Research: In a study reported in Phytotherapy Research, 232 subjects suffering from long-term fatigue participated in a double blind, 42-day clinical trial. All participants took a multivitamin/ multimineral supplement; half also had 40 mg of a standardized extract of ginseng daily (the rest had a placebo). The participants evaluated their symptoms on the first, twenty- first, and forty-second days of the study. At the end of the trial, only 5.7 percent of those taking ginseng reported fatigue symptoms, compared to 15.2 percent of those taking the placebo. Many animal and human trials demonstrate equally significant benefits of ginseng. In another double-blind study reported in Current Therapeutic Research, researchers found that 205 people given a standardized ginseng extract (combined with vitamins and minerals) experienced significant improvement in various measures of quality of life, compared to 185 people given a placebo. The researchers found the greatest benefits occurred in improvement in mood, vitality, and alertness. The patients with the lowest initial quality of life scores experienced the greatest improvement. Dosage: Ginseng comes in a variety of forms: liquid extract, powder, capsule, and tablets. Standardized extracts provide a guaranteed amount of ginsenosides, or the active ingredients. Most clinical studies have used ginseng extracts standardized to 4 percent ginsenosides, at a dosage of 200­500 mg daily. If you’re taking a non-standardized preparation, it’s best to follow the

manufacturer's recommended dosages, because potencies vary greatly. A general dosage for non-standardized preparations is 1­4 grams of powdered root daily or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons daily of liquid extract. Traditionally, ginseng is used cyclically, with breaks in between (two weeks-on, two weeksoff, for instance). Precautions: When used as directed at recommended dosages, ginseng rarely causes side effects. However, Chinese ginseng has been known to cause irritability or hypertension in some people. If this occurs, lower the dosage or switch to American ginseng, which is less likely to cause over-stimulation. Don’t take larger than recommended doses of ginseng, and do not use ginseng in combination with other stimulants such as caffeine. Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) Siberian ginseng (also known as eleuthero) is not actually a true ginseng, though it’s in the same botanical family as Panax ginseng. Next >>