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.
First couple of days
So I took the first 10cc vial of 6000mg Chinese red panax ginseng right after lunch and I felt it right away. The sensation was something like drinking pure energy. I have my own theories on how red panax ginseng works. You see, it is a root and has to be in the ground for a long time to become potent. The longer, the better. The kind I get is aged 12 years. It also sucks every possible nutrient from the soil so it has to be rotated to get potency in the subsequent crops.
My theory is this, and this is metaphysical and may be out there but just give it a read: The Earth is abundant in energy they call “chi” in the East. This is life energy to all living things. If it is sucking everything out of the ground, I think it is concentrating and storing this “chi” in the root of the plant. Then you drink the extract and… you get the idea.
Anyways, back to my first couple of days. I was not ready for the effect – that is the least I can say about it. I felt, at the same time, like I had buckets of energy but also like my mind was overloaded and I couldn’t focus or be coherent for too long. I was OK for the rest of the day and got some work done but I would definitely not recommend taking a first mega dose on a work day. This thing is potent! Maybe lower concentrations might be OK for most people but the 6000mg dose is probably the highest you can get. I also like that it comes in liquid form, and you can even mix it in any type of drink, hot or cold, which also tells me the extract doesn’t spoil easily, even in hot environments.
Then it became night and I was still energetic past my usual bedtime. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. But, at the same time, I felt great. I haven’t had had that much energy in a long, long time. I finally managed to go to sleep, fearing that I would be tired the next day because of my lack of sleep.
Next morning, I felt chipper, woke even before my alarm went off – which is not unusual by itself but considering I had about three hours less sleep, I thought I would be groggy and drag my rear out of bed. Nope. Got right up, went for my green, luxurious but definitely oriental-looking Chinese red panax ginseng box, popped another vial open, found and opened the tiny straw package and used one of them itty bitty straws to suck my next vial dry. It tastes a bit like coffee but has water, ginseng extract, honey and less than 0.5% alcohol in it – probably used during the extraction process, I don’t know why it’s there but on a 10cc vial, that’s 0.05ccs – umm, I guess they had to mention it. Funny it says “non-alcoholic beverage” on the cover too. Oh well. Down it went and up went my energy.
Second day was a bit jittery too. In fact, my concentration did not return to normal for about 3-4 days. Something else also started happening. My feet always get cold if I walk on tile for a couple of minutes. No longer! Since day 3 or so, my feet have been feeling warm and comfy, no matter where I am or if I am barefoot. I also don’t get cold in movie theaters, something that used to happen to me regularly.
But I am getting ahead of myself – the health effects are nothing short of amazing. Again, I have my theories. We’ll get to that, all in due time. Today I have done about three times as much as I was normally able to do in one day about two months ago. I still have energy to do more but I want to go to sleep. Oh, I forgot to mention. Though on the first day I couldn’t go to sleep at my regular hour because I took it too late and it was my first day, yadi yada yada, since I do so much more with my day, I sleep like a rock now and I have more dreams.
Like I said, I am just scratching the surface here. More to come…
If you are here, you are probably wondering about ginseng, possibly Chinese red panax ginseng specifically. I have been taking this amazing tonic for over a month now and I am just bursting at the seams to tell somebody, anybody, about it!
It started at a local GNC, when I was looking for a supplement called N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) because a friend of mine recommended it for protecting against the swine flu and generally super-charging my immune system. I couldn’t find NAC so I started researching gluthatione because apparently NAC helps make gluthatione in your body so I was digging through this huge tome of herbs, supplements and whatnot.
When thumbing through a symptoms and ailments index, my eye caught prostatitis because I had chronic prostatitis and no amount of antibiotics was making it go away permanently. I knew that it was a circulation and immune system problem but I didn’t know what would help. In the “tome” there stood a recommendation: “Chinese (red panax) ginseng.” So I asked the clerk and he showed me this big box of Chinese Red Panax Ginseng on a shelf. 6000mg, extra strength. I thought “Whoa, cool!” and grabbed a box and took it to work – I was at lunch break at the time.
So, the first two days you take this thing – watch out! I drank it and it was like pure energy. I was a bit disoriented and jittery and couldn’t go to sleep easily that evening. That’s why they recommend you take red panax ginseng, or probably any type of ginseng, very first thing in the morning.
I have been taking Chinese red panax ginseng now for over a month and I have to tell you it’s been amazing. I’m going to go into detail with posts in the near future but if you are considering taking red panax ginseng, go for it. The only warnings from the top of my head are that if you are sensitive to herbs and medications, maybe you want to start with the lower doses and work your way up to 6000mg per day and that you should take it first thing in the morning. It’s like an overall rejuvenator. My energy levels are comparable to when I was around 30 and I am actually about to turn 40. Like I said, there is so much more to this amazing root, but I will get back to that.
And, yeah, maybe you don’t believe in taking things every day but I am telling you this is more potent, more benign and more natural than coffee and probably tea. If you are like most people you probably drink those and Coke and God knows what else every day with a ton of caffeine in it. This is so much better for you and it’s cheaper too.
Stay tuned, I have a lot more to share.
