Monday 9 December 2013

The Use Of Ginseng In Chinese Herbal Medicine - Part Two


This week I will continue our journey into the Chinese medical world, again looking at the tonic family of herbs.
            The oldest book of Chinese medicine lists 365 herbs, and classifies them according to three grades. The lowest grade of herbs dispels disease. The middle grade corrects imbalances in the body. The highest grade - the one to which Ginseng belongs - nourishes life itself. These are the tonic herbs, many of them classified as “adaptogens” in Western scientific terms.
            Ginseng first reached the West via reports from a seventeenth century Dutch traveller who had been shipwrecked in Korea. He reported that the Mongol soldiers used Ginseng to increase their stamina. A Jesuit missionary to Beijing in 1711 wrote:
           
“Nobody can imagine that the Chinese and Tartans would set so high a value on this root if it did not constantly provide good effect. Those that are in good health often make use of it to render themselves more vigorous and strong; and I myself am persuaded that it would prove an excellent medicine in the hands of any European who understands its pharmacy.”

            To understand Ginseng, it is necessary to look at the difference between tonics and stimulants. Tonics and stimulants may seem closely related, because they both provide a boost of energy. However, the habitual use of stimulants, including caffeine and Guarana, is incompatible with the use of Ginseng or other tonic herbs. Although stimulants and tonics may both seem like “uppers,” their effects are actually opposed to each other. The long-term effect of a stimulant is exhaustion and depression, which can more than cancel out the beneficial effects of a tonic.
            The distinction between stimulants and tonics is important; many people with Qi deficiency who medicate themselves with caffeine or other stimulants end up with less Qi than they started out with. Taking a tonic is like putting money (Qi) in the bank. Taking a stimulant is like withdrawing the money; at some point, your account becomes overdrawn, “in the red.” If you continue to spend Qi without replenishing it, the consequence can be “energy bankruptcy” - severely depleted Qi. A Qi building programme, including tonic herbs like Ginseng, and lifestyle changes, is like starting a saving plan: if you’re in debt and overdrawn, it’s best to cut up your credit cards (that is, stimulants like coffee).
            Last week I looked at the type of constitution one needs to benefit from using Ginseng. A Qi deficient type will get great vigour and strength from using Ginseng regularly.
            Ginseng will increase strength in those who are weak, build the blood in those who are anaemic, strengthen the appetite, improve the resistance of those who are short of breath from weakness, help to ease spontaneous sweating and calm the nerves and spirit. It is a major remedy for impotence and also helps increase wisdom in spiritual pursuits. Another major use is in helping to aid in recovery from the low energy and dehydration that follow debilitating fevers.
            It seems almost unbelievable that a single herb could do so much good. But the list above is only touching the tip of the iceberg of the actions of this “superhero” of herbs.
           

David Foley
MRCHM, MNIMH
Medical Herbalist 

Monday 2 December 2013

The Use Of Ginseng In Chinese Herbal Medicine - Part One


This week I will look at one of the most important herbs used to fortify the Qi. This herb is known as Ginseng. Asian Ginseng is without a doubt the most highly studied medicinal plant in the world. Since the turn of the century, more than 3,000 articles about scientific research on Ginseng or its constituents have appeared.
            To continue our journey into the Chinese medical world view, I’ll now try to explain constitutional medicine and how the use of Ginseng fits into it. A person’s constitution is much like the constitution of a nation, the basic rules by which a country makes its laws and runs its affairs. Different nations have different ground rules, as do different individuals. No two individuals have an identical constitution, but they fall into certain categories of Chinese medicine. One individual is naturally robust while another is frail. One is hot-blooded, and another always has cold hands and feet. One puts on weight with the slightest dietary indiscretion, and another cannot put on weight, no matter what they eat. Western medicine mostly ignores such considerations, but they are perhaps the most important considerations in Chinese medicine.
            To understand the significance of this, let’s look at two fictional characters, the businessman and the grandmother. Each has an ulcer. The businessman is angry, red-faced, robust, aggressive and hard driven. He is hot, kicks off the covers at night and likes cold drinks. The grandmother, on the other hand, is frail and thin. Her face is pale, her voice soft. She is weak and tired. She has cold hands and feet, wears extra layers of clothes and likes warm drinks. She is more fearful than angry.
            Western medicine would treat both of these patients with very similar drugs, such as those to reduce stomach acid. A Chinese trained practitioner, however, would give them entirely different treatments for the ulcers.
            The businessman would receive herbs to reduce the stress and heat in his system, cooling herbs with a bitter flavour to “cool” his digestive tract. The grandmother would receive treatments to warm her up and increase her strength. She might get tonic herbs like Ginseng, while the businessman would not. In fact, tonic therapy could make the businessman’s symptoms worse.
            The most important guide for the use of Ginseng and other tonic herbs is the “excess versus deficiency” polarity. Note that “deficiency” in Chinese terms is not like “calcium deficiency” in Western terms; the Chinese term is more like “emptiness.” In the case of the businessman, he has an excess constitution and the grandmother a deficient one. Ginseng and tonics are contraindicated in the excess conditions, which might be worsened by taking these herbs. Ginseng and other tonics, on the other hand, are ideal treatment for deficiency patterns.
            The knowledge of Asian Ginseng and how to use it is common in China. Ginseng is used specifically for conditions of weakness and low energy - especially by those over 40 years old - and to aid recovery after fever and illness. It might also be used as a general tonic for older people even when they are in good health, especially in the winter months (in summer months it may be too warming). The Chinese may also use Ginseng to enhance spiritual pursuits and meditation. It has been known to “increase wisdom” since before the time of the earliest Chinese texts.
            Next week I’ll continue with the story of Ginseng and other tonic herbs. 


David Foley
MRCHM, MNIMH

Medical Herbalist