Monday Bites - Ginseng

According to the American Psychological Association, 75 to 90 percent of all doctor's office visits are due to stress-related ailments and complaints. This only confirms what you already know: Americans are stressed out.

Perhaps we should look for help in the form of ginseng, an herb used in Asia for centuries to combat stress. Traditional Oriental Medicine considers ginseng all-healing because it is used to restore balance to all bodily functions. Modern science promotes ginseng as an adaptogen, a product that increases the body's resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue.

The two most common types are Panax ginseng (also called Asian, Korean, or Chinese ginseng) and Panax quinquefolius (also called American, Canadian, or North American ginseng). While similar in their ability to combat stress in general, Asian and American ginseng have been noted for some important differential properties; Asian ginseng has a higher proportion of excitatory compounds, while American ginseng has a higher proportion of tonic compounds. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, things growing in cold places are thought to promote Yang and to be excitatory (Asian ginseng), while things growing in hot places are thought to promote Yin and to be tonic in nature (American ginseng). Accordingly, Asian ginseng is used for its "heating" properties: improving circulation, increasing blood supply, aiding recovery from bodily weakness, and as a stimulant. American ginseng is used for its "cooling" properties: calming the body, lessening fever and healing disorders of the respiratory tract.

Ginseng is traditionally taken as a tea. Today, it is offered in pill-form at health food stores, in energy drinks (though I'd be careful with those), and in the form of a "shot" at many Manhattan juice and smoothie bars. If you're in the office suffering from stress or fatigue, a shot of ginseng to your mid-day smoothie could be the perfect combatant.