Ginseng vs Coffee

Take a 10 minute Ginseng Break

 

Why Ginseng Beats Coffee

Scientists usually are very proud of their specialized knowledge. When it comes to ginseng, however, it seems that some country folks in Arkansas know even more than scientists.

That, at least, is how Steven Foster, himself one of the best known writers on ginseng, sees it. He says that he met some folks in his adopted home state of Arkansas with such specialized knowledge that they can recognize genetic variants that aren't even recorded by scientists.

He learned something else from them as well. If you want stamina and energy, take ginseng. Now, whenever he needs to take longer trips in his car, you won't see a coffee cup on his dash, but you will see him chewing on some ginseng root.

Energy is something most Americans want more of. Most take the sledgehammer approach to getting more. They take substances that stimulate the central nervous system. Some of them are caffeine, ephedra, nicotine and amphetamines. The other approach to energy enhancement is to take a tonic and it's a different story altogether.

Tonics Vs Stimulants

Tonics and stimulants appear to be closely related, because they both provide a boost of energy, however, their effects are actually quite opposite to each other. How is this possible, you may ask?

One way to understand this is by looking at your finances. Taking a stimulant is like putting all your purchases on charge cards until there is no more room on them, leading to the inevitable financial crash of your bank account.

Taking tonics, however, is comparable to gradually letting your money work for you in an interest bearing account and continuing to do so until the interest earned on the account is great than the amount of money you need for daily living. More and more Americans are realizing that cutting up their credit cards is better for them. More and more are also discovering that for energy enhancement tonic and adaptogenic herbs are a far better way to go than pumping oneself full with caffeine.

A Caffeine Addicted Nation

The overuse of coffee and tea was recognized as a medical condition in turn-of-the-century-American medical books, says Paul Berger, author of the excellent book "The Healing Powers of Ginseng"

Over the last hundred years or so, our society has turned to caffeine consumption as a normal activity, he says, with some pretty harmful consequences.

Symptoms of chronic caffeinism include, but are not limited to:

• Physical exhaustion
• Muscular weakness
• Mental exhaustion
• Dejected spirits
• Poor Digestion

Especially with regard to gastrointestinal symptoms, caffeine is doing quite a job on our population. Symptoms include

• Acidity
• Dyspepsia
• Better and sour belching
• Flatulence
• Constipation

If you have any of these symptoms, don't think that they are unimportant. Over the long run they can really blow up in your face. Try cutting out caffeine completely and see if the problems go away. And don't worry that you'll run out of energy, quite the contrary.

Tonic Herbs - The future is here

Tonic herbs, unlike stimulants, do not have instant effect. It usually take a couple of weeks or more before their energy building effects are clearly recognizable. Astragalus, Dong Quai, Asparagus Root, Eleuthero and Schizandra are some of the more well known tonic herbs and among them, Ginseng is King.

You won't experience any "crash", such as you're likely to feel after taking large amounts of caffeine, or food high in refined sugar, in case that's one of your "energy-building" habits.

Neither will you have to deal with jitteriness, anxiety or tension. The general effect of ginseng is to increase alertness while relaxing tension. This is also means that you won't have to worry about insomnia. On the contrary, drinking ginseng tea at night on an empty stomach, as Mrs. Hsu suggests, will help you sleep better. This is not true with "Red" Ginseng or with some ginseng preparations that contain alcohol or other unwanted substances.

So take it from Mrs. Hsu who for more than 20 years has relied upon ginseng for life-giving energy and health. Drink three cups a day on an empty stomach, prepared with distilled water and sweetened with honey or royal jelly to your liking. It will do your body and your mind a lot of good.