Illinois ginseng growers are collaborating with researchers at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to subject the legends of the root to the scrutiny of the lab.
Along the way, growers and researchers hope to pave the way to new markets for the exotic root, both here and abroad.
Ginseng has long been prized in Asia as a remedy for everything from flagging energy to a virtual fountain of youth. In the Orient, it is typically used the way Americans might use a multivitamin -- as an all-around preventative.
Tony Lee, a professor of pharmacology at SIU, says when he was growing up in Taiwan, his mother used to place a thin slice of ginseng root under his tongue, especially during exam times "when you burn the midnight oil and you don't sleep much." "Every time I took this, I feel very good stamina," he recalls.
It was among the reasons Lee was interested in doing more rigorous scientific research to see which of the myriad Chinese beliefs about the root could be substantiated. Only in recent years have American attitudes become more open about ginseng and other herbal remedies, and research funding become available, he said. Among the backers of Lee's most recent ginseng research are the National Institute of Health and the American Heart Association.
That's quite a contrast to a few years ago, Lee said. "When I came first to this country in 1969, I told my professor, `Hey, let's run some ginseng (studies).' He looked at me, like, `Get out of here.' "
Lee says the change of attitude can be largely chalked up to the efforts of one radio pitchman of herbal products: "Larry King" nods Lee. "He convinced the audience to try ginseng . Now you can find all kinds of ginseng products on the shelves."
American medicine also is becoming more open to studying alternative medical treatments, in part because of the escalating costs of traditional health care, according to John Chen, visiting professor of health management at SIU and chhief reepresentative of the Chinese Medical Association in the United States.
Lee recently published results of two years of research on the aphrodisiac properties of certain ginseng components, called ginsenosides, on rabbits. He collaborated with Xiu Chen, a fellow pharmacologist affiliated with Hunan Medical University, which has an ongoing cooperative relationship with SIU. Both also have done work studying ginseng 's effect on the cardiovascular system and its possible use in treating atherosclerosis. At SIU's Carbondale campus, Laura Murphy, an assistant professor of physiology, also recently completed a study of aphrodisiac properties of ginseng using rats. Like Lee's study, Murphy's seems to give credence to Asian beliefs about ginseng as a enhancer of sex drive and performance.
Murphy, whose brother is a ginseng grower, said she went into the study somewhat dubious, not sure she'd find a measurable effect. But initial studies showed "pretty dramatic" increases in sexual response among male rats, even at low doses, said Murphy, who presented her initial findings at the Specialty Growers Conference Monday.
"I was really amazed to see the results we saw," she said. Murphy hopes to take her research into human clinical studies, while Lee would like to try and isolate the active components of ginseng . Based on research done so far in China, Lee believes various components of ginseng could be useful in increasing the immune system, preventing infections, increasing memory and brain function. "It may even slow down aging," Lee says.
One reason pharmaceutical companies, and most American doctors, dismiss herbal medicines is the lack of cientific precision in a complex natural product, explained Lee. "All Chinese medicines the same way -- all mixed ingredients," he says.
Studying ginseng is even more complicated because it is commonly accepted that the properties of ginseng vary considerably depending on where, and how it is grown. In fact, Leee theorizes t
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ng for a market, according to Scott Person, a North Carolina grower who shared tips for growing "green gold" at the Decatur conference. "People will knock on your door if they know you have it," he said.
It can still be found growing wild across much of the eastern United States. It favors moist, densely forested slopes where trillium and certain other wild plants grow. Jaws dropped as Person told of one friend who was raided bydrug agents after starting to deposit $100,000 checks in his bank account from growing ginseng . "They figured they had to be growing marijuana," he said. However, Person cautioned that for every tale of riches, there are far more stories of failure. His advice to would-be ginseng growers is to start small and -- like gamblers in any field -- "don't risk more than you can lose."
Few crops are as hard on the back, he adds, since, to date, there has not been much progress in developing mechanical equipment for planting or harvesting ginseng in the woods. "Lazy folks don't succeed at growing ginseng ," he said. Shade-grown ginseng is prone to fungus and disease, and woods-grown ginseng can be hit by root rots, especially in wet years, and predators from voles to slugs to humans -- with theft of the high-value crop a serious concern. Illinois growers are lucky to have an association, Person said, because most growers have few places to turn to with their problems.
"It's not like growing soybeans, where you can go down the road and commiserate with your neighbor," he said. Lee's advice to growers is to skip the fertilizer or other chemicals.
Many Illinois ginseng growers have farm backgrounds, but some do not, says Peters. The only thing they really have in common, he says, is they all do things a little differently. "It's been said there are 98 ways to grow ginseng ," he laughed. "And two ways not to -- fast and easy."
- BY: Rosalynne Harty Regional Editor
- SOURCE: The State Journal-Register SSpringfield, IL1996.01.14
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