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November 29, 2005
Gingseng Seems to Help Fight the Common Cold...
This news story made some waves.
- Taking the Chinese ginseng root may help reduce the risk of developing the cold bug, a Canadian study suggests.
The study shows that patients taking ginseng during the four-month winter period experienced fewer colds, and those that did develop one experienced a less-intense version of the virus.
In the study, researchers, from the University of Alberta in Canada, administered either a common ginseng extract or placebo to a study group of 278 patients. Each patient possessed a clean bill of health yet admitted to having a susceptibility to colds, as they experienced at least two of them during last winter.
Sixty-four percent of the placebo group and 55 percent of the ginseng group contracted colds over the the study period. 23 percent of the placebo group experienced two or more colds during the winter, while only 10 percent of ginseng patients suffered similar circumstances.
On average, the length of cold for the ginseng group was 8.7 days, compared to 11.1 in placebo subjects.
This is a good scientific study (double-blind) and it should significant positive results. Combine this with the long-standing belief and use of gingseng in Chinese medicine and I think we have a winner. Certainly, gingseng won't hurt you, unlike other herbal medicines I can think of.
I went out and bought some the next day.
Posted by rakhier at November 29, 2005 07:59 PM