Chinese: ren shen
English: ginseng root
Pharmaceutical: Ginseng Radix
Properties: Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly warm
Standard Species: Panax ginseng C.A. Mey.
Panax Ginseng – Hortus Plantae Medicinae, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Japan (Photo by TH. Tanaka)
Panax Ginseng – Hortus Plantae Medicinae, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Japan (Photo by TH. Tanaka)
Traditional Chinese Medicine: the rise of ginseng
Ginseng has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to boost immunity and lower blood sugar, but recent research suggests a new reason to consume the plant: to perk up, quite literally, a man’s sex life.
In a study published last month in the International Journal of Impotence Research, scientists from the Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, found that men who suffered from erectile dysfunction and took tablets of ginseng berry extract daily for eight weeks saw improved sexual function.
The research team concluded that ginseng should be considered as an alternative medicine to improve all domains of sexual dysfunction.
A wealth of studies provide evidence that more than half of the world’s male population has some degree of erectile dysfunction. Two main symptoms of sexual dysfunction are erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Erectile dysfunction occurs when a man is not able to achieve or keep an erection for sexual intercourse. Read more…