The effect of ginseng on lifespan and stress responses in mice.

[Guest guest]

I can't find any research that shows ginseng lengthening lifespan. It

does seem to improve response to stress and epidemiological research

shows possible, even likely, cancer preventive effects. Yet, the net

result in populations shows no effect on lifespan. What this means is

that those taking ginseng did not live longer than the average non-

user. However, it seems likely that such individuals (or mice)

probably lived longer than they otherwise would have. In other words,

those whose systems were weak for whatever reason (genes, lifestyle,

etc.) were " normalized " by taking ginseng and lived out an average

lifespan instead of a shortened one. For whatever it is worth, most

of the epidemiological research has been done in Korea and involved

populations who used ginseng as a lifestyle choice. The use appears

to have been widespread and not based upon TCM style pattern

differentiation and often not with consultation with a doctor. This

calls into question the importance of so-called pattern

differentiation. Most research in Asia that shows efficacy of herbs

does not involve pattern differentiation and research that does is

often equivocal in that regard.

 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=571386 & dopt=Abstract

 

 

 

 

Chinese Herbs