Hey Mong Phu,
Back over the summer, when we had the private training session, you asked about the science behind Ginseng. I said that I would have to get back to you as for the specifics, and when I got home I did write a brief research paper on it for you. For some reason, it slipped my mind to actually send it to you, but here it is:
Ok, so I said that I would figure out all the nitty-gritty of ginseng for you, so here it is. Acetylcholine (ACh; 2-Acetoxy-N,N,N-trimethylethanaminium) is a chemical that affects and promotes the nervous system’s use: nerves used for muscles, both voluntary (motion, skeletal) and involuntary (cardiac); nerves used in conscious learning and memory recollection; and nerves used in the sympathetic ganglion (the human body’s “fight-or-flight” response). The expenditure of this chemical causes a deficit, which prevents these nerves from properly functioning, while an excess will encourage these nerves (and furthermore the muscles and fight-or-flight response) to be active. In order to make ACh, as well as to allow the body’s muscles to contract, Chlorine (Cl, typically found in any food/drink that has “Sodium” – is also table salt [NaCl]) is needed at all of the local sites.The primary ingredient of Ginseng is Ginsenoside Rb1 (6,20-Bis(ß-D-glucopyranosyl)-(3ß,6a,12ß,20S)-3,6,12,20-tetrahydroxydammar-24-ene [also known as “a really big sciency term”]). Ginsenoside helps the body create and release Acetylcholine by increasing the amount of chlorine the body can uptake at any given time. Thus, when there is a deficit either in the nervous system or in the skeletal/cardiac muscles due to exertion, the body is able to replenish the chlorine (and Ach) at a more rapid rate, which then furthers the body’s ability to continue to exert energy and stay in a “fight-or-flight” sympathetic mode, rather than being forced into a “rest-and-digest” parasympathetic mode to recover.
In a nutshell: your body needs chlorine in order to produce Ach. Ach allows the body to keep using skeletal muscles, have the heart rate up, and maintain “fight-or-flight.” The main ingredient of Ginseng helps the body to create and release Ach and chlorine into the nerves/muscles that need it.
“Ginseng and Memory”. Dr. Amandeep K. Shergill (http://escholarship.ucop.edu/uc/item/7sn5s2h5#page-1) “48” Biology (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education, Inc. p. 1037. Campbell, N. A.; Reece, J. B. (2002).
Article by Michael Rowe
Related articles
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.