GINSENG AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Among 200 normal adults studied at the University of California while taking ginseng daily for long periods, 22 (10 percent) developed hypertension, nervousness, insomnia, rashes, and diarrhea. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, both men and women experienced these side effects in response to the American and foreign varieties of ginseng.
The hypertension was particularly significant in that the average blood pressure of the 22 people involved rose from 125/78 immediately before they started using ginseng to 150/ 96 13 weeks later. This much hypertension, if continued, is likely to shorten life. Ginseng, taken as tea, capsules, or tablets, is gaining ever wider usage nowadays because many people believe it preserves youth and increases sexual potency. There is no scientific evidence that this is so. Although heavy users may enjoy a feeling of euphoria, the risk of hypertension clearly outweighs the benefits.
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Tags: General health