Dang Gui – The Queen of all Herbs

For the last two days, I told you about ginseng, which is known as the King of all Herbs. I told you about how remarkable an herb it is in terms of its healthful benefits.

Today, I want to tell you about an herb that is second only to ginseng in popularity in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Because of this, I have crowned it the Queen of all Herbs.

This herb is Dang Gui, also known as Dong Quai and Tang Kuei. It’s Latin name is Angelica Sinensis.

It is also called the female ginseng, because of its prized value in women’s health, but it is an herb that is not just for women.

Like ginseng, Dang Gui has adaptogenic properties, which means that it helps you deal with stress and the effects stress has on the body. Like all adaptogens, it strengthens the immune system and balances the autonomic nervous system.

Dang gui has been used historically to treat women’s health disorders.
It contains phytoestrogens, which are chemicals found in plants that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body.

Dang gui is said to help balance women’s hormone levels, both restraining and supplementing the body’s production of estrogen as needed. It is used to treat menstrual and menopausal symptoms, including migraine, cramps, mood fluctuations, and hot flashes. It is also said to help speed a woman’s recovery from childbirth and symptoms of low energy/chronic fatigue.

Dang gui helps relax the smooth muscles throughout the body, which makes it a potential treatment for a variety of illnesses. Not only does dang gui relax the smooth muscles of the uterus, but it also keeps the smooth muscles in the arteries dilated, helping to maintain regular blood flow and heartbeat.

Dang gui has been used to treat angina, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat. Some studies have shown that the antispasmodic, dilating effects of dang gui may help treat chronic pulmonary hypertension in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dang gui contains phytochemicals that help boost white blood cell production and fight inflammation, and may improve liver and kidney function. It is traditionally used to treat inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, and is currently being studied for its ability to prevent or treat cancer, liver and kidney disease.

Like ginseng, dang gui can also be used as an aphrodisiac.

Interestingly, dang gui possesses the distinction of being one of the few good non-animal sources of Vitamin B12.

In Chinese Herbal Medicine, dang gui is in the category of blood tonic. It is believed to strengthen the yin and blood, and is a core ingredient in many women’s health herbal formulas.

It can help to regulate the menstrual cycle, relieve menstrual pains and cramps, and is an ideal tonic for women with heavy menstrual bleeding who risk becoming anemic.

One of the most famous formulas in Chinese Herbal Medicine is Si Wu Tang, which is Four Substance Decoction. It contains dang gui; bai shao, which is white peony; chuan xiong, which is ligusticum; and shu di huang, which is Chinese Rehmannia.

This is a time-honored formula that tonifies the blood, and is used for many women’s health issues.

This formula is the base formula, and can either be used by itself or in some variation.

One of the most famous variations is a formula that strengthens both the qi and blood. This formula’s name is Ba Zhen Tang, or Eight-Treasure Decoction. It consists of dang gui and all the ingredients of Si Wu Tang listed above.

It also contains ginseng; licorice; fu ling; which is poria; and bai zhu, which is atractylodis.

This formula is another famous formula in the annals of Chinese Herbal Medicine.

Dang gui is also often used in China as an ingredient in cooking, which is an excellent way to take it in and use it as a blood tonic.

And so, if you include dang gui in your herbal arsenal, it will help enhance your health and wellness, let you experience healthy living, and allow you to live a Low Density Lifestyle.

It doesn’t get any better than that.

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Ginseng – King of the Herbs, Part 2

In yesterday’s article I told you about ginseng, which is known as the King of the Herbs.

Today I will continue with my discussion about this prized herb, which although native to Chinese Herbal Medicine, is really valued all over the world.

I told you about the different types of ginseng, but one thing I didn’t tell you is the root of the name Panax ginseng, which is the botanical name for Asian Ginseng.

The botanical/genus name Panax means “all-heal” in Greek, and shares the same origin as “panacea.” So even to the ancient Greeks, ginseng was an herb that was seen having strong restorative powers.

Ginseng has been studied extensively for the last 20-30 years in China, Japan, Korea and Russia and has been found to have many beneficial qualities.

First and foremost it is an adaptogen, which means it increases the body’s resistance to stress and strengthens the immune system. Studies show that it significantly improves the body’s capacity to cope with hunger, extremes of temperature, and mental and emotional stress.

Furthermore, ginseng produces a sedative effect when the body requires sleep.

Ginseng has also been found to have anti-inflammatory effects. A recent study by a team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong isolated 7 constituents in ginseng, called ginsenosides, which showed immune-suppressive effects.

They found that these ginsenosides were able to inhibit the expression of genes that caused inflammatory actions in the body.

Ginseng has also been found to have anti-cancer properties, and a recent study found it can improve survival outcomes for breast cancer patients.

One study of ginseng’s effects on cancer was done with lab rats. It showed that while both white ginseng and red ginseng reduce the incidence of cancer, the effects appear to be greater with red ginseng.

Ginseng is also known as an aphrodisiac, and to help men who suffer from sexual dysfunction.

A 2002 study by the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (published in the annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) found that in laboratory animals, both Asian and American forms of ginseng enhance libido and copulatory performance.

And In 2002, a double-blind, crossover study of Korean red ginseng’s effects on impotence reported that it can be an effective alternative for treating male erectile dysfunction.

Ginseng can also be used for Type II diabetes, as it has been found to lower blood glucose.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginseng is seen as having tonic, restorative, and sedative properties. In the Chinese Herbal materia medica, it is placed in the category of Qi Tonic, and its abilities range far and wide.

Even the elderly prize ginseng as a tonic that helps increase longevity, but for that matter, in China and other Asian countries, ginseng is taken by people of all ages because of its health-giving capabilities.

In Chinese Herbal Medicine, single herbs are never taken – people take herbal formulas, which are usually many herbs compounded together.

But ginseng is the exception to the rule, and is the only Chinese herb that people take by itself. Again, that is because of its prized abilities.

So there you have it about ginseng, the king of the herbs. If you want to stay healthy, live a long life, and live a Low Density Lifestyle, I suggest integrating ginseng into your life.

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Ginseng – King of the Herbs, Part 1

I’ve been focusing on herbal medicine in this series. The main point of this series is that incorporating herbal medicine into your medical needs can help you to reduce the need for drugs. And by doing so, you can become healthier and more in synch with living a Low Density Lifestyle.

In yesterday’s article I told you about 10 herbs that are good for stress. One of the herbs I mentioned in that article was Ginseng.

Today I will focus on Ginseng, which is known as the King of the Herbs.

Ginseng is part of the materia medica of Chinese Herbal Medicine, and is the most famous herb in the pharmacopeia. It has been valued for its remarkable therapeutic benefits for at least 7,000 years and was so revered that wars were fought for control of the forests in which it thrived.

An Arabian physician brought ginseng back to Europe in the 9th century, yet its ability to improve

stamina and resistance became common knowledge in the West only in the 18th century.

Ginseng is native to northeastern China, eastern Russia, and North Korea, but is now extremely rare in the wild and increasingly becoming endangered, due in large part to high demand for the product in recent years, which has led to the wild plants being sought out and harvested faster than new ones can grow (it requires years for a ginseng root to reach maturity).

There are two main types of ginseng: American ginseng, known as P. quinquefolius, and Asian ginseng, known as Panax ginseng. Asian ginseng can be either white or red ginseng.

In the U.S., there are woods grown ginseng programs in Maine, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia, and United Plant Savers has been encouraging the woods planting of ginseng both to restore natural habitats and to remove pressure from any remaining wild ginseng.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, American ginseng strengthens the Yin energy and calms the spirit, while Asian ginseng strengthens the yang.

The reason it has been claimed that American ginseng promotes Yin while Asian ginseng promotes Yang is that, according to traditional Chinese medicine, things living in cold places or northern side of mountains or southern side of rivers are strong in Yang and vice versa, so that the two are balanced.

Chinese/Korean ginseng grows in northeast China and Korea, the coldest area known to many Koreans in traditional times. Thus, ginseng from there is supposed to be very Yang. Originally, American ginseng was imported into China via subtropical Guangzhou, the seaport next to Hong Kong, so Chinese doctors believed that American ginseng must be good for Yin, because it came from a hot area. However they did not know that American ginseng can only grow in temperate regions. Nonetheless the root is legitimately classified as more Yin because it generates fluids.

Most North American ginseng is produced in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia and the American state of Wisconsin.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Panax/Asian ginseng strengthens the Qi and Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness, and stimulates the body. Panax Ginseng is available in two forms:

The form called white ginseng is grown for four to six years, and then peeled and dried to reduce the water

content to 12% or less. White ginseng is air dried in the sun and may contain less of the therapeutic constituents. It is thought by some that enzymes contained in the root break down these constituents in the process of drying. Drying in the sun bleaches the root to a yellowish-white color.

The form called red ginseng is harvested after six years, is not peeled and is steam-cured, thereby giving them a glossy reddish-brown coloring. Steaming the root is thought to change its biochemical composition and also to prevent the breakdown of the active ingredients. The roots are then dried.

Red ginseng is frequently marinated in an herbal brew which results in the root becoming extremely brittle. This version of ginseng is traditionally associated with stimulating sexual function and increasing energy. Red ginseng is always produced from cultivated roots, usually from either China or South Korea.

There are other plants that are called ginseng, but they are actually from a different family or genus. These include:

* Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Southern ginseng, aka Jiaogulan)
* Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng)
* Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Prince ginseng)
* Withania somnifera (Indian ginseng, aka Ashwagandha)
* Pfaffia paniculata (Brazilian ginseng, aka Suma)
* Lepidium meyenii (Peruvian ginseng, aka Maca)
* Oplopanax horridus (Alaskan ginseng)

Tomorrow I’ll be back with more on ginseng, so tune in tomorrow.

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