Ginseng

[ope]

From the information i got that Korean Ginseng (panax Ginseng) actually for a kungfu practioner is not good it lowers your chi and robs you of your blood so you shouldnt take it unless your ill is this true?.. and that TienChi ginseng is the way to go... i also wanted to ask is licorice root a detoxifier? i have heard some people say it is and some people say its not...


What is the color of that which you love?

[joedoe]

I have heard that Panax gives you a really good boost, but it is a really sudden boost whereas American ginseng gives you a more gradual boost.

I don't know about lowering your chi or robbing your blood, but I do know it is and anti-coagulant and a blood thinner. I once spoke to a doctor who did a lot of work with heart transplants who said that they had a lot of problems with Asian patients who took ginseng to try and strengthen themsleves before the heart operation, only to find the operation had to be postponed because of the anticoagulant properties.

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

[Fish of Fury]

Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) and Indian ginseng (Withania somniferum) may be of more use (esp. long term) for training.
siberian particularly is used for stamina in the medium/longish term.(probably best to avoid taking anything ALL the time unless you REALLY need it)
my personal experience is that flakes of american ginseng in some green tea during training really helped balance out my energy, but i only ever use it intermittently.
opinions vary on Panax, but i tend to agree it can be overkill in young/healthy people.
licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is an adrenal tonic (so it can act to raise energy like a mild "ginseng" effect), also used for coughs, antiviral (and has been used topically on coldsores) and soothing/demulcent (can be useful for stomache ulcers, with other herbs)
also, many chinese herb formulas use licorice to "balance" the formula and reduce the possibility of toxicity.
it's not particularly a detox herb as far as i know, except in the above context.( i guess it detoxes formulas, but other herbs are used to cleanse and detox the body...like liver herbs eg. dandelion root, st. mary's thistle and also the depurative herbs like Burdock, Rumex etc.)

[This message was edited by Fish of Death on 03-15-01 at 06:19 AM.]