5 replies to this topic

[wolfmaster39]

Hi I've been considering trying one of these three Swanson Ginseng products:

 

http://www.swansonvi...500-mg-100-caps

http://www.swansonvi...-400-mg-90-caps

http://www.swansonvi...-mg-60-veg-caps

 

First off, there's no particular reason for my choice in Swanson, I'm just using them as a convenient example to show the different forms of panax ginseng. Feel free to suggest to me a better brand. Otherwise I think Swanson is reputable enough to order from...

 

I want to use ginseng once every other day, right as I wake up, on an empty stomach, for the purposes of wakefulness enhancement. Currently I take 100 mg caffeine daily in this way with good success. But I want to cycle it with something else in an ABAB like fashion to avoid building of tolerance. I am hoping panax ginseng will be a good substitute. Bearing this in mind, which of these three would be best for me?

 

To summarize, the first link "delivers [500 mg] of [Korean panax] ginseng root". The second one contains "[400 mg] Full-Spectrum Korean Red Ginseng Root". I am not sure what the difference between these two are. The last one, according to the label says: 400 mg Ginselect® Phytosome™ (Panax ginseng root extract/Glycine max soybeans) [minimum 30% typical ginseng constituents (ginsenosides)]. This last one sounds interesting for its very high ginsenoside standardization. It is also much more expensive, but this is not an issue for me, I am looking for the most effective product for my purposes. 

 

Anyone have any insight into this? Thank you.

Edited by theturk777, 03 October 2014 - 11:30 PM.

[Aka Poe]

I have a fair amount of experience with various ginseng varieties, and foremost recommend buying whole roots and tossing them into a  blender or coffee grinder, then eating the powder directly or putting it in capsules. I like the flavor so I just eat it . The reason I recommend the whole roots is a lot of ginseng products have fillers added since it is expensive and they can't adulterate it  if you buy the whole roots which can't be counterfeited, their appearance is unique. I buy whole roots from Penn Herbs fairly cheaply. I don't see any reason to buy an extract of panax as you only need a little of the powdered root so it doesn't not need concentration. The plant is small, under a foot tall usually, witha  single root, harvesting kills the plant.  In Asia older roots are more highly prized as are those with human like shapes. The roots depending on type are fairly are easily powdered, while not as soft as carrots for example, they are way softer than the hard wooden-like roots of Eleuthero and my belnder powders them in just a minute. 

 

Cousin Eleutherococcus senticosa, (once called Siberian Ginseng I have collected in the wild  it is a similar good herb often used for similar reasons and is truly related to panax, unlike many of the so called ginsengs which aren't related at all, like Suma and so on. (Suma is still  a good herb, it is just not at all related to ginseng and should not be called Brazilian Ginseng by those who market it as such.)  Eleuthero is a bush, 2-3 meters tall and the roots are tough as wood, so unlike panax varieties it does need to be extracted. I use either water or  ethanol or both after I grindd it up, let it sit in a jar for weeks then pour it off into tincture bottles for consumption. Eleuthero is way cheaper since it comes from a big bush,  and might be just as good for many ills. It is the only one that I can feel any stimulation from. 

 

Some say American ginseng is most sedative and the most powerful, the Asian types are more said to be more stimulating to some degree in comparison. I never notice any stimulation any of the panax though, only , Eluthero can perk me up gently. Each of the ginseng's have their own separate special benefits according to herbalists.

[chemicalambrosia]

I've used the first one you linked to. For me it seems to work, but I've tried other Ginseng that seems a little stronger. This is one I've tried with good results: http://www.swansonvi...-fl-oz-bottle-s  The problem with Ginseng is that not all extracts are created equal, since ginsenosides are just a generic class of compounds. One set of extracts can have more useful ginsenosides than another extract, so generic standardized extracts aren't as useful as they are with many other herbs. You can try one of the patented extracts(I've never tried them, so I don't have an opinion on them), or try various brands based on subjective reviews.

 

For what its worth, I don't know if I find ginseng to be a very useful wakefulness agent. The only noticeable effect for me is an alleviation of fatigue. In all fairness I don't usually take it in the mornings, but though I like your cycling idea I don't know if ginseng is the best caffeine alternative.

[wolfmaster39]

Thanks for the replies so far. After doing some more research, I leaning towards this product for ginseng:

 

http://www.amazon.co...inseng paradise

 

It seems like a good product with a high level of standardization. I have to admit however that I wish it didn't come with a "Proprietary Blend of Synergistic Herbal Extracts", it seems a bit gimmicky to me. 

 

I've also decided to try ginkgo biloba as well. I have heard that these two are particularly synergistic for promoting memory retention. This brand seems to be a popular and well reviewed choice:

 

http://www.amazon.co...r's best ginkgo

 

Anyone have any experience with these brands??

 

Edited by theturk777, 05 October 2014 - 04:21 PM.

[chemicalambrosia]

Paradise Herbs is a well thought of brand, though a little expensive. Its definitely worth trying. The Doctor's Best was the brand of generic Ginkgo that I settled on in the past. For the brand name and price its the best value out there IMO.

[delon]

As another poster mentioned, ginseng capsules are pretty pointless. You should spend your efforts finding whole root if you want the real ginseng effect.