Ginseng Under
Study As Remedy
JACK WILLIAMS
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
No matter what you hear about
its energizing effects, there's no
reason to believe that ginseng is
any more a tonic than a toxin.
Most claims are based more on
superstition and subjective opin-
ion than on objective, scientific
evidence, according to Varro Tay-
lor, a Purdue University profes-
sor and author of "Herbs of
Choice: The Therapeutic Use of
Phytomedicinals."
Used for thousands of years,
especially in Asia, ginseng root
remains somewhat of an enigma
whose pharmacologically active
elements have not been clearly
defined.
When packaged commercial-
ly, ginseng products also tend to
vary greatly in contents.
One U.S. Food and Drug Ad-
ministration analysis found that
25 percent of the products exam-
ined contained no ginseng and 60
percent had only traces, reports
the UC Berkeley Wellness Let-
ter.
Small wonder, then, that gin-
seng is among a list of herbal
remedies to be studied by the Of-
fice of Alternative Medicine at the
National Institutes of Health.
While the caution flag is raised
on ginseng, another herb —
gingko extract from gingko trees
— is showing remarkable
promise with no reported side ef-
fects.
Studies conducted by the Ger-
man Association of General Prac-
titioners indicate that gingko can
improve blood circulation in ar-
teries, veins and capillaries and
act as an antioxidant, preventing
damage to cell membranes by
"free radicals."
Results were shown on 60 mil-
ligrams per day, half the stan-
dard dose of the widely used
extract.
Meanwhile, a nonprofit re-
search group, the American
Botanical Council, is working
with the World Health Organi-
zation to analyze the interna-
tional herbal industry and
determine which of nature's med-
icines are safe, appropriate and
cost-effective.
Inasmuch as herbs are the fast
growing item in drugstores today,
with sales estimated to surpass
$5 billion by the year 2000, the
timing couldn't be better.
For a copy of a brochure listing
specific herbs and the various
conditions and diseases that can
be prevented or treated with
them, send $1 to the American
Botanical Council, Box 201660,
Austin, TX 78720-1660. 17
Jack Williams is a writer for
Copley News Service.
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