Ginseng

Although I don't often recommend ginseng as a "must have" supplement, I do get a lot of questions regarding its efficacy.

When it comes down to it, ginseng is fairly effective for boosting performance in the gym and on the field, as well as aiding muscle growth and fat loss, and it even offers numerous health benefits. Here's my review of one of the world's oldest supplements.

Ginseng refers to the species Panax ginseng, known less formally as Chinese ginseng, Korean ginseng or just Asian ginseng in general. Other ginsengs are also available, such as American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), Japanese ginseng (Panax japonicus), and tienqi ginseng (Panax notoginseng). However, Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is not a true ginseng and therefore is a completely different supplement that will not be discussed here.

Ginseng is the most studied herb on the planet for physical performance. It's been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been popularly used as an energy enhancer and sexual stimulant. Today we know that the primary active ingredients in ginseng are saponins referred to as ginsenosides. There are 13 known ginsenosides and these provide the wide range of benefits that ginseng is known for, such as enhanced physical performance, better muscle recovery, increased sexual performance, boosted brain function and mood, as well as a host of physique and health-promoting benefits.

Several studies have reported that ginseng can help to boost physical performance.

Although most of these studies were concerned with muscle endurance, one study reported that male and female subjects taking 1 gram of Panax ginseng every day for six weeks increased muscle strength in both the upper body and lower body. Ginseng may increase strength due to its ability to enhance the body's own creatine production. A 2010 study by Chinese researchers found that mice supplemented with ginseng for 15 days experienced less fatigue during forced swimming. They discovered that one of the main ways that ginseng blunted fatigue in the mice was by increasing levels of enzymes involved in creatine production. This allowed them to have more quick energy and burn less carbohydrates. Greater levels of the quick energy from creatine can lead to more strength in the gym, as well as muscle growth.

In athletic circles, ginseng is best known for its ability to boost muscle endurance.

One study from Germany reported that trained athletes taking Panax ginseng alone or in combination with vitamin E experienced significant improvements in their aerobic capacity. A study from California State Polytechnic University reported that subjects taking Panax notoginseng for 30 days increased their exercise time to exhaustion by over 7 minutes. Canadian researchers reported that rats receiving ginseng for just 4 days increased their exercise time to exhaustion due to ginseng's ability to spare glucose and burn more fat for fuel. This not only explains why ginseng increases muscle endurance, but also why it can aid fat loss.

Ginseng may also delay fatigue by a direct effect on the brain.

Korean researchers found that rats given ginseng before exercise showed increased time to exhaustion for treadmill running due to lower serotonin production from tryptophan in the brain. Serotonin signals fatigue, which reduces muscle strength and endurance. By inhibiting serotonin production, you can train stronger for longer. This also suggests that if you take ginseng preworkout with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) you can get a synergistic effect on fatigue prevention. Since BCAAs decrease tryptophan uptake by the brain, while ginseng decreases the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, taking both will better fight fatigue and help you train with more intensity.

Spanish researchers on the other hand, discovered that rats given ginseng for 12 weeks experienced higher mitochondria number and greater blood vessel density of their muscles. This means that ginseng may enhance endurance by getting more nutrients and oxygen from the blood to the muscles. With more mitochondria, the muscles are better equipped to convert those nutrients and oxygen into fuel. Italian scientists reported that trained subjects taking a combination of ginseng, dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), vitamins and minerals for six weeks increased their aerobic performance through increased oxygen consumption. This may have been a result of greater blood vessel density as seen in the Spanish study. Or it may be due to a boost in nitric oxide (NO) levels, which ginseng has been shown to increase. Seoul National University (Korea) researchers reported that rabbits fed ginsenosides had improved blood vessel dilation due to greater NO production. Austrian researchers also found a dose dependent increase in NO production in cells treated with Panax ginseng extract. This is likely due to ginseng's ability to increase activity of the enzyme that coverts arginine into NO in the body. Having higher NO levels during workouts means that ginseng will not only increase your endurance, but will also boost muscle size and strength gains as research confirms.

In addition to aiding your performance during workouts with increased strength and endurance, ginseng can also aid muscle recovery after the workout is over to encourage greater gains in muscle mass.

Spanish scientists fed rats a Panax ginseng extract after completing a bout of downhill running – known to cause muscle damage similar to doing negative reps. The rats that received the ginseng had significantly less damage to their thigh muscles as well as reduced inflammation.

Korean researchers reported that male college students taking ginseng for one week experienced less muscle damage and inflammation after an intense uphill running test as compared to those receiving a placebo. This allowed the subjects taking ginseng to maintain higher insulin sensitivity after the workout, which could further lead to enhanced recovery and muscle growth since insulin is an anabolic hormone. Chinese researchers reported similar findings in male college students following four weeks of ginseng supplementation.

Another group of Korean researchers found that 8 weeks of Panax ginseng supplementation in men decreased exercise-induced oxidative damage by increasing free-radical scavenging. This not only helped to prolong their exercise time to exhaustion, but also aided their ability to recovery from the workout. Similar results were also reported in animal studies. Less oxidative damage means that the muscles can recover quicker.

Ginseng not only protects muscles from oxidative damage following aerobic exercise, but it also appears to protect the muscles from mechanical damage, such as occurs with weight lifting. Brazilian researchers have reported in several studies that ginseng supplementation protects the muscle fibers from damage during eccentric exercise (negative rep training). They discovered that ginseng better protects membrane integrity and decreases the accompanying oxidative damage. This can result in better muscle recovery and growth. One way that this is possible is through maintenance of higher insulin sensitivity, as discussed above. Since insulin is critical after workouts to instigate muscle recovery and growth, this can lead to greater gains in muscle size and strength.

In addition to performance and recovery benefits, which can lead to physique benefits as well, ginseng provides a plethora of health benefits. And these can also help to further improve your performance and your physique.

Numerous studies confirm that ginseng supplementation lowers blood glucose levels and insulin levels. Although the precise mechanism is not known, this may be due to ginseng's ability to increase insulin sensitivity at muscle cells, as discussed above. It may also be due to ginseng's ability to slow down gastric emptying, which means it takes longer to digest carbohydrates eaten. Regardless of how it works, this benefit could clearly help to keep body fat off.

Ginseng has been found to boost alertness and cognitive function in studies that go back decades. It also has been found to significantly improve mood. But while taking care of your head is fine and dandy, there is another head, at least in the case for men, that can be improved with ginseng. Yes, ginseng has been well-documented for thousands of years to boost sexual performance. This may be due to its ability to boost the release of luteinzing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland in the brain. LH travels to the testicles where it encourages the production of testosterone, the hormone critical for sex drive. Of course, ginseng's documented ability to boost NO levels is also important for sexual performance. NO increases blood flow, and the most critical area for a guy to get more blood is down there in that other head.

In addition to all this, research suggests that ginseng offers even more benefits. Clinical studies have found that ginseng can boost immunity and help prevent colds and flus, as well as decrease their duration. It may even fight off cancer, prevent diabetes, and improve general wellbeing and quality of life.

Jim's Rating:

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being "Must have" supplements such as whey protein, creatine, and BCAAs: ginseng is rated a 7

Jim's Dosing Recommendations:

Take 500-1000 mg of Panax ginseng (Chinese ginseng), Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng), Panax japonicus (Japanese ginseng), or Panax notoginseng (tienqi ginseng) standardized for at least 3% total ginsenosides, two to three times per day, with one of those doses taken 30 minutes before workouts.

References

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McNaughton L. A comparison of Chinese and Russian ginseng as ergogenic aids to improve various facets of physical fitness. Int Clin Nutr Rev 1989;9:32–5.

Wang LC and Lee TF. Effect of ginseng saponins on exercise performance in non-trained rats. Planta Med. 1998 Mar;64(2):130-3.

Forgo I. Effect of drugs on physical exertion and the hormonal system of athlete [in German]. MMW Munch Med Wochenschr. 1983;125:822-824.

Liang MT, Panax notoginseng supplementation enhances physical performance during endurance exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2005 Feb;19(1):108-14.

Wang J, et al. Anti-fatigue activity of the water-soluble polysaccharides isolated from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010 Jul 20;130(2):421-3.

Min YK, et al. Red ginseng inhibits exercise-induced increase in 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis and tryptophan hydroxylase expression in dorsal raphe of rats. J Pharmacol Sci. 2003 Oct;93(2):218-21.

Ferrando A, et al. Effects of a standardized Panax ginseng extract on the skeletal muscle of the rat: a comparative study in animals at rest and under exercise. Planta Med. 1999 Apr;65(3):239-44.

Pieralisi, G., et al. Effects of a standardized ginseng extract combined with dimethylaminoethanol bitartrate, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements on physical performance during exercise. Clin Ther. 1991 May-Jun;13(3):373-82.

Kang, SY, et al. Dietary ginsenosides improve endothelium-dependent relaxation in the thoracic aorta of hypercholesterolemic rabbit. Gen Pharmacol. 1995 May;26(3):483-7.

Friedl, R., et al. Stimulation of nitric oxide synthesis by the aqueous extract of Panax ginseng root in RAW 264.7 cells. Br J Pharmacol. 2001 Dec;134(8):1663-70.

Jung HL, et al. Effects of Panax ginseng Supplementation on Muscle Damage and Inflammation after Uphill Treadmill Running in Humans. Am J Chin Med. 2011;39(3):441-50.

Hsu CC, et al. American ginseng supplementation attenuates creatine kinase level induced by submaximal exercise in human beings. World J Gastroenterol. 2005 Sep 14;11(34):5327-31.

Kim SH, et al. Effects of Panax ginseng extract on exercise-induced oxidative stress. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2005 Jun;45(2):178-82.

Cabral de Oliveira AC, et al. Protection of Panax ginseng in injured muscles after eccentric exercise. J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Feb 28;97(2):211-4.

Reay, JL, et al. The glycaemic effects of single doses of Panax ginseng in young healthy volunteers. Br J Nutr. 2006 Oct;96(4):639-42.

Reay JL, et al. Effects of Panax ginseng, consumed with and without glucose, on blood glucose levels and cognitive performance during sustained 'mentally demanding' tasks. J Psychopharmacol. 2006 Nov;20(6):771-81. Epub 2006 Jan 9.

Vuksan, V., et al. American ginseng improves glycemia in normal individuals with normal glucose tolerance: effect of dose and time escalation. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 19:738–744, 2000.

Vuksan, V., et al. Similar postprandial glycemic reductions with escalation of dose and administration time of American ginseng in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 23:1,221–1,226, 2000.

Vuksan, V., et al. American ginseng reduces postprandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Archives of Internal Medicine 160:1,009–1,013, 2000.

Vuksan, V., et al. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) attenuates postprandial glycemia in a time-dependent but not dose-dependent manner in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 73:753–758, 2001.

Koo, MW. Effects of ginseng on ethanol induced sedation in mice. Life Sci. 1999;64(2):153-60.

Kennedy DO and Scholey AB. Ginseng: potential for the enhancement of cognitive performance and mood. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2003 Jun;75(3):687-700.

Kennedy DO, et al. Dose dependent changes in cognitive performance and mood following acute administration of Ginseng to healthy young volunteers. Nutr Neurosci. 2001;4(4):295-310.

Kennedy DO, et al. Modulation of cognition and mood following administration of single doses of Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and a ginkgo/ginseng combination to healthy young adults. Physiol Behav. 2002 Apr 15;75(5):739-51.

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