Performance In A Pill? Energize Yourself With Eleuthero
- By Mario Fraioli
- Published Jun. 17, 2011
- Updated Mar. 15, 2012 at 5:10 PM UTC
Safety/Dosage
Plants in the ginseng/eleuthero families are generally considered quite safe (that’s part of the definition they must fulfill to be termed an adaptogen). There are no known drug interactions, contraindications, common allergic reactions or toxicity to Siberian ginseng. A word of caution is recommended, however, for individuals with hypertension, as the stimulatory nature of some ginseng preparations, including eleuthero, have been reported to increase blood pressure.
While the scientific evidence for the benefits of eleuthero and its mechanisms of action can be considered supported only for the standardized extracts, the general adaptogenic role of the entire family of “ginsengs” have proven beneficial for many thousands of years and may, therefore, prove valuable as normalizing substances during stressful conditions. Eleuthero is best supplemented as a standardized extract (100-300mg/day with 0.5-1.0% eleutherosides) to ensure that you are getting an effective product.
About the Author
Shawn Talbott is an avid endurance athlete (multiple-Ironman and ultramarathon finisher) and scientist (PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry and MS in Exercise Science) in Salt Lake City. He can be reached at www.ShawnTalbott.com
References
Dowling EA, Redondo DR, Branch JD, Jones S, McNabb G, Williams MH. Effect of Eleutherococcus senticosus on submaximal and maximal exercise performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996 Apr;28(4):482-9.
Martinez B, Staba EJ. The physiological effects of Aralia, Panax and Eleutherococcus on exercised rats. Jpn J Pharmacol. 1984 Jun;35(2):79-85.
Kuo J, Wen-Chyuan Chen K, Cheng I, Tsai P, Lu Y, and Lee Y. The Effect of Eight Weeks of Supplementation with Eleutherococcus senticosus on Endurance Capacity and Metabolism in Human. Chinese Journal of Physiology 53(2): 105-111, 2010.
Goulet ED, Dionne IJ. Assessment of the effects of eleutherococcus senticosus on endurance performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2005 Feb;15(1):75-83.
Eschbach LF, Webster MJ, Boyd JC, McArthur PD, Evetovich TK. The effect of siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) on substrate utilization and performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000 Dec;10(4):444-51.
Pages: 1 2FILED UNDER: Nutrition TAGS: Eleuthero / fat-burning capacity / mental stress / physical stress / prime / Siberian ginseng / Supplements / VO2 Max
Mario Fraioli
Mario Fraioli is a senior editor at Competitor magazine. A cross-country All-American at Stonehill College in 2003, he now coaches the Prado Women's Racing Team in San Diego and was the men's marathon coach for Costa Rica's 2012 Olympic team. His first book, The Official Rock 'n' Roll Guide To Marathon & Half-Marathon Training (VeloPress, 2013) is available in bookstores, running shops and online.