Ginseng has been popular for thousands of years in Asia, referred to one of the most expensive herbs in the world.
In this day and age, the trade of ginseng generates billions of dollars.
China still surpasses other countries in the production of ginseng, followed by South Korea and the United States.
In the past, only the royal or wealthy were able to consume ginseng. This fact amplified the belief that ginseng is very good for the health.
Although there is a variety of different types of ginseng, which are dependent on its hometown, “ginseng” is a common name for all.
Ginseng comes from the root and resembles a human body.
It has many important applications in the medicinal world, which has been widely known for years.
However, only when technological innovations enabled us to dig deeper into ginseng nutrition facts could we understand ginseng health benefits from the scientific perspective.
Nutrition Facts
When it comes to ginseng nutrition facts, the most important element is the presence of many chemicals – ‘ginsenosides’.
These chemicals are responsible for almost all health benefits of ginseng.
Besides, ginseng is also commonly made into the tea.
The American Academy of Family Physicians claimed that this herbal tea has many anti-carcinogenic qualities.
Health Benefits of Ginseng
Below are top 8 health benefits of ginseng that have been supported by a number of studies.
1. Stress Relief
One of the most commonly known health benefits of ginseng is to relieve stress quickly.
In addition, ginseng will protect you from potential problems related to stress (1, 2).
As an adaptogen, ginseng has positive impacts on your mental and physical conditions (3).
In one study, 501 female and male participants in Mexico City used ginseng.
After measurement, researchers stated that the living qualities of these people were much better. These qualities included the energy level, sleep quality, well-beings and even individual satisfaction.
Bottom Line: By improving your energy levels and other living qualities, ginseng can be a great relief from stress.
2. Heart
One of top health benefits of ginseng that have been central for ages is its effects on the heart health.
With antioxidant qualities, ginseng can aid the eradication of free radicals that put DNA at risk and trigger a series of problems (4).
Besides, several preliminary studies claimed that Asian ginseng the reduction in LDL or “bad” cholesterol and the growth in HDL or “good” cholesterol at the same time (5).
Therefore, ginseng is beneficial for the prevention against cardiovascular disease (6, 7).
Bottom Line: Containing antioxidants, ginseng can limit the activities of free radicals and bad cholesterol, while it enhances good cholesterol. This helps to lower the risk of heart disease.
3. Erectile Dysfunction
It is a long time since ancient Chinese learned the effectiveness of ginseng in controlling erectile dysfunction (8).
Men will profit from these health benefits of ginseng, especially when many studies concentrated on the use of Korean ginseng to cope with this problem (9, 10).
Some studies on animals reported that ginseng has great influence on the quantity and quality of sperm.
In one study with 60 male participants, the use of Asian ginseng could improve men’s sexual excitement.
Another 2-month research on 45 men consuming 900 mg of ginseng three times on a daily basis reported that they did not encounter erection problems as much as others.
Bottom Line: By boosting the number and quality of sperm in men, ginseng can be a great cure for infertility.
4. Menopause
With cooling property, one of the best health benefits of ginseng that are important to women is to help you deal with menopausal symptoms (11).
Even though there are only a few studies on this quality, the results are very positive and promising.
In a trial with 45-60-year-old postmenopausal women, they used red ginseng.
The result showed that this ingredient reduced the menopausal symptoms significantly (12).
Bottom Line: Ginseng is beneficial for the menopause treatment, but more studies need to be done.
5. Anti-Cancer
There are studies which indicate that one of the best health benefits of ginseng is to protect us from cancer (13, 14).
4,634 people were involved in a 5-year observational study in which researchers provided ginseng.
The result showed that these people were less exposed to many types of cancer, such as liver, lung, ovarian or stomach.
Nevertheless, the drawback of this study lies in the fact that other factors might contribute to this quality as well.
Besides, in many studies, ginseng may prevent colorectal cancer, which is one of the most common types of cancer all around the world (15).
Bottom Line: Despite the need for further examination, ginseng can have some positive impacts on the prevention against cancer.
6. Endurance
One of the brightest among top health benefits of ginseng is to foster your physical endurance, in spite of the dispute.
Experiments on both humans and animals revealed that ginseng has great effects on physical endurance (16).
In addition, in one research which focused on swimming athletes, it is possible that the supplement of ginseng is great for preventing DNA damage after intense exercise (17).
Although coffee also possesses this quality, it is likely that ginseng affects our strength in an better way than caffeine (18).
Bottom Line: Although there are many different points of view on these ginseng health benefits, the physical endurance can be improved significantly with the support of ginseng.
7. Memory
Another among top health benefits of ginseng is to enhance your mental performance (19).
Ginseng can help you foster the concentration ability and stay away from memory loss.
In a research with 52 participants who are 40-60 years old, they consumed 200 mg of American ginseng.
After the experiment, their working memory is significantly better (20).
8. Anti-Aging
For long, the Chinese have been accustomed to one of the best ginseng health benefits – to help you looking younger.
When consumed directly, ginseng will reduce the appearance of aging-related problems, such as wrinkles.
Furthermore, for men with baldness, ginseng might be a great option to grow the hair quickly and naturally (21).
Source: wikihomeNutrition.com