Root to Health and Performance-Ginseng

1. Root to Health and Performance-Ginseng ZubaidaQamar

2. Ginseng • Root of Araliaceous plant • Panax ginseng-most famous of all species • The term “ginseng” usually applies to the dried root of the plant • Active component=Ginsenoside

3. Potential Benefits of Ginseng • Ginseng is “believed” to have many beneficial effects • relieving pain and headaches • stimulating appetite • improving mental function and physical stamina • boosting immune system • counteracting fatigue • ergogenic agent to optimize exercise performance

5. Animal Studies • Grandhi et al. • compared aqueous suspensions of roots of P. ginseng (100 mg/kg administered orally for 7 days) • significant increases in swimming time compared with a control group • Bodyweight gain was significantly higher following treatment and increase in weight of the levatorani muscle was significant • These studies demonstrate that administration of ginseng may prolong endurance performance in mice and rats along with gains in muscle mass

6. Animal Studies • Wang and Lee • reported significantly prolonged aerobic endurance(18 minutes at 70% of maximal oxygen (VO2 max) in a placebo controlled study with non-trained rats • Study done for 4 days with 10 and 20 mg/kg/day ginseng intraperitoneally • Possible Mechanism: Ginseng enhances exercise endurance by altering fuel homeostasis during exercise by increasing free fatty acid utilization preference over glucose for cellular energy demands

7. Human Studies • Physically active 13 male college students were divided into two groups (AG or placebo) and received supplementation for 4 weeks, before the exhaustive running exercise • Treadmill speed was increased to a pace equivalent to 80% VO2max of the subject. A 4- wkwashout period followed before the subjects crossed over and received the alternate supplement for the next 4 wk. They then completed a second exhaustive running exercise • The plasma creatine kinase (CK) and lactate were measured prior to exerciseand after exercise at different time intervals • Supplementation with AG for 4 wk prior to an exhaustive aerobic treadmill running reduced the leakage of CK during exercise, but did not enhance aerobic work capacity • The reduction of plasma CK may be due to the fact that AG is effective for the decrease of skeletal muscle cell membrane damage, induced by exercise during the high-intensity treadmill run

9. Animal Studies

10. Contradictions • Methodological flaws • lack of double blind, control and placebo paradigms • small sample size • varied treatment duration • compliance issues • lack of “sourcing” data • combination of ginseng with other items e.g. fenugreek • differences in administration of ginseng dosage • type of ginseng used

11. Recommendation • The recommended daily dose for dry ginseng root is generally 0.5 to 2.0g • There are no reports of acute toxicity of high-dose ginseng in humans • NOT a banned substance-the International Olympic Committee (IOC)and the US Olympic Committee (USOC)

12. Conclusion • The success of ginseng in animal studies could have been attributed to the higher dosage of ginseng .Hence, inferences from animal models must be carefully applied to humans • Very few human studies have shown positive benefits on ginseng • Be careful of the misleading claims on supplemental products • Try to follow the natural and scientifically proven “food first” approach for overall health and better performance

13. Questions??