It may be no surprise to you that as a Registered Dietitian, I look at food as medicine. This
doesn’t mean that I’m avoiding all medication when it is needed or think others should as well –
but there is a role for both medication for the treatment of disease and a role for nutrition in
the prevention/treatment of disease.
To compliment my Energy & Immune-Boosting Meal Prep that I shared on Instagram (link) and
Facebook (link), I will further explain how I’m using the powerful herb, Canadian Ginseng, to
compliment my own health journey.
Grab the meal plan above and head to http://ginsengontario.com/webinar to learn more, watch the
on-demand webinar, and for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship to further your education. #AD
Canadian Ginseng & My Health Journey
Asthma:
As a child, I suffered from extremely bad asthma – being hospitalized many times throughout
my early years. As the years went on, I became involved in various sports and increased my
physical activity; my respiratory system grew stronger. Now as an adult, I am proud to say that
my respiratory system hasn’t held me back from running various races, including two full
marathons.
Despite how much my lungs have strengthened over time, I am still very conscious of the health
of my lungs. Preliminary studies around Canadian ginseng suggest that this herb may assist with
the health of the respiratory system.
One trial evaluated Ontario-grown ginseng in the prevention of acute respiratory illness in 128
elderly adults within an institutional setting. After 8-12 weeks of treatment with North
American ginseng extract, the seniors experienced an 89% reduction in the risk of developing
cold or flu. Most of these seniors had received vaccinations (90%) and the ginseng extract
appeared to be safe and complementary.
McElhaney JE, Gravenstein S, Cole SK, et al. A placebo-controlled trial of a proprietary extract of
North American ginseng (CVT-E002) to prevent acute respiratory illness in institutionalized older
adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2004 Jan;52(1) : 13-9.
Immune System:
I work in a small acute care hospital, providing coverage to those receiving cancer treatment. I
also work with many people in my private practice clinic. Due to the many exposures to
vulnerable and sick people each day, it is important that my immune system is strong – for
myself and those around me.
Canadian Ginseng has shown promise in benefiting our immune health. Several laboratory
studies have demonstrated the immune-enhancing effects of North American Ginseng,
including research identifying a protein isolated from the root that had antifungal action and
anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity.
Two key studies compared Ontario-grown ginseng with a placebo in randomized, double-blind
studies. One of these trials evaluated North American Ginseng (NAG) in the prevention of acute
respiratory illness in 198 elderly adults within an institutional setting. After 8-12 weeks of
treatment with the NAG extract, the seniors experienced an 89% reduction in the risk of
developing cold or flu.
McElhaney JE, Gravenstein S, Cole SK, et al. A placebo-controlled trial of a proprietary extract of
North American ginseng (CVT-E002) to prevent acute respiratory illness in institutionalized older
adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2004 Jan;52(1) : 13-9.
Anxiety
For years, I have suffered from anxiety, which I am still trying to actively manage today. I think
my fellow Type A Dietitians can probably relate to anxiety related to perfectionism and
performance that I seem to have ☺
There is promise of the role of Canadian Ginseng and assisting with anxiety management.
The primary active ingredient in North American ginseng is a group of chemicals called
ginsenosides. These ginsenosides have many pharmacological actions, including various actions
on the central nervous system.
Two clinical trials, with 101 participants, showed that the ginseng extract enhances memory in
both normal, young (20 to 24 years of age) and older adults (46 to 64 years of age). The second
trial demonstrated that the product enhanced visual working memory and other neurological
measures in 64 patients with schizophrenia. Laboratory studies have also demonstrated
improved learning and memory, nerve cell protection, and promotion of nerve cell growth.
Sloley BD, Pang PK, Huang BH et al. North American ginseng extract reduces scopolamine-induced
amnesia in a spatial learning task. J Psychiatry Neurosci 1999;24(5):442-52.
Rudakawich M, Ba F, Benishin CG. Neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions of ginsenosides Rb(1)
and Rg(1) Planta Med 2001;67(6):533-7
Lyon MR, Cline JC, Totosy de Zepetnak J, Shan JJ, Pang P, Benishin C. Effect of the herbal extract
combination Panax Quinquefolium and ginkgo biloba on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a
pilot study. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2001;26(3);221-8
Conclusion
I hope that this post shed some light on how Canadian Ginseng has the potential to assist with
various health concerns, along with how it can be used in various easy-to-make recipes. Grab
the meal plan in the post and head to http://ginsengontario.com/webinar to learn more, watch the
on-demand webinar, and for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship to further your education. #AD