Ginseng Berries Effect on Diabetes
Ginseng Berries
Why did it take 2,000 years to find this breakthrough in fighting diabetes? All these years the focus has been on the ginseng root. "Previously, there had been no study of the ginseng berry’s biological activity." says Dr Chun-Su, a researcher at the University of Chicago’s Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research.
As it becomes obvious that we are failing to solve our health issues with pills, more and more of our researchers are looking back to see what we’ve missed when considering food as a cure was prohibited. That’s just how science works. They often miss the obvious and forget the lessons learned by our forefathers. Like the tomato was considered poisonous until the 18th century as a member of the night shade family - ginseng berries, like the pomegranate - were considered bitter and terrible tasting. In fact, they tasted so terrible that it kept the Mesopotamians, the anthropological guinea pigs who taught us much of what we know today about the healing properties of herbs, from eating them. Whatever the reason behind ignoring ginseng berries for so long, the good news is they’re finally getting their day in the sun — especially when it comes to their role in the new disease epidemics: obesity and diabetes.
The ginseng berry contains a substance known as ginsenoside that aids in the control of these problems.
"We were stunned by how different the berry is from the root in terms of its chemical profile and by how effective it is in correcting the multiple metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes." Dr. Yuan reported to MSNBC. In fact, the berry has been found to be more effective than the root in multiple ways.
Obese mice given the extract ate less and exercised more, which sounds a lot like the action of two hormones: Leptin and Ghrelin.
MSNBC summarized the researcher’s findings:
* Daily injections of ginseng berry extract restored normal blood sugar in mice that had suffered "quite high" levels.
* Treated mice also had better scores on a glucose tolerance test, which measures how quickly the mice could remove excess sugar from the blood.
* The obese diabetic mice shed more than 10 percent of their body weight, while untreated mice gained 5 percent of their weight. The treated mice ate 15 percent less and were 35 percent more active that untreated mice, Yuan says. Once the injections stopped, weight gain gradually resumed.
* The extract improved insulin sensitivity, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, in mice with diabetes.
* Cholesterol levels dropped 30 percent in the treated mice, while the extract had no detectable effect on normal mice.
It appears that we have barely scratched the surface on the natural treatment of diabetes— and disease in general. William Campbell Douglas II, M.D. upset the medical community in Sarasota, Florida back in the early 70s by "going natural," he was called a quack and was bounced out of the medical society. That was the same way that the medical community once criticized chiropractic, massage and nutritionists. Now, like our economy, the professionals are realizing that their long-held views are just not working.
Research from all over the world is causing more and more medical doctors to distance themselves from the pharmaceutical industry and open up the book on why so many people are doing better using nutrition and the foods they need to eat to cure these major problems of obesity and the improper dietary habits of American Culture.
Find a herbalist near you by contacting the American Association of Environmental Medicine at (316) 684-5500 or www.aaem.com Look for a member of the American Herbalist Guild or a member of the British National Institute of Medical Herbalists (the abbreviation NIMH should follow his or her name.
Keep in mind also that his research is fairly new—and has only been done in mice so far. As much as scientists want to believe it, mice aren’t people, so ginseng berries may still have some surprises for us. I think they may eventually be a great additional weapon against the growing obesity and diabetes epidemics. But don’t forget that any "outside" help against these killers always works better when combined with a healthy regimen of fruits and vegetables, Omega-3 fats and protein—and no sugar and carbs.
References: "Antidiabetic effects of Panax ginseng berries and the identification of an effective component" Diabetes 2002; 51 (6) 1,851-1858.
"Ginseng berry extract shows promise for diabetics, obesity," University of Chicago Hospitals, press release (www.uchospitals.edu) 5/24/02.
And all of this because I sat down with my bank manager who had just received a box of ginseng berries from a North Korean depositor and so she shared them with me. I called several health stores with no success and so I’ll try the Asian Markets in our area. Talking about healthy alternatives often brings more people to the table and gives me an incentive to continue this effort. Thank you for your wonderful responses and providing me with the wind beneath my wings.
Why did it take 2,000 years to find this breakthrough in fighting diabetes? All these years the focus has been on the ginseng root. "Previously, there had been no study of the ginseng berry’s biological activity." says Dr Chun-Su, a researcher at the University of Chicago’s Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research.
As it becomes obvious that we are failing to solve our health issues with pills, more and more of our researchers are looking back to see what we’ve missed when considering food as a cure was prohibited. That’s just how science works. They often miss the obvious and forget the lessons learned by our forefathers. Like the tomato was considered poisonous until the 18th century as a member of the night shade family - ginseng berries, like the pomegranate - were considered bitter and terrible tasting. In fact, they tasted so terrible that it kept the Mesopotamians, the anthropological guinea pigs who taught us much of what we know today about the healing properties of herbs, from eating them. Whatever the reason behind ignoring ginseng berries for so long, the good news is they’re finally getting their day in the sun — especially when it comes to their role in the new disease epidemics: obesity and diabetes.
The ginseng berry contains a substance known as ginsenoside that aids in the control of these problems.
"We were stunned by how different the berry is from the root in terms of its chemical profile and by how effective it is in correcting the multiple metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes." Dr. Yuan reported to MSNBC. In fact, the berry has been found to be more effective than the root in multiple ways.
Obese mice given the extract ate less and exercised more, which sounds a lot like the action of two hormones: Leptin and Ghrelin.
MSNBC summarized the researcher’s findings:
* Daily injections of ginseng berry extract restored normal blood sugar in mice that had suffered "quite high" levels.
* Treated mice also had better scores on a glucose tolerance test, which measures how quickly the mice could remove excess sugar from the blood.
* The obese diabetic mice shed more than 10 percent of their body weight, while untreated mice gained 5 percent of their weight. The treated mice ate 15 percent less and were 35 percent more active that untreated mice, Yuan says. Once the injections stopped, weight gain gradually resumed.
* The extract improved insulin sensitivity, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, in mice with diabetes.
* Cholesterol levels dropped 30 percent in the treated mice, while the extract had no detectable effect on normal mice.
It appears that we have barely scratched the surface on the natural treatment of diabetes— and disease in general. William Campbell Douglas II, M.D. upset the medical community in Sarasota, Florida back in the early 70s by "going natural," he was called a quack and was bounced out of the medical society. That was the same way that the medical community once criticized chiropractic, massage and nutritionists. Now, like our economy, the professionals are realizing that their long-held views are just not working.
Research from all over the world is causing more and more medical doctors to distance themselves from the pharmaceutical industry and open up the book on why so many people are doing better using nutrition and the foods they need to eat to cure these major problems of obesity and the improper dietary habits of American Culture.
Find a herbalist near you by contacting the American Association of Environmental Medicine at (316) 684-5500 or www.aaem.com Look for a member of the American Herbalist Guild or a member of the British National Institute of Medical Herbalists (the abbreviation NIMH should follow his or her name.
Keep in mind also that his research is fairly new—and has only been done in mice so far. As much as scientists want to believe it, mice aren’t people, so ginseng berries may still have some surprises for us. I think they may eventually be a great additional weapon against the growing obesity and diabetes epidemics. But don’t forget that any "outside" help against these killers always works better when combined with a healthy regimen of fruits and vegetables, Omega-3 fats and protein—and no sugar and carbs.
References: "Antidiabetic effects of Panax ginseng berries and the identification of an effective component" Diabetes 2002; 51 (6) 1,851-1858.
"Ginseng berry extract shows promise for diabetics, obesity," University of Chicago Hospitals, press release (www.uchospitals.edu) 5/24/02.
And all of this because I sat down with my bank manager who had just received a box of ginseng berries from a North Korean depositor and so she shared them with me. I called several health stores with no success and so I’ll try the Asian Markets in our area. Talking about healthy alternatives often brings more people to the table and gives me an incentive to continue this effort. Thank you for your wonderful responses and providing me with the wind beneath my wings.
posted by Stan Kent at
10:47 AM
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