Korean ginseng and ADHD - improvement naturally!

The meaning of ADHD

In recent years, neurobehavioural disorders and behavioural disorders affecting children have come to the fore. Contrary to popular belief, it is not because more children have these problems than before. Rather, it is because we have a deeper understanding of children's behaviour and can therefore identify the processes underlying behavioural problems.

One of these is ADHD, which is most commonly manifested in children with a greater or lesser degree of loss or dysfunction of certain functions. ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, not a specific disorder, but a neuropsychiatric symptom complex, and one of the most common symptom complexes. There is no cure, but there is a way to treat and develop children with ADHD - the earlier the condition is recognised and addressed, the better the outcome.

Not everyone has ADHD, what are the symptoms of ADHD?

ADHD does not always manifest in the same way, which is why in many cases it is not so easy to spot and can go undetected for a long time. Many people, now adults, live with ADHD without even knowing it. Think of it as a spectrum, with different levels of symptoms. Some people may not even notice that their behaviour is different in layman's terms, but for others it is immediately obvious.

Symptoms of ADHD:

To put it simply, there are 3 main symptoms of ADHD: attention deficit, impulsivity and hyperactivity. These can of course be present in varying degrees, resulting in quite different behaviours. In addition to the 3 main symptoms, there is a generalised impairment of planning and organising brain functions.

Some people have a disorder in all three of these areas, called combined ADHD. If only one of the symptoms is clearly present and the other two are very mild or absent, the condition is called ADD(Attention Deficit Disorder). Here, the most common characteristic is attention deficit, officially called "ADHD with predominant attention deficit". The third case is "ADHD with predominantly hyperactivity and impulsivity". So we are talking about the same disorder, the difference is in the extent to which each area is affected.

ADHD test or how is ADHD diagnosed?

As mentioned above, in some cases it is obvious very early on that something is wrong, but in other cases it is not apparent until adulthood. If we think, based on the child's behaviour, that ADHD is possible, we can ask for an ADHD test based on the child's symptoms, and there is an international set of criteria (DSM-V) for diagnosis. Only a doctor or psychologist can diagnose and test for ADHD. ADHD symptoms must have been present for at least 6 months continuously and must be experienced before the age of 12 for a diagnosis to be made.

Testing for ADHD and then diagnosis usually does not happen overnight, it takes time for the parent of an affected child to recognise that their child's behaviour is not typical and to get them to the right professionals. However, early diagnosis offers considerably more scope for improvement and should not be delayed.

Treatment of ADHD

We have written before that ADHD is not a disease and therefore has no specific cure. However, improvements in problematic functioning can be achieved. Exactly how depends largely on the exact condition of the person concerned. There are different types of therapy, and in more severe cases medication may be used. The regular development of skills and abilities is very important in the treatment of ADHD, leading to better functioning in everyday life in general and thus a better quality of life.

However, it should be mentioned that research is ongoing into what substances may be effective inthe treatment of ADHD . This is how Korean ginseng has been investigated, and experiments have shown that it can have good results in ADHD.

In Korea, complementary therapies to medication have recently been introduced to treat ADHD cases. This includes herbal treatments that affect dopamine metabolism, such as hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort), and those that improve circulation, such as ginkgo biloba and ginseng.

Saponin, phenol, polyacetylene, alkaloid, polysaccharide are the known main physiologically active constituents of ginseng. These substances are known to have a wide variety of effects: strengthening the body, combating fatigue, stress, etc. In addition, previous studies have suggested that ginseng has significant effects on neuroendocrine function and has a nootropic effect on the central nervous system, improving learning, memory, attention, sensory-motor performance and cognitive processing ability - hence the idea of its use in ADHD, and studies have been conducted in Korea.

Korean red or black ginseng and ADHD

Theeffects of early red ginseng on ADHD were investigated by Suk Hwa Lee, Woo Sung Park, and Myung Ho Lim, at the Centre for Psychiatry and Environmental Health, Dankook University School of Medicine, in 2011.

Eighteen children between the ages of 6 and 14 diagnosed with ADHD participated in the trial. The subjects received Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng) at a dose of 1000 mg for 8 weeks. All eighteen children were assessed by questionnaire and clinic examination at the start of the study and at weeks 1, 4 and 8. In addition to psychiatric interviews, clinical assessments were conducted using the ADHD Diagnostic System (ADS, a computerized attention assessment program) and the abbreviated Conners Rating Scale.

After 8 weeks, significant differences were found in the omission errors of the ADS (78.56 ± 43.33 at baseline, 55.17 ± 21.44 at week 8, p < 0.023), the Conners ADHD rating scale (13.78 ± 6.32 at baseline, 9.50 ± 4.80 at week 8, p < 0.023), and the ADHD rating scale (13.78 ± 6.32 at baseline, 9.50 ± 4.80 at week 8, p < 0.023). week), p < 0.042) and the Spielberger Anxiety Scale (30.94 ± 6.25 at baseline, 28.83 ± 6.23 at week 8, p < 0.042). Significant decreases in scores were found on the physical development scale (56.44 ± 9.63 at baseline, 50.94 ± 8.91 at week 8, p < 0.017) and the social dysfunction scale (56.33 ± 6.82 at baseline, 51.94 ± 7.13 at week 8, p < 0.025).

The above numbers and results suggest that Korean red ginseng may be effective in alleviating inattention in children with ADHD, but it remains uncertain whether it improves overall ADHD as well as depression, anxiety personality and other behavioral changes.

Korean red ginseng vs. inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity

Children with symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity were tested for the effects of ginseng in a 2014 double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

It has been previously shown that Korean red ginseng can reduce the production of adrenal corticosteroids, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), raising the possibility that it could be an effective treatment for ADHD. Indeed, imbalances in adrenal corticosteroids such as cortisol and DHEA may contribute to mood and attention disorders in adolescents with ADHD. This suggests that treatment with ginseng may alleviate these disorders by modulating adrenal function.

The trial involved subjects aged 6-15 years. Subjects were randomised into a ginseng group (33 subjects) and a control group (37 subjects). The ginseng group received one sachet of Korean red ginseng (1 g extract per sachet) twice daily, and the control group received one sachet of placebo twice daily. The trial lasted for 8 weeks.

The results suggest that Korean red ginseng extract may be an effective and safe alternative treatment for children with inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. The effectiveness of Korean red ginseng is therefore being further investigated.

But what is Korean red ginseng?

The Korean red ginseng (panax ginseng) used in the trials is ginseng grown in South Korea up to the age of 6. It' s one of the most popular herbs worldwide and has positive effects on a wide range of ailments - so many that it's being researched to see what else it can do for us.

Red ginseng is harvested after 6 years, then steamed and dried. The steaming process gelatinises the ginseng starch, increasing the level of saponin. Of the various constituents of red ginseng, ginsenoside has the most medicinal effects, as it has been shown to have immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-stress properties, among others. It has also been shown to act on the central nervous system and has a number of other positive effects on the functioning of the body.

Ginseng is also an adaptogenic herb, which means that it is a completely natural substance. This is important because for most medicines, side effects and allergic reactions are caused by additives. With a natural substance there is minimal chance of similar problems occurring.

Ginseng doesn't work wonders for children with ADHD, but it has been shown to improve their condition - it's worth a try!

So should we or should we not give ginseng - and if so, what kind, especially to a child?

Typically, ginseng is consumed as an adult or, at the earliest, as a young person before exams. Of course, in South Korea the situation is different because they use specially formulated products such as Ginseng Vita Kids, which is also available in our country, from an early age.

If you start looking for ginseng as a layman, you will soon find that there are millions of products available. The twist is that they are not all equally good. 95% of the ginseng products available in Europe have never seen South Korea and certainly not been raised until they are 6 years old.

What is worth paying attention to is the country of origin of the ginseng product. It is very important that it is made using a 6 year old plant and that the active ingredient of ginseng is indicated. Not how much ginseng is in the product, but how much is the active ingredient. It is the latter that really matters.

As a Korean Ginseng specialist, the minimum active ingredient in our black ginseng products is 6 mg/g. To reach this number, the ginseng extract must be made from a minimum of 6 years old root. If a product's box doesn't say how old the plant is and how much active ingredient it contains, we can be sure that it doesn't even come close to this value, so it can't really be effective. It's good to know this before opting for the invitingly (and suspiciously) cheap ginseng. Of course, you can opt for it, but don't expect results, and it's especially not recommended for children.

Since this article is about children, it makes a difference which product we choose: what is good for a child is not necessarily good for an adult. However, in Korea, the home of ginseng, research has led to the development of a ginseng product specially formulated for children, which contains just the right amount of the active ingredients a child needs. This is Ginseng Vita Kids, which contains the much more absorbable fermented 6-year-old red ginseng, with 20 vegetable extracts, 7 berry extracts and natural vitamin D. It's all natural, no artificial stuff in it so it's expensive to produce but won't have any side effects on your child.

The product isalso available in Hungary - Vita Ginseng Kids - give it a try, improve your child's condition naturally!