Siberian Ginseng – The Winner from the Taiga
In the 1980s, it was supposed to help Russian athletes win as a doping agent. Whether this worked is not proven. But a lot of research has been done since then to track down Siberian ginseng. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is known as a medicinal plant. Reason enough to take a closer look at the winner.
Not a candidate for the flower vase
Siberian ginseng is known by many names. In Germany, it is usually called Stachelpanax or Taiga root. Strictly speaking, Taiga root does not refer to the whole plant, but to the root. In English-speaking countries, it is called Eleuthero or Siberian Ginseng. Botanically, the plant is only very distantly related to ginseng. The name is simply an indication that, as a medicinal plant, it is similar to "real" ginseng. The botanical name of Siberian ginseng is Eleutherococcus senticosus, which roughly translates as "berry-bearing thorn bush". That says most about the appearance of the two to seven meter tall shrub: It is prickly and bears berries, but it does not win any beauty prizes. Like real ginseng, Siberian ginseng belongs to the large Araliaceae family. The two plants are therefore about as related as humans and gorillas. The distribution area of the Siberian ginseng extends from Siberia, through the neighboring northern provinces of China, North Korea and the island of Sakhalin to Japan.
The History of the Siberian Ginseng Root
The first written mention of the Taiga root is in a work of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on medicinal plants. The name of the book is Shennong Bencaojing. The Shennong Bencaojing, the 'classic medicinal herb according to Shennong', is said to be the oldest book on agriculture and medicinal plant science in the world. The author is said to have been the Chinese emperor Shennong, who is said to have lived around 2800 BC and is still considered a mythological ancestor by both the Han Chinese and the Vietnamese. Initially passed down orally, the three-part work is said to have been written down between 300 BC and 200 AD. Researchers are divided on this, as the original text is no longer available. In Russia it only became popular in the 1950s. In the search for an alternative to the then very expensive Korean ginseng, several studies were commissioned on Siberian ginseng. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists Eleutherococcus in its monograph on selected medicinal plants as a recognized medicinal plant in traditional medicine.
A table full of herbs from Traditional Chinese Medicine.
How does stress arise?
For the body, stress means having to react to an unfamiliar situation. It's that simple. Everything that is new or unfamiliar initially means stress. The triggers range from a simple encounter with a stranger to mental challenges - such as upcoming exams or Olympic competitions - to extreme situations such as accidents or rocket launches. Injuries and illnesses are also stressors, i.e. stress triggers.
phases of stress
The reaction to stress begins with the alarm phase. The body prepares itself to make all its performance reserves available by releasing stress hormones. This increases the heart rate in order to supply the muscles and brain with sufficient oxygen and energy. You are as alert and ready to perform as possible. In the adaptation phase that follows, you react appropriately to the actual threat. The simplest basic reflexes are flight or attack. The performance provided can be called upon, the resistance forces are mobilized, while at the same time the stress hormones are broken down again. Once the dangerous situation has been dealt with, the body enters the recovery phase. Physical and mental functions return to normal, and the performance reserves are replenished.
What ingredients does Siberian ginseng root contain?
However, if the adaptation phase lasts too long because the stress situation cannot be adequately resolved, or if too many stress reactions follow one another, the body can enter the exhaustion phase. The willingness to perform drops below the level before the stress reaction. Energy reserves can no longer be built up, which can result in burnout or fatigue . In this context, it is worth taking a look at the ingredients of Siberian ginseng root: it contains a diverse mixture of substances that sometimes goes by the misleading name eleutherosides, which suggests a supposed relationship between the active ingredients. Rather, it is a colorful mixture of secondary plant substances such as lignans, phytosterols, saponins, coumarins and phenylpropanoids. These substances serve the plant as protection against predators, control growth processes or are part of cell walls.
The most effective component of Siberian ginseng is its root, which can be seen in this picture.
