Is ginseng the real thing? Study says no

An eight-week study reports that the herbal supplement has no psychological benefits.

By WES ALLISON

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 12, 2001

Listen to the hype, and who wouldn't want to take it? Ginseng tea can boost your energy, ginseng gum can boost your libido. Ginseng can even sharpen the mind, or so the claim goes.

Since herbal supplements have gone mainstream in the past decade, ginseng consistently has been one of the most popular, with reported sales of more than $62-million a year.

But a new study suggests that may be money down the drain.

Researchers in Oregon and Michigan examined the mood-boosting effects of ginseng in healthy adults and found that it had no more impact than the placebo, a sugar pill. The result was no different even if people doubled the recommended dose.

The study appears in this month's issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

"The results of this study question claims suggesting ginseng can be used to enhance an individual's psychological well-being," wrote Dr. Bradley Cardinal, lead author of the study and assistant professor at Oregon State University.

"No psychological benefits were observed after eight weeks of chronic ginseng supplementation, either at its clinical recommended level, or at twice that level."

Researchers at Oregon State and Wayne State University in Detroit enrolled 83 healthy young adults in the eight-week study and assigned them to one of three groups: 200 milligrams of ginseng a day, 400 mg of ginseng a day, or the placebo. They weren't told which group they were in.

Their moods were measured before and after the study. Those who took ginseng, even in the 400-mg dose, reported feeling no better than those who got a sugar pill.

The participants were healthy adults with average psychological profiles, so the results could be different in other groups of people. Altering the doses of ginseng also could change things.

The American Dietetic Association, which represents food and nutritional counselors and researchers, says the study gives one more reason for people to ask their physicians or a dietitian about the supplements they're taking.

Studies have consistently shown that more than half of all Americans take some sort of herbal supplements, but most do not tell their doctor about them. Use is especially heavy among women older than 60.

The latest ginseng study follows one published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found that St. John's wort, which is commonly taken as a mood elevator and anti-depressant, is also no more effective than a sugar pill.

The findings of that study, which was funded by the makers of Zoloft, a chemical anti-depressant, have drawn heavy fire from groups such as the American Botanical Council. The ginseng study will likely be challenged, too, as more people hear of it.

Liquid smoke

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have patented a nicotine solution that can be added to coffee, tea, soda and other beverages -- even beer -- to curb the cravings of smokers trying to quit.

Tobacco is America's most addictive legal drug. It contributes to just about every chronic health problem, from cancer to high blood pressure to slow healing of wounds, and is blamed for more than 430,000 deaths a year.

Finding ways to make quitting easier is a constant quest.

Physicians and former smokers have reported success with other forms of nicotine replacement therapies, including nicotine gum and patches. Anti-depressants, such as Zyban, are being used more often, and two doctors at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg recently reported that patients have had success using nitrous oxide.

The Duke researchers who discovered the nicotine solution say it is attractive because it is easy to use, and the drink masks its taste. It also can be used several times a day.

In a small pilot study of 25 people, the solution worked about as well as other nicotine-replacement methods now on the market. After six months of using it, one-fifth of participants still were not smoking.

Participants used 2.5 milligrams to 10 mg per drink. Three mg consumed orally is equivalent to the 1 mg of nicotine you typically get from smoking a cigarette.

"Also, the nicotine is metabolized fairly rapidly, providing a quicker nicotine boost than is provided by a nicotine patch," said Dr. Eric C. Westman, assistant professor of medicine at Duke.

Do something for Dad

Think of all the things you have bugged your dad to do: Take you to a game, fix your bike, play cards when he was trying to read the paper. The National Prostate Cancer Coalition wants you add one more to the list: Urge him to have his prostate checked.

The nonprofit group is using June and Father's Day as a hook for a campaign called "Do it for Dad," aimed at persuading children to push their fathers to get tested for prostate cancer.

About 180,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and 32,000 will die. Chances of surviving are much improved with early detection.

Doctors can manually check the size of the prostate in a simple rectal exam. There is also a blood test.

For more information about prostate cancer, call the coalition at (202) 463-9455 or check the Web at http://www.pcacoalition.org. The American Cancer Society also offers information about prostate and other cancers at http://www.cancer.org.

Close to home

Regina White, a nurse at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, was named one of 11 winners of the Lane W. Adams Award, the American Cancer Society's top prize for caregivers.

White, who works at Moffitt's Women's Diagnostic Center, was honored Friday at a banquet in Atlanta for going beyond the call of duty in giving compassionate care to her patients. She has worked at Moffitt for 11 years.

And with the return of summer rains (finally!), state and local health officials are reminding residents to avoid creating habitats for mosquitoes. They can lay eggs in the smallest amount of water, so standing water should be eliminated around the house.

State health officials again will be on the lookout for West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease that first arrived in the United States two years ago. The virus can be dangerous and even deadly, especially for the ill or elderly.

First discovered in New York, for the past two summers West Nile also has been found in several Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Florida, with miles of empty swampland and long summers, is thought to be a prime breeding ground.

But the state's decades-long battle against mosquitoes means most counties have effective mosquito control techniques in place, said Dr. Duane Goobler, a specialist in vector-borne disease at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Goobler recently talked about West Nile with virologists from around the world who were gathered at a conference in Clearwater. Although it hasn't yet been found south of North Carolina, experts expect it's only a matter of time.

"In the South, there's less urban centers and more wetlands and swamps," he said. "The virus could be (there), and we'd never know about it. If it is here, sooner or later it will come to one of the urban centers, and we'll pick it up."

For more information, check the CDC's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov or the Florida Department of Health at http://www.doh.state.fl.us.

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