jinxed said:
Hi jinxed,
Sorry for late reply. Just moved home & only just had broadband re-installed.
Anyway, the reason I mentioned Ginseng wasn't because it helps SP/SA. Rather, if you take a med which is helping your SP, but that same med makes you drowsy &/or fatigued (like I found most SSRIs, & clonazepam to start with), then Ginseng can counteract this drowsiness often without reducing the effectiveness of your med. Even enhancing it infact - you need a certain amount of (positive) energy to feel confident. But you are right that all herbs can cause cons too, even ones which seem to help at first. With Ginseng, especially Korean/Panax (red Korean even more so) it can over stimulate into anxiety, which is why its often recommended to have 2 weeks off every so often, or only use it for a short while to rejuvinate.
In Chinese traditional medicine, Ginseng is normally only a choice for the older generation &/or during the winter months because it produces heat in the body. Ashwaganda (I think) is a more appropriate 'adaptogen' for younger people. Siberian Ginseng (which isn't a true Ginseng) is a good alternative & a good all rounder. American Ginseng (a true Ginseng) is traditionally said to be cooler than Korean, more suited to Younger people & the Summer months. Though it can be too 'cooling' - I tried it once as another attempt the combat med-induced fatigue & it practically knocked me out every time! So maybe a good calmer to try on its own perhaps?
To answer your other quieries, this is what I've concluded:
For Korean Ginseng (also called Panax Ginseng), the best brand which you'll find in many stores is Power Health's POWER GINSENG GX 2500+
http://www.power-health.co.uk/GINSENG_SUPPLEM.html
which contains 30% / 30mg Ginsenosides per gel capsule & is preferable because it hasn't been dried (which might alter the effectiveness of a herb, especially such a complex herb as Ginseng). Also, it contains Panax C.A. Meyer Ginseng often said to be the best in the world - you can certainly trust its quality anyway.
But To go one better is to try & buy pure Korean/Panax Ginseng in 30-50g jars. This type, sometimes refered to as Ginseng tea is THE BIZ! Its consistency is like Marmite - thick & black. It comes with a tiny spoon & you need very little but BOY can you tell the difference! this is 'proper' Ginseng extract & is very strong. Its the best by far but is hard to get hold of. I first bought it in a (UK) Chinese herbal shop which has since closed down, yet every time I go to any other Chinese 'specialist' shop/dealer & ask for it, they haven't a clue what I mean & try to sell me liquid ginseng instead. Last time I purchased it from an Australian website. You want the brand called IL HWA Korean Ginseng Extract if you can get it. Heres a link to a site selling it:
http://www.g-domain.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=31
And St. Johns wort? Lichtwer's Kira Standardised LI-160 one-a-day brand
http://www.lichtwer.co.uk/stJohnsWort . I've tried many though not all, but this is the only brand which has worked (depression not anxiety). And forget the one-a-day, you really need 3 per day to start with, which is standard, and maybe cut down after a while. Unfortunitely, because this is the brand most often used in clinical trial, its also one of the most expensive at 3 per day. But believe me - IT WORKS! Give it 3 days to a week & you'll feel pretty damn good - positive, free of fatigue, need less sleep and even motivated to actually go outside despite any anxiety. GPs actually prescribe this brand in Germany. But it didnt last for me, & actually seemed to exagerate my anxiety, and stress within about 6-8 weeks. Maybe I should have cut down after 2-3 weeks.
Interestingly, people sometimes report different effects from different brands of St. John's Wort. Kira was certainly more 'activating' for me than anything else.
Infact many companies are now starting to 'standerdize' thier extracts on HYPERFORIN believing this substance may be (one of) the main key player in its antidepressant effect. Its now widely accepted that hypericin, once thought to be the major mood-lifting substance actually has barely any effect on the mind. However, many companies, Kira included, still standardize thier product on Hypericin, though mainly to simply assure a regular consistency of the extract rather than as a 'promise' of a guaranteed level of active ingredient.
Nuff said. (Ouch my brains aching :? )
teck