I occasionally take Ginseng in the morning. I find it doesn’t make me as nervous as coffee, and unlike coffee, it lasts all day and doesn’t make me tired later. I do feel an increased heart rate, sometimes, which I’d say is the only negative side effect I’ve experienced. I usually take some a few hours before a Kung Fu class. I feel it makes me more alert, but exercise wakes me up anyway. BTW, Ginseng + caffeine is not a good combo, it’s too much and keeps me from sleeping at night.
I think it’s pretty cool to use in conjunction with martial arts. At our kwoon, there’s a box of extra-strength and students can buy a bottle for 50 cents - I don’t ever do this, because I prefer to drink it slowly. Ginseng also helped me get through a 13-hour drive recently.
Anyone else use Ginseng here? How does it affect your Kung Fu?
I got to taste some real ginseng in america, this girl at the TKD club had a mom that was kinda famous in Taiwan and was pretty well off financially, and so she was offering us some really expensive Ginseng (fresh), i think it was like 1000$ a root or something like that. But anyways i felt it really worked but then my teacher started talking about how kids and people with high blood pressure shouldnt eat it, and since i have a high blood pressure i had to stop eating it Too bad though cuz that meant i didnt get to drink the alcohol that had cut up ginseng roots in it.
Water Dragon - No problem. For the record, does Ginseng increase or disturb the Kidney Qi? I know it is rumored to make you *****, I haven’t experienced this. Seeing as the Kidneys are the source of prenatal jing - energy in TCM, and ginseng increases your energy, this sounds reasonable. Please elaborate.
-FJ
Weed leaches the kidney Qi, or makes it Yin. Which, according to the Chinese, is what would give you burnout.
Ginseng increases (tonifies?) the kidney Qi, which is what gives you energy (again according to TCM theory) That’s why they say most people shouldn’t take ginseng on a regular basis, makes your kidneys (the Chinese organ, not the western one) too Yang