How Ginseng Treats Influenza

Ginseng is a species of perennial plant of the family Araliaceae. Ginseng is native to North America and East Asia (usually found in Bhutan, northeast China, Korea, and some parts of Siberia), in cold climates. Throughout history, ginseng has been regarded as an important part of Chinese traditional medicine, having lots of benefits for the body.

Uses and Benefits

Ginseng is regarded as a generally safe plant. Cases in which ginseng has proven to affect the health are scarce and isolated. Moreover, the side effects of ginseng are usually mild.

This plant is sold in over 35 countries, the highest sales figures coming from Asian countries like Korea and China. The root is generally sold in a dried state, whether in root form or sliced. It can also be found in some energy drinks or herbal teas.

Ginseng contains a useful and unique chemical substance called ginsenoside, which has been the focus of medical studies for a while now. It has great medicinal potential and properties.

However, though mild and scarce, there are a few side effects of ginseng that one should consider before consuming it. The more common side effects range from headaches, nosebleeds, increased blood pressure as well as decreased blood pressure and pain in the breast area to diarrhea and nausea. It is also not recommended to mix ginseng with an antidepressant because it might cause mania.

Influenza prevention with ginseng

As of recent, it has been demonstrated that Tamiflu is ineffective when it comes to treating the flu. However, experts have revealed that natural, raw ginseng might be the miracle plant to succeed in areas where commercial, mainstream synthetic drugs and chemicals have not.

After partnering with a university based in South Korea, experts from Georgia State University’s Institute for Biomedical Scientists have done a study in which they proved that ginseng could cure and even prevent the occurrence of influenza. Moreover, their study shows that ginseng might also be a good weapon against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a condition that damages the lung and impedes the breathing process. Ginseng could eradicate and prevent it. The discovery is massively important, as respiratory syncytial virus affects millions of people around the world. It is one of the leading factors that cause inflammatory bronchiolitis pneumonia, which can kill elderly adults and small children.

The reasons why this study has been conducted were some concerns regarding the current vaccines for influenza, which are administered annually to prevent the spread of the disease.

Moreover, experts discovered that red ginseng enhances the lungs, improving their resistance to the flu. It also reduces the strength of the genes that lead do inflammation. The effectiveness of red ginseng is due to its antioxidant properties and its capability of interacting with the immune system in a beneficial way. The study also shows that red ginseng inhibits the development of the RSV mentioned above. When conducting the experiment on animals, experts saw that red ginseng actually eradicated the virus from their systems.

In conclusion, consider introducing ginseng of all types into your daily diet. It eliminates the flu on the short term and prevents it on the long term.