I found some interesting info last night while researching something different. When I try to find studies on ginseng, the literature is pretty much limited to the work being done in relation to its health benefits. In that area, there is a large volume of work being done. I just happened to run across this study by Yan, Zhang, Zheng, Shen and Chen (2014) which deals with the effects of one of the ginsenosides –the active ingredients in ginseng- Rg1.
Ginseng is considered an adaptogen meaning it provides the body what the body needs and is particularly helpful in dealing with stress. What the researchers found is that Rg1 supplements over time, helped with the synaptic plasticity in the Hippocampus of the brain and thereby helped to avoid age-related cognitive issues.
Here is a paragraph from the study:
“In conclusion, during normal aging, age-related cognitive decline is accompanied by downregulation of mTOR signaling in the hippocampus. Long-term Rg1 treatment can greatly improve cognitive performance by enhancing the activation of mTOR signaling and upregulating synaptic plasticity-related protein synthesis. These findings suggest ginsenoside Rg1 can serve as a candidate for alleviating age-related cognitive decline.”
This is noteworthy! This shows that long-term ginseng supplements can physically affect our biology in a positive way which helps to avoid negative behaviors brought on by natural aging –particularly in the area of memory loss.
Yang, L., Zhang, J., Zheng, K., Shen, H., & Chen, X. (2014). Long-term Ginsenoside Rg1 Supplementation Improves Age-Related Cognitive Decline by Promoting Synaptic Plasticity Associated Protein Expression in C57BL/6J Mice. Journals Of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences, 69(3), 282-294. doi:10.1093/gerona/glt091
