Do you want to be able to concentrate better, like immediately?
Then next time you should not grab the Coke, but get some Ginseng. In combination with other plant substances, like Ginkgo, Ginseng can naturally take your mental performance to the next level.
But can Ginseng lower stress? And what are the effects on the brain?
How all that works and where you should buy the extract is explained in this article!
What is Ginseng?
Ginseng, or also called red Panax ginseng, is a popular medicinal plant whose root is traditionally used as a tonic.
Red Panax ginseng grows especially in mountainous areas and forests in Korea, Siberia, and China. However, only the root from which the active extract is recovered and packaged in a capsule is used. Now that the extremely high impact of the red Panax ginseng is known, crops are cultivated worldwide for medical use, even in Europe.
The effectiveness is not only known for a few years, but for centuries in Asia!
Traditional Chinese and Korean medicine has been using the effects of ginseng extract for many thousands of years, mostly in the form of tea. In many Asian countries, ginseng is a symbol of health, strength and long life in humans. With the 17th century, Ginseng arrived in Europe. In fact, it was Dutch sailors who were responsible for spreading the plant in Europe.
It was not until the 20th century that ginseng gained popularity in traditional medicine and science. Studies were conducted that demonstrated the effectiveness of the extract, especially on mental performance and lower stress.
The main ingredients are called ginsenosides, they belong to the saponins and thus to the phytochemicals.
The valuable ginsenosides are mainly contained in the outer root bark. The older and bigger the plant, the higher the concentration of the valuable ingredients.
Thanks to the ginsenosides, the extract can have a positive effect on blood pressure, the inhibition of inflammation and, at the same time, on mental performance and lowers stress.
Since the effectiveness of the extract depends on the correct dosage or the quality, you should always pay close attention to the concentration of the extract when buying. If there is too little red Panax ginseng in the capsule, no effect can be detected and stress won’t be lowered.
Take Home Message # 1: Ginseng is originally from Korea. The Panax ginseng is an effective extract from the roots of the medicinal plant to buy and has also been used in medicine for years. The extract can also have a positive effect on blood pressure, inhibition of inflammation, mental performance and lowered Stress.
Ginseng for Lower Stress
The second important effect of ginseng extract, in addition to improving mental performance, is the reduction of stress or its consequences. The School of Pharmacy in South Korea has studied it more closely and discovered exciting things.
You have to know that stress in the body is created by the activation of two stress axes. The activation of the sympathetic leads to the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine, via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (short HPA axis) cortisol is released.
This system is carefully regulated in the body. However, chronic stress causes this regulation to fail. If the release of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine is disturbed, your body will be chronically signaled that it is under stress.
If the concentration of these hormones in your body is permanently too high, it has both physical and psychological consequences. These include hypertension, insomnia, and a weakened immune system as well as high levels of stress.
Your brain also suffers because too much adrenaline and norepinephrine cause your nerve cells in the brain to be overloaded and damaged. Here, ginseng extract can help by balancing the HPA axis, thus reducing the effects of stress hormones.
Take Home Message # 3: Ginseng can not only improve your mental performance but also reduce the negative effects of chronic stress on your health! Consequently, Ginseng does lower stress.
Ginseng for Better Brain Focus
The effects of the ginseng extract are manifold, with the most well-known effect being the improvement of mental performance and lowered stress.
This is exactly what a study by the University of Newcastle’s Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit has also looked at and how ginseng improves mental performance and lowers stress.
The study found that taking ginseng once already strengthens cognitive performance. As with all studies, it applies here: miracles should not be expected. Nevertheless, let’s take a close look at the study:
Twenty students received either a placebo, ginkgo, ginseng or a combination of ginkgo and ginseng. Subsequently, a series of memory and reaction tests were performed. All three drugs produced better results in a memory test in which participants had to memorize words or images. Ginseng also increased mental speed, meaning fast thinking and lowered stress.
The combination of the two active ingredients seemed to be particularly effective. The University of Newcastle also looked at ginseng and its positive impact on cognitive performance in another study.
It turned out that a dose of 200 mg ginseng already leads to significant improvements in cognitive performance, thereby reducing mental fatigue and lowering stress.
This was found in the double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 30 healthy young adults.
But how can this extremely positive effect be justified?
The results could be due to the regulation of glucose levels in the blood. Because this is another effect of the ginseng extract, as a study by the University of Toronto found.
Ginseng can namely reduce the glucose level in the blood and it is thus even as a positive side effect, a regulatory effect against for example diabetes.
Take-home message # 2: Ginseng has several positive effects! Its most outstanding effect is the improvement of mental performance and lowered stress.
Ginseng for the Immune System
Ginseng has another important effect that does not affect your mental performance but your health. Definitely a positive side effect!
In fact, the root also contributes to the rapid improvement of diseases or can be prophylactic for long-term use.
A study by Georgia State University has examined this more closely and research has shown that long-term intake of red Panax ginseng can protect against colds and even flu.
How?
The ginsenosides contained in ginseng improve the survival of infected cells and thus reduce the inflammation present in the body.
According to the researchers, this effect should be attributed to the positive influence of ginsenosides on the body’s immune system. In short, this means that the immune system is strengthened by ginseng and so future infections can be better warded off by the body’s own protection system.
Last but not least, recent studies have shown that ginseng can also provide relief for allergies or hay fever. In particular, the respiratory symptoms caused by this could be alleviated after four weeks of taking ginseng.
Ginseng is therefore completely healthy, helps, as traditional medicine proves, against diseases and should be part of every diet as an immune booster.
Take-Home-Message # 4: On the one hand, ginseng can speed up the healing process of existing illnesses such as colds or flu-like infections while at the same time improving your immune system so that you do not get sick as often.
The benefits of ginseng at a glance
- Improved mental performance
- Increases your efficiency during learning
- Ginseng lowers stress and its consequences
- Improves your immune system
Dosage
When taking ginseng extract the right dosage is extremely important. The reason is that the extract can only be effective if it is taken in sufficient quantity. The extract is usually available in the capsule, but this does not directly guarantee the correct dosage.
Ginseng can be prepared, for example, in the form of tea, or in natural form as a cut root slice. Especially in traditional application, the slices of ginseng root are chewed.
In Germany, however, this is not practicable because often the quality of the purchased root cannot be verified. The recommended daily dosage for an adult is about 100 mg daily.
In addition to the correct dosage, the question of side effects is still relevant. The studies carried out at the University of Newcastle not only demonstrated the improvement in mental performance but also showed that ginseng extract has extremely high tolerability.
Because: even natural power plants are not free of side effects if you take them in the wrong dosage. Since long-term use of ginseng can affect blood pressure and therefore blood clotting, people with diabetes or hypertension should consult with a doctor before taking ginseng extract.
Take-home message # 5: Dosage and side effects are related in the case of ginseng extract. However, who sticks to the recommended daily dose, will rarely notice any side effects. The compatibility of ginseng is extremely high!
Where to Buy Ginseng?
Those who decide to buy ginseng should stay with a capsule-packed extract. Why?
Quite simply, because the fresh ginseng in Europe is mostly a crop that is grown for medical use. However, due to the high demand of the Korean root, they are often harvested too early, and so the plant does not contain enough of the ginsenosides that affect your mental performance.
When ginseng is processed into an extract, the concentration of the active ingredients is simply higher and it is much easier to integrate into your diet as a capsule.
Conclusion: Ginseng for Lower Stress
Many organic hackers, therefore, use ginseng in combination with other brain food plants. So you do not only get the power of the ginseng extract but other effective plant compounds, such. the extract of Brahmi and Ginkgo. Ginkgo biloba is known as another thought-pot.
Check our Guide on Gingko Biloba Here!
Together, these ingredients provide a unique combination to enhance your overall mental performance and do lower stress.
Do you want to convince yourself of the effects of ginseng extract? Then give it a try and give us feedback on your experiences.
Cheers,
Sam
