About adrenal fatigue
I did some research before and while taking red panax ginseng and there is mention of something called “ginseng-induced adrenal fatigue. ” It wasn’t relevant the first two weeks I took it but it is something you need to be aware of because if you’re not, it will hit you, like it did me. You see, many of the problems that Chinese ginseng helps with have to do with something called adrenal fatigue. It is actually the source of many “modern day” ailments like feeling tired and feeling like you don’t have enough energy all the time, etc. Ginseng helps with this condition. However, as with just about anything else in this world, too much of a good thing can be bad. In this case, if you take high doses of red panax ginseng for a period of time, instead of reversing or helping adrenal fatigue, the ginseng itself can cause adrenal fatigue.
Don’t ask me how, why or anything like that. I am not a doctor. (Here is an excellent article on adrenal fatigue by Patty Donovan, if you want to read more about it). I just know because I experienced it firsthand. My solution is simple: Pause your regimen regularly. I took my 6000mg vials for two weeks straight and then paused for one day, because, well, I was starting to feel a little fatigued and had diffuculty concentrating. Incidentally, everyone around me got the cold around the same time so I couldn’t tell if I was just fighting the cold. By the way, I never got the cold, hehe. Another wonderful effect of red panax ginseng is that your immune system gets really strong.
Anyways, I made it a point to pause one day, and once two days, per week, because of my experience at the end of the first two weeks. This past weekend, however, I didn’t pause to see if my experience before was really adrenal fatigue or just fighting a cold. Today I had so much difficulty concentrating, it wasn’t funny. So going about 10 days without a break is a no-no for me. If you know what it is and you are smart to pause regularly, this is not an issue. Remember, this is a potent herb so it only makes sense to give the body a break from it so it can get the maximum benefit when you do use it. I can imagine people taking this when they feel they need the lift instead of on a daily basis. I intend to keep taking it because it has so many ongoing benefits for me. Plus I like to binge on things to see what happens. Then again, I am also turning 40 pretty soon here and the older you are, the more you stand to gain by increasing your circulation, boosting your immune system and reviving your adrenal function. And now that I have tested the ginseng-induced adrenal fatigue theory and know it’s for real, I will make sure I take my breaks.
