perennial herb that comes from the roots of Panax or American ginseng, the main active components of ginseng are called ginsenosides, which may have antioxidant properties. ginseng is often called a tonic for its wide-ranging reported benefits.

Guarana -- Guarana is a nut-like seed of a climbing vine primarily grown in Brazil. It is reported to enhance physical and mental performance.

Taurine -- One of the most abundant amino acids found in the muscles of the body, Taurine is a building block for making protein. It has been reported to help maintain cardiovascular health and to enhance performance. Meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and fish are good sources of taurine in the diet.

D-Ribose -- A common sugar present in the cells of both animals and plants, D-Ribose is involved in metabolism to provide energy by our cells. It is also involved in the body's manufacture of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the source for energy used by all cells.

FROM: http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/newsmaker_article.asp?idNewsMaker=9397&fSite=AO545&next=pr
This news is provided by: nieuws-foodingredientsfirst



Go back|Go back to news-page



Asian plant extract adds novelty to European foods

19/10/2005: Extracts of ginseng, a plant best-known in Asia, are increasingly appearing in European food products, appealing to consumers interested in wellbeing.

Yet although the plant has been available in supplements and OTC medicines for several years, offering natural health benefits, most food makers are not making health claims on their products.

Most consumers already associate the plant with mental stimulation, says Michael Bloeser, sales manager at Germany-based Plantextrakt, one of the leading suppliers of ginseng extracts.

"In general people don't want to make claims unless there is a big study behind them," he told NutraIngredients.com.

"People know these herbals have a certain effect, it is not always necessary to make a claim."

Furthermore, food makers also tend to use much lower dosages than those found in supplements in order to avoid regulator scrutiny by formulating with plants known to have medicinal action.

Joerg Gruenwald, a herbals consultant from Phytopharm, says that the low dosages in extracts are unlikely to offer any of the health benefits seen in clinical trials.

Yet Plantextrakt says it has evidence to the contrary. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over study carried out last year, a beverage containing its ginseng and gingko extracts resulted in "a state of heightened attention and/or cognitive readiness and an increased sense of wellbeing" in a small number of test subjects.

"We wanted to find out the real properties under food conditions," said Bloeser. This new evidence is likely to boost use of the extracts even further.

Mintel's Global New Products Database shows that there were more than 60 new food and drinks products launched across western Europe in the last 12 months containing ginseng. And Bloeser says ginseng extracts are growing at around 15 per cent.

This may be low compared to the 50 per cent growth seen in Asia, where the plant is so well-established that it is increasingly used in mainstream foods by leading brands.

Nestle's ready-to-drink coffee with added milk and ginseng, available in south-east Asia, is a good example of this.

"I'm not convinced ginseng will be one of those big products but it has a good future in niche products in Europe," Bloeser added.

Cognis has also spotted the growing demand, adding ginseng extracts to its portfolio in recent months as one of a range of 'trendy' plants.

FROM: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=63319&m=2NIEO21&c=tbcofwatvvhylkj
This news is provided by: nieuws-nutra



Go back|Go back to news-page



RushNet introduces new products

Announces the licensing of three new American Ginseng products.

24/08/05 RushNet, Inc. announces it has hired a major Mid-West Ad Agency. The advertising and graphic design firm, in business since 1932, maintains an enviable client list including the likes of the Wrigley Co., Nestles, Miller Brewing and Albertson's. The firm has redesigned RushNet's licensed beverage containers and point-of-sale, and they will design advertising and promotional materials for RushNet licensed products into 2006.

RushNet also announced the licensing of three new American ginseng products, to add to its growing stable of authentic ginseng products from Rush Beverage Company.

Said Robert Corr, president of RushNet, Inc., "In response to heightened consumer interest, we are making available standardized potency American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in both 500 mg capsules and liquid extract form. The capsule sells in two strengths: regular and triple dose (XXX). Our regular ginseng capsules contain a guaranteed 10% ginsenocides level (the active ingredients in ginseng) while our triple dose capsule gives you a whopping 30% ginsenocides content.

Corr continued, "ginseng is becoming a hot item at convenience stores and gas stations. To capitalize on demand, RushNet is introducing a specialty 3-capsule package of triple XXX ginseng with proprietary herbal enhancements for retail at $1.49.

RushNet's licensed ginseng products, beverage and non-beverage, are made only with top grade Wisconsin-grown American ginseng, Corr noted. "The state of Wisconsin produces the world's best American ginseng root. The climate and soil are ideal. At RushNet, we believe in offering consumers only the 'real ginseng deal,' that is, standardized potencies of American ginseng products. "

RushNet Inc. is the licensed marketing agent for Rush Beverage Company products and brand owner of e-water(TM).

FROM: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=64286
This news is provided by: nieuws-foodingredientsfirst



Go back|Go back to news-page



Ginseng export regulations pose problems for industry

08/08/2005 - New regulations on the export of wild ginseng root aim to help preserve the plant from extinction but could cause problems for the herbals industry, at least over the next five years.

In its 2005 CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) finding, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has determined that wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) root must be at least ten years old (double the previous minimum age of five years) and have four 'prongs' or leaves before it can be legally exported from the US.

Although most states allow for the harvesting of ginseng at five years, the new restriction, which is effective for the 2005 harvest, effectively overrules them as any roots younger than 10 years will not be able to be sold for export.

Over the next five years, there is likely to be considerably less wild ginseng available for export, until the plants' maturity catches up with the regulation.

"We now have a situation where wild ginseng that can be legally collected at five years old throughout its range will not be able to be sold to its primary market, which is in Asia," said Tony Hayes, of Ridge Runner Trading Company.

ginseng takes between four and five years to reach maturity and start producing seeds, but becomes more fruitful with age. The life span of a plant is around 30 years.

According to Nature Serve Explorer, wild ginseng has "declined considerably" in the US since European settlement, and populations are "critically imperiled" in Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Nebraska. It says that irresponsible digging of roots is the single most threatening factor for the species' survival.

Annual exports of wild plants are estimated to be in the region of 125 million and the main market is China, where the root has a variety of uses in traditional medicine including stress, cognitive function and immune system boosting.

Between 85 and 90 percent of ginseng exports come from cultivated sources, which are excluded from the FWS restriction.

"It is unfortunate that a decision of this importance has to happen behind closed doors, as the cart has gotten before the horse, at least for the 2005 harvest," said Hayes.

Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association agreed: "It must be acknowledged that the current system does not allow our input in the decision-making process, which makes it very difficult to make good business plans if wild ginseng is important to your company."

McGuffin added that many AHPA members empathize with the FWS's efforts to see wild ginseng harvested in a sustainable manner.

A statement published on the website of Sylvan Botanicals said that the announcement of the regulation so close to the harvesting season could do more harm to the wild populations than so-called wildcrafters could do in decades. It predicts that the next step will be the outright ban on the harvesting of wild ginseng.

"ginseng programs are looked upon as a thorn in the side by many administratiors. It is not cost effective for a state to have a ginseng program, therefore, it would be economically prudent to rid the states of having to oversee the harvesting and certifying of wild ginseng roots."

Sylvan Botanicals is a proponent of wild simulated ginseng which, along with woodsgrown ginseng, will be assessed on a case-by-case basis if applicants can document the origin of their roots.

FROM: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=61787&m=2NIU810&c=tbcofwatvvhylkj
This news is provided by: nieuws-nutra

Go back|Go back to news-page



Herbal supplement improves memory in patients at risk of Alzheimer's

22/06/2005 - Taking a Chinese herbal supplement containing ginseng and other plants everyday for three months has been found to improve memory in people with mild cognitive impairment, writes Dominique Patton.

Mild cognitive impairment, or memory problems, is a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, estimated to affect around 27.7 million people worldwide.

A new study, presented yesterday at the US-based Alzheimer's Association's first conference on prevention of dementia, shows that a supplement known as GETO, which contains ginseng, epimedium herb, thinleaf milkwort root and two other herbs, could reduce the damage to memory caused by dementia.

Jinzhou Tian of Dongzhimen Hospital at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and colleagues gave 75 patients with mild cognitive impairment, aged at least 65 years old, six capsules three times a day for three monhts.

The daily treatments were made up of either four GETO capsules with two placebos, four placebos with two capsules of the drug piracetam - thought to improve cognitive function but not yet clinically proven - or only placebo pills.

All patients completed memory and learning tests at baseline, at the end of the study, and one year after treatment was stopped.

The patients who took the GETO capsules had increased cognitive function after three months and although it showed a slight decrease a year later, this was still significantly higher than those patients who took placebo tablets, said the researchers.

The herbal also boosted verbal learning and recognizing abilities, as well as five-item memory measures, at the one-year follow-up, with significant improvement over those who took piracetam and placebo.

"This small preliminary clinical study shows that GETO extract capsule may effectively improve memory function in patients with mild cognitive impairment," Tian said.

He added that a multiple-centre clinical trial should now be carried out to test the efficacy and safety of GETO extract on patients with the condition.

"The ingredients in GETO have been used to treat forgetfulness in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, and merit further study," Tian added.

Chinese herbal medicine is not only less expensive than standard chemical medications, but also more readily accepted by Chinese elderly people, according to Tian.

According to another study presented at the conference, the worldwide direct costs of Alzheimer's disease and dementia care amount to $156 billion, based on a worldwide prevalence estimate of 27.7 million people with dementia.

Currently, 92 per cent of the total worldwide costs of dementia care are found in what the researchers termed 'the advanced economies', which contain 38 percent of the prevalence.

However ageing populations around the world are expected to drive costs higher, prompting scientists to call for increased funding for research and support services.

The estimate of related worldwide healthcare costs, produced by Bengt Winblad at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and colleagues, is thought to be the first to date.

FROM: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=60802&m=2NIE623&c=tbcofwatvvhylkj
This news is provided by: nieuws-nutra

Go back|Go back to news-page



Ginseng appears to protect brain

03/06/2005 - Components of the herbal ginseng protect the brain against the kind of deterioration caused by degenerative diseases like Huntingdon's, suggests a new study on rats.

ginseng is most commonly used in the West to boost energy (increasingly in energy drinks) and to support the immune system. But there is already some evidence of its benefits to the brain. A small Chinese trial reported two years ago found that a ginseng compound improved memory scores of people suffering from stroke-induced dementia.

In the new study, a team from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, US, investigated whether a purified form of ginseng, in which some of the herb's active chemicals had been concentrated, could protect rats from the effects of a toxin that caused severely impaired movement and loss of neurons.

The chemical used was designed to mimic the degenerative process seen in Huntington's disease, but the rat model could also be relevant to other degenerative diseases like Parkinson's.

The rats received either the purified ginseng extract, rich in the ginsenosides known as Rb(1), Rb(3), or Rd, or a preparation from the whole root of American ginseng. A third group were given a preparation of ground leaves and stems, which contains greater levels of ginsenosides than ground root.

The concentrated extract had the most benefit. It significantly reduced the induced motor impairment and cell loss in the striatum, and it completely prevented any mortality, write the researchers in this month's issue of the Annals of Neurology (vol 57, pp642-648).

"A partial purification of whole ginseng to concentrate the neuroprotective components may have utility as a neuroprotective agent," concluded the researchers.

Rats given the preparation of ground leaves and stems gained some protection - an improved behavioural score and less damage to the striatum. But pretreatment with a preparation from the whole root of American ginseng had no protective effects and even increased mortality.

This suggests that some components need to be taken out of the whole ginseng root in order to isolate the useful ones and make it safe for future trials in humans.

It is thought that certain ginsenosides may act as antioxidants against the oxidative damage thought to contribute to conditions like Huntington's and Parkinson's disease. The latter is thought to affect 1 per cent of people over the age of 65 worldwide.

FROM: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=60427&m=1FNU603&c=tbcofwatvvhylkj

This news is provided by: nieuws-nutra

Go back|Go back to news-page



V-Net to test rival beverages for ginseng

24/01/2005 - V-Net Beverage has condemned the drinks industry's lack of transparency about its use of ginseng and is launching a 'Truth in ginseng' campaign which it hopes will force manufacturers to reveal full information about herbal content on the label, reports Jess Halliday.

The company plans to submit a number of rival beverages purporting to contain ginseng - such as Coca-Cola's Full Throttle and PepsiCo's SoBe - to the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) test to determine the quantity, potency, species and origin of the ginseng used.

Robert Corr, president of V-Net, plans to expose products containing no trace of ginsenosides, the active saponin glycosides present in the root of plants belonging to the Panax genus which are thought to have energy-boosting and aphrodisiac properties.

He said: "The consumer has no idea of the quality or quantity of ginseng used in the beverages of our major competitors."

"Hypothetically, they could take one drop of our ginseng extract and add it to a bathtub full of water. They could then take one drop from that bathtub, add it to their beverage, and write ginseng on the container in bold letters."

The 2002 Farm Bill established that the term 'ginseng' should be used only to describe plants of the Panax genus, of which two species, Chinese (Panax ginseng) and American (Panax Quinquefolius), are used commercially.

The Siberian variety (Eleuthero or Eleutherococcus Senticosus), which does not contain ginsenosides and sells for less than a tenth of the price of American and Chinese ginseng, may not be called ginseng under the bill.

Corr told NutraIngredients-USA.com he thinks the Farm Bill is full of loopholes and still allows companies to cheat. He is pressing for amendments that would make it obligatory for them to identify the species on product labels.

"I suspect that there are a number of people out there who are not using American ginseng or who are using Eleuthero. This is going to be a wake up call for people who don't know what they are doing," said Corr.

Neither Coca Cola nor SoBe had responded to NutraIngredientsUSA.com's invitation to comment on the Truth in ginseng campaign before publication.

V-Net's drinks contain only American ginseng grown in Wisconsin because only Wisconsin has strict laws regulating growing and processing of ginseng and guarantees there are no harmful pesticide residues, according to Corr.

In December 2004 the FDA issued a national warning after imported ginseng containing pesticide residues was seized from Livingston, NJ-based FCC Products. Procymidone and quintozene are deemed unsafe by the FDA because no tolerance has been established for residues in ginseng.

The seized ginseng was intended for use in supplements. In August the FDA issued a warning letter to Illinois' NOW Foods after quintozene was detected in one lot of its American ginseng product. NOW Foods responded by testing all of its ginseng products, recalling all lots of American ginseng and changing its testing method and ginseng supplier.

FROM: http://www.beveragedaily.com/news/ng.asp?id=57545

This news is provided by: nieuws-nutra



Go back|Go back to news-page