GINSENG

GINSENG

INTRODUCTION: According to an ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia, the Pen - TASO, it is possible to reach the hundred years of age with the help of ginseng. In the chronicles oldest was mentioned as "the herb of eternal life" and according to the records of the Chinese government, Li - Yun Chung, born in 1677, lived for 200 years thanks to daily drinking ginseng tea.

FEATURES: This is a herbaceous plant roots characterized by a very curious: from exceptional measures (reaching one meter in length at its peak) and the form of turnip, are linked in pairs by the thickest part, becoming curious ways: the best known, the two legs of a man. The stem is no more than 3 spans tall, with leaves composed of 5 serrated lobes, like those of] Rose, but bigger. The tiny flowers are grouped in a bunch at the end of the stem.

LOCATION: The tub exotic plant that grows in China, Korea, Japan and Nepal.

ACTIVE: The root, the body of the pharmacologically active plant contains active substances on the muscular activity. A principle owns bitter, very unpleasant, reminiscent of camphor.

Medicinal properties: It is used as cardiac tonic, as a stimulant against fatigue, but is sold in Europe and America as an aphrodisiac.

COLLECTING: Only one grows in Asia, so its cultivation and harvest in Europe or America is not viable. In places of origin, the root is pulled out at any time of year, because the active ingredients are accumulating day by day, and the plant can live about ten years.

USES AND APPLICATIONS: Of Chinese origin, it is a plant known for thousands of years, and is considered a panacea, a miracle plant that cures all ills. In our country comes in the form of powder or liquid extracts, in pharmaceutical packaging, as their indiscriminate use could be dangerous. The pharmaceutical industry itself was introduced as an aphrodisiac, and years ago was considered the "elixir of youth. They are also used extracts from root Licorera industry, which produces them with aperitifs. It is currently used as a tonic and stimulant to prevent stress.

Ginseng is a Chinese word meaning 'hombreraiz "by the way the human figure that takes root, or the reputation of this plant as a remedy against impotence.

Ginseng plant, with its strange anthropomorphic root of up to one meter in length, to right a detail of its tiny flowers. With the dust of the wake was produced preparations which are used as cardiac tonic and stimulant against fatigue. It was also sold as an aphrodisiac and preventive stress management, both herbalists and in pharmacies.

This exotic plant, highly appreciated in China and the Far East for its medicinal properties, used for centuries against male impotence.

The ginseng exerts a "adaptogens" stimulates the central nervous system, with an overall tonic effect and increases the nonspecific resistance to disease, accompanied by an anti - stress. It is also cholesterol, slightly lowering, hypertensive, cardiac and anti - tonic.

He is considered an aphrodisiac.

Contraindications.

Hypersensitivity to the drug. Hiperestrogenia, hypertension, tachycardia, insomnia, febrile syndromes.

Ginseng contains small amounts of estrone, estradiol and estriol, which can cause the appearance of gynecomastia galactorrhea or not combined with other drugs that can produce the same effect, since it is power (rauwolfia, blocking the calcium channels (diltiazem, nifedipine, verapamil) heterósidos digitalis, etionamida, griseofulvin, methyldopa, phenothiazines, spironolactone) Nor combiene associate with drug antidepressants (d'Arcy, 1993: 155)

Do not prescribe dosage forms with alcoholic content for oral administration in children under two years or consultants in the process of alcohol addiction.

Side Effects.

Although little fecuentes compared with the vast extent of their use, there is agreement regarding the side effects of the continued use of ginseng (ginseng abuse syndrome ") hypertension, nervousness, insomnia, hives and diarrhea morning. Later cases have been reported with hiperestrogesism, manifest in the form of mastalgia and metrorrhagia.

Caution / Poisoning.

Ginseng is a drug that can be most phytotherapics useful in certain states and energy in the treatment of many diseases. Its utility is more than proven therapy based on their longstanding use in the countries of East Asia. In the West has become fashionable for some years. All the fashions (and all panaceas) are transient, sumiéndose later in a long forgotten until re - discovered. To prevent this phenomenon, we recommend to consider the following recommendations:

In prescribing ginseng, prescribe standardized preparations:

It is often sell plants of different species and geographic origins, bringing its membership can be very variable, even contradictory actions can be observed as a predominant or other active: the ginsenosides RG1 is hypertensive and central stimulant, while the RB1 is hypotensive and sedative.

Another difficulty is to ascertain the reliability of the product on the market are prepared very poor. Often the drugs are counterfeit with secondary roots, which can cause excitability and headaches.

Caution comes to prescribe to women: prolonged treatments can induce a hiperestrogesism.

Do not exceed the dose of one gram a day.

We recommend prescribing rounds of treatment of 4 to 6 weeks, followed by rest periods of two or three months.

Take into account the alcohol content of the fluid extract and tincture.

Galenica forms / Dosage.

Decoction: 1 g of root in 250 cc, boil 3 minutes. One cup a day, morning.

Fluid extract (1: 1) 15 to 30 drops once or twice a day.

Tincture (1: 5) 50 - 100 drops once or twice a day.

Dry extract (5: 1) 200 mg / day. Take the morning.

Bibliography.

Benigni, R; Capra, C; Cattorini, P. Piante Medicinali. Chimica, Pharmacology and Therapy. Milano: Inverni & Della Beffa, 1962, pp. 685 - 90.

Bézanger - Beauquesne, L; Pinkas, M; Torck, M. Dans la Plantes Les Thérapeutiques Moderne. 2. Paris: Maloine, 1986, p. 306.

Bézanger - Beauquesne, L; Pinkas, M; Torck, M; Trotin, F. Medicinal plants of temperate Regions. Paris: Maloine, 1980, pp. 244 - 6.

British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. Vol. I. Bournemouth, Dorset: British Herbal Medical Association, 1990, pp. 51 - 2.

D'Arcy, PF. Adverse reactions and interactions with herbal medicines. Part I. Adverse reactions. Adverse Drug React Toxicol Rev, 1991; 10 (4) 189 - 208.

D'Arcy, PF. Adverse reactions and interactions with herbal medicines. Part II. Drug interactions. Adverse Drug React Toxicol Rev 1993; 12 (3) 147 - 162.

Farnworsth, NR. Relative safety of herbal remedies. Natura Medicatrix, 1995; 37 - 78: 30 - 35.

James, A; Duke, Ph. D. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. 5. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press, 1987, pp. 337 - 8, 521; 562.

Fernandez, M; Nieto, A. Medicinal Plants. Pamplona: Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, 1982, p. 127.

Marles, R; Farnswoth, NR. Antidiabetic plants and their active constituents. Phytomedicine 2 (2) 137 - 189.

Paris, RR; Moyse, M. Summary of Matter Médicale. Take II. Paris: Masson, 1967, pp. 487 - 9.

Peris, JB; Stübing, G; Vanaclocha, B. Applied Fitoterapia. Valencia: M. I. Official College of Pharmacists, 1995, pp. 291 - 3.

Samuelsson, G. Drugs of Natural Origin. A Textbook of Pharmacognosy. Stockholm: Swedish Pharmaceutical Press, 1992, p. 171.

Trease, GE, Evans, WCh. Pharmacognosy. Mexico City: Inter - MacGraw - Hill, 1991, pp. 529 - 31.

Van Hellemont, J. Compendium of Phytothérapie. Bruxelles: Association Pharmaceutique Belge, 1986, pp. 275 - 7.

WICHTL, M. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceutical. A Handbook for Practice on a scientific basis. Stuttgart: Medpharm Scientific Publishers, 1994, pp. 236 - 7.

Related Products