7 thoughts on “Ginseng for Longevity?

  1. “unless you’re interested in having more energy, better mental focus, fewer colds and enhanced libido.”

    Maybe you should open a supplements store Josh ;-). Just joking, I would have never guessed that Ginseng is a life extension food.

    You are talking about large trials and studies but wouldn’t it be better if someone took the time to dissect the Ginseng and found out what exact chemical causes the benefits?

    This way we might learn something new, improve on it and the capitalists would be interested in funding it because it’s patentable.

  2. Josh,

    if I remember is important the type of ginseng, there are many differences between them. American Gingseng could be as good or better for insulin metabolism and cheaper.

    Best.

    • The studies I cited were for Korean ginseng = red ginseng. There’s a closely-related American plant and a more distantly related Siberian plant. I believe that Chinese ginseng is the same species grown in a different place.

  3. Happy New Year Josh,

    Reading this article reminds me that drugs and supplements can only treat the symptoms of the disease.
    I like almost everyone else, will of course continue to treat the symptoms of aging as best I can, whilst waiting for the “cure”. The average life expectancy for a man my age (58) is about 84 years at the moment, anything I can do to extend it by taking supplements such as Ginseng is money well spent.
    If exercise, supplements and drugs can get me to 115-120 years, that’s all I could hope for or optomistically expect; it’s not what I want, but at the moment it’s all we’ve got.
    Which reminds me, how did the plasma exchange experiment go? Personally I don’t think a single injection/ transfusion could do the job but I’m just a layman.
    Have a great new year

    Mike

  4. I apologize for my English.
    We have to be careful when comparing only the final effect of a drug on a herbs. The cumulative effects and safety for years of used are not known for Metformin, some for Ginseng http://www.itmonline.org/arts/ginseng.htm
    Moreover, Pharmacokinetics is not the same and the pharmacodynamics should be studied more in detail for both substances, if we take them for a certain time.
    For example is very interesting and controversial this work for Metformin: http://omicsonline.org/open-access/modelling-the-absorption-of-metformin-with-patients-post-gastric-bypass-surgery-2155-6156.1000353.pdf and Clinical Pharmacokinetics of Metformin Garry G. Graham, Jeroen Punt et to the. 2011.
    Ginseng have other details to consider and related interactions detailed in: Ginsenoside Re: Its chemistry, metabolism and pharmacokinetics Dacheng Peng, Huashan Wang et al http://www.cmjournal.org/content/pdf/1749-8546-7-2.pdf or Pharmacokinetic comparison of ginsenoside fermented and non-fermented Hui Jin et al the http://www.gs15-4.org/Kyung_Hee_Absorption_Published_Paper.pdf or, Metabolism of Ginseng and its Interactions with Drugs Lian-Wen Qi et to the. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3291795/
    If I should choose a substance to take a prolonged time for problems with Acute liver failure (ALF), I would suggest taking the substance that has more test for compatibilities and testing human as well as the positive results: Ginsenosides Rg1 from Panax ginseng: A Potential Therapy for Acute Liver Failure Patients? Zhao J, et at the. 2014 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/538059/
    An inspiring question, when will some input on He Shou Wu, Reishi, Cordiceps or Jiaogulan? are very interesting products.
    I clarify that I do not sell supplements, nor offer health tips. My work is a specialist in computer science.
    (The Eleutherococcus senticosus or Siberian ginseng is less potent but good what Ginseng red http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/siberian-ginseng)
    Very thanks for you work!, Angel, Argentina

    • Angel –
      I appreciate all your research and suggested readings. Of the 4 herbs you mention at the end, I know only of Reishi, and I have come to suspect that Reishi is good for the immune system, both in the short term and the long term.
      Can you tell me what interests you about He shou wu, cordiceps and jiaogulan?
      – Josh

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