Ginseng

About Parkinson's and health Treatments and therapies
1
Don't known if anyone else on here has tried this , but i recently brought some ginseng with multivitamins from the health shop down my high street after reading some good reports about it on the internet . After taking the tablets for about a week i noticed a dramatic improvement in my condition , about a 30% improvement , of course i know that it could be a fluke , or mind over matter stuff but i have been feeling much better now for a week or so , to be honest i have never felt so full of energy for years and im only 40 years old ! .The box of vitamins only cost about £5 so nothing to lose really , would anyone else on here like to give it a go and share any results
2
Hey sparky. I'm going to give this a go and will report back. All good things to you. Starsky
3
Hi

will try anything that seems to help...will let you know

regards
4

Hi. Got no benefit from this in terms of symptoms but no harm either. Thanks.

5

I’ve just bought some very potent high strength Ginseng. Its an amazing root. I came across it years ago, but had forgotten about it till I read something yesterday. It does not surprise me that Ginseng is effective in treating Parkinson’s. What does stun me, and annoy me, is that it is not considered as first line of action following diagnosis. Yet again in the west, its straight into the heavyweight pharmaceuticals with their plethora of hideous side effects. I’m slowly giving up on prescription drugs. I have come off over a dozen this last year. Opioids, Benzodiazepines, Pregabalin, all sorts of toxic gloop. Replaced the lot with diet, herbs and exercise. Turmeric and Ginseng in particular, and one other but I’m not allowed to mention that because its naughty (but ever so nice). I could almost suspect that the Pharmaceutical industry is more concerned with profit than health, after all where’s the profit in plants anyone can grow or foods anyone can eat? I’ll report back on the Ginseng in a few months time, when it has had time to take full effect.

6

I’m new to this forum. My consultant put me on Xanax and have been taking 1/2 a 25mg tab 3 times a day for last 6 weeks. I have just reduced to 1/2 2 times a day. As I see you’ve come off a benzo does this sound right to you. Just on sinemet plus 125 at the mo but it has gradually stopped reducing the tremors and it takes ages for the dopamine to kick in even if I take it with a big glass of fresh lemon juice (2 tbsp) with water. I’m told this is an absorption problem. Any advice very welcome. Thankyou

7

I’ve just seen these posts re Ginseng and wanted to write about my prior experience of Ginseng. I have a tremor in my arms, hands and left leg . I had a DAT scan in Feb 2025. I received my diagnosis in a 5 min phone coversation with my consultant. She told me I had Parksonian Syndrome, Essential tremor with Functional overlay. I was then perscibed Ropinirole. I tried Ginseng in September 2025 out of desperation as the Ropinirole wasn’t working. (This was prior to seeing my new consultant in December and put on Madopar) I tried Panax Ginseng from Holland and Barrett on three separate occasions. On the first occasion I took 3 tablets in the morning an hour after the Ropinirole. After 3 days my hand writing returned, I could draw a perfect spiral, I felt switched on and my tremor had disappeared by about 80% and totally dissappeared in my leg. The down side was I struggled to sleep. After 2 weeks I stopped taking them, and had a 2 weeks off as per the instructions. On the second occasion I took 1 tablet 3 x a day. The results were less impressive. There was a reduction of my tremor by about 50% . So on the 3rd try I again took 3 tablets in the morning again with the same success result’s as the first time. I then had a consultant review. When I tried to tell him about the Ginseng he wasn’t interested at all. Saying he had no interest in over the counter medication. He then perscbed the Madopar. My tremor has not changed at all since the Ropinirole and Madopar combo. I have now developed a vocal tremor. Hopefully some professional might read this post and find it interesting.

9

Hi, @ST17 and welcome to the forum. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience in so much detail. I can understand why you found the changes you noticed interesting, especially after struggling with symptoms and trying different medications.

At the moment, there is currently no definitive clinical evidence that dietary supplements or herbal remedies slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, and supplements may affect people differently or interact with medications. That’s why it’s important for people to speak with their healthcare professional before taking them regularly.

We have some more information about vitamins and supplements here.

I appreciate you joining the discussion and sharing your personal experience so openly. All the best :blue_heart:

Parkinson’s UK Moderation Team

10

Hi ST17

Can I ask what was the strength of the Panax Ginseng that you took per capsule/tablet please?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

11

Hi I took the Holland and Barrett korean Ginseng, 1500mg 3 in the morning tablets. Since being put on the Madopar and Ropinirole combo I haven’t tried it since. At the time I tried them I was only taking the Ropinirole. I read up on the advice of speaking to a professional but unfortunately no professional was willing to give advice.

12

Thank you for the reply, @ST17. It looks like H&B have lowered the strength of their own brand of Korean Ginseng (3 capsules now provide the equivalent of just 825mg of Korean Ginseng).

I’m sorry that you were unable to find a professional willing to give advice. I wish that our healthcare practitioners received proper training in nutrition, alongside their chosen speciality.