Ginseng for sport: how and when to take it

They say it revives the whole nervous system and is beneficial at the neuroendocrine and cardiovascular level. They say your body radiates energy. No

Here are the positive effects of ginseng, especially for those who practice sports.

Ginseng and the effects of ginsenosides on sportsmen

What are ginsenosides ? Super heroes? In fact, they act as such in the body and are responsible for the beneficial mechanism that ginseng releases in the body and that particularly affect athletes because they are able to improve and prolong sports performance.

Ginsenoids are the active components found in large quantities in the root of this perennial plant of the Panax species, which belongs to the Araliaceae family.

Panax comes from the Greek, from the composition of the word pan " tutto " and akèia " cura " (a term which also gives the Italian word panacea, that is, a remedy for all ills); the term ginseng comes from the Chinese rènshēn, meaning " plant of Man " , because, according to the theory of the Segnature, the shape of its root resembles a human form.

Ginseng for the nervous system and the heart of athletes

Sportsmen benefit from ginseng especially when the autumn and winter season is approaching and is helpful in case of mental fatigue .

Ginseng is also an extraordinary panacea for all problems of a nervous nature and since the nervous system holds a little "scepter" of the whole body, as chiropractors and other therapists well know, here it is, going to restore a fundamental balance, the remedy releases benefits to the whole body.

Athletes who use it use oxygen more efficiently, reduce pre-race stress levels and experience noticeable improvements in the cardiovascular and nervous system.

But be careful: you are not talking about pseudo-energetic drinks or bars that in reality are full of sugars and greatly alter the glycemic balance.

It seems that in particular the Korean red ginseng has extraordinary benefits on sporting activity, as the Soviet pharmacologist Nikolai Lazarev had already guessed in 1947 and already millennia before in the Eastern traditions it was known in the popular sphere.

Ginseng belongs to the family of adaptogenic plants whose effects on sports performance have been studied for a few decades. In fact, the first results on adaptogenic plants and sport began to be available: for example, personal trainer Alvaro Molinos Domene, a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee, published in 2013 a review of the first scientific studies on the subject that highlights the purpose of these research, or increase the fatigue resistance of athletes by alternative means to conventional anabolic stimulants which have serious side effects.

Unlike various stimulant drugs, adaptogens stimulate the body's metabolic systems and keep them active for a long time, while chemical stimulants quickly deplete their effect and require further administration to maintain high performance.

Valuable studies compare Panax Ginseng Quinquefolius (American) and Panax Ginseng CA Meyer (Korean); they differ for the different content of ginsenosides and, in particular of the ginsenoside Rg1 (stimulant) present in greater quantity in the Korean Red Ginseng and Rb1 (calming) in greater quantity in the Ginseng Quinquefolius. Both types of Ginseng contain many other ginsenosides that counteract various human diseases (diabetes, tumors, multiple sclerosis, etc.).

A splendid remedy for athletes, effective for all humans. As had been pointed out long ago by the Paracelsus theory.

How to find ginseng

Ginseng is a natural medicinal remedy that is found on the market in all its variants: Korean ginseng, American ginseng and Siberian ginseng (which varies a lot compared to the previous two but still has cardiotonic and invigorating effects).

It is found in powder or in capsules to be swallowed, while the dried root is bought in herbal medicine

NB: the ginsen may interact with the action of any medicines taken and it is therefore advisable to consult with your doctor or therapist if you are following a pharmacological treatment.