Siberian Ginseng Eleuthero Benefits & Side Effects

Eleutherococcus senticosus is the full name of a Siberian ginseng, which is usually called Eleuthero for short. The extract of the roots of Eleuthero is used in drug industry. Ginseng-Eleuthero just like many other ginseng herbs has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for ages.

 Benefits and True Facts:

For thousands of years, Chinese have used Eleuthero because of its positive effects on the nervous system, mood, its anti-fatigue action and its beneficial effects on libido and sexual function

Siberian Ginseng Eleuthero can help people to boost physical and mental energy levels and thus to ease the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Of course, Eleutherococcus has some other very helpful functions.

Some of them include its ability to improve athletic performance, to stimulate the body, to improve cognitive function and to stimulate the immune system. As well, Eleutherococcus has a positive effect on blood sugar levels.

The ability of Siberian Ginseng Eleuthero to improve athletic performance has been of great interest for German and Soviet scientists several decades ago.  They have performed tests on athletes to find out whether the extracts of this herb have a positive effect on their performance.

This supplement also supports the endocrine system (adrenal glands), health vision and cardiovascular system.

Research and Studies:

Scientists performed a study on a group of highly trained young male athletes who showed better results and a decreased recovery time compared to a group of athletes who had not taken Ginseng-Eleuthero.

Many other studies have been made. Some of them showed significant improvements in performance measures such as forced vital capacity (lung capacity) and maximum breathing capacity as compared to groups of people who had not taken Eleutherococcus extracts.

However, a few studies ended with no results at all or at least with any positive results. This means that Siberian Ginseng or Eleutherococcus senticosus extract could have no effect on some people.

Probably, the main reason for the different results, which studies have given, is that various Eleutherococcus extracts were used. Most studies were performed using different extracts and that is why they have lead to so different results.

Nowadays we know that standardized high-potency extracts, which contain known amounts of eleutherosides, have greater effects than non-standardized extracts with unknown quantities of active components. However, at the time the mentioned studies have been performed, scientists did not know this fact.

Side Effects:

We assume that ginseng eleuthero extracts are harmless and have limited or no side effects. No drug interactions, contraindications, common allergic reactions or toxicity to Siberian Ginseng have been reported so far. However, people with high blood pressure should avoid taking ginseng-containing medications, including ginseng-eleuthero. These drugs are able to increase blood pressure.

Drugs Interactions:

Barbiturates – Eleuthero root extract may strengthen the effect of these drugs have on humans.

Antihypertensive Medications – Siberian Ginseng may modify the effects of these medications by increasing blood pressure.

Hypoglycemic medications - Eleutherococcus senticosus is able to modify the effects of these medications by decreasing blood sugar levels.

Digoxin – the combination of Digoxin and Ginseng may lead to increased digoxin levels in the blood.

Below is a list of health problems that may require the intake of Siberian Eleutherococcus:

Stress;

Eating disorders;

Aging;

Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Sources:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-ginseng.html