Eleutherococcus, Panax: ginsengs.

Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 23:46:24 -0800
Sender: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants discussion list <HERB.TREARN.BITNET>
From: Paul Bergner <bergner.TELEPORT.COM>
Subject: Re: non-hyper ginseng

> I've tried ginseng (panax I think) in the past but found it made me hyper and nervous even on small doses. I've heard there are milder forms or maybe other herbs would be preferable for a mild energy boost.

Try Siberian ginseng -- Eleutherococcus senticosus. It's not really a "ginseng" in the sense that it is not a Panax species, but it is an adaptogen. Or try American ginseng -- Panax quinquefolium. It is milder. Above all, don't mix tonic herbs such as these with stimulants such as caffeine. An infamous clinical study described a "ginseng abuse syndrome" but on examination of the data, only those people who mixed ginseng with caffeine had it. that doens't mean that you can take ginseng with impunity. It's mainly for people who are weak and run down, not for overamped types who want some more "juice".

Paul Bergner
Editor, MEDICAL HERBALISM
bergner.teleport.com