Going For Korean Food

Whoa, we tried out eating at a Korean Restaurant . . . at Maru. We loved it and had to come back time and time again.

There were like a dozen free appetizers. mostly veggies. Specific food are cooked in front of you, yummy.

My favorite? Thin slices of pork that you watch grilled to perfection then wrapped in fresh green lettuce leaves. Hmmm. Don't forget to dip in the special Korean bean sauce.

Cleaning Grace

Was able to attend the very first mass yesterday for the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Our Lady is full of grace. Miraculously, today, I feel I am filled with "cleaning" grace.

I cleaned my car sparkling white (well, in my mind it's sparkling, it's a challenge to clean white cars). I proceeded with the floor of the front of our home, tried mopping it but finally resorted to wash it with soap and water. Oops, not to forget my giant mat.

And look! I wrestled with the doggy things like their housing and grooming table, whew, spic and span!

Okay, still with my efficient and dependable weapons : sturdy rubber gloves, laundry brush, rug, pail, basin and the ever-reliable laundry bar soap (a true cleaning agent, believe me) , I tackled our dining chairs.

I love those chairs of mango-yellow color. However, seems to me, the color has turned from a rich yellow to an over-ripe mango color.

During drying time (wiping the chairs dry), I stop a while and fill-up this blog, a little break time for me and my deadly weapons.

I started this blog so I don't get overwhelmed, tired and cranky with household chores, or shall I say "household cleaning battles". This blogging thingy still works its magic with me.

May you be filled with grace as well. Have a nice day!

Genie in a Bottle? Ginseng

Last week, my husband brought home a "pasalubong" (surprise). It was a bottle of something I was not familiar with. At first, it looked to me like an embryo specimen. A closer look showed a root immersed in clear, lightly-tinted yellow liquid. I can spot minuscule debris floating as well. It's "Ginseng" in a bottle. Wow!

The label says "Korean Ginseng Drink". Further reading . . .
Ingredients: Korean ginseng root, malic acid, glycin, citric acid. At least, I know what citric acid is, I think. More . . . How to drink: Shake well before drinking. Deposits exist normally. Good for adults to drink one bottle at a time. Use by 2010.06.13.

I was laughing inside 'coz I was imagining myself shaking my whole body before drinking, just like in a comedy skit, for the label says . . . " Shake well before drinking" .

I was excited to see the item since I have heard about Ginseng being related to health. However, I realized that's all I know.

The bottle is left as is, unopened, until now. I am not quite sure if I should drink it. However, to put the ginseng into some use, I took a picture of it, and . . . out came this blog post.

Actually, my interest is more on trying to cook ginseng chicken.

I'll try to drink it next week, or probably next month, but that would have to be another post, heheh.

Gathered some info . . .

Ginseng, also known as Ginnsuu in some regions of Asia, mainly China and Korea, is any one of eleven distinct species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the Panax genus in the family Araliaceae. It grows in the Northern Hemisphere in eastern Asia (mostly northern China, Korea, and eastern Siberia), typically in cooler climates; Panax vietnamensis, discovered in Vietnam, is the southernmost ginseng found. This article focuses on the Series Panax ginsengs, which are the adaptogenic herbs, principally Panax ginseng and P. quinquefolius. Ginseng is characterized by the presence of ginsenosides.

Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is not a true ginseng, but a different plant that was renamed as "Siberian ginseng" as a marketing ploy; instead of a fleshy root, it has a woody root; instead of ginsenosides, eleutherosides are the active compound. Eleutherosides are classified as another adaptogen.

The English word ginseng derives from the Chinese term rénshēn, literally "man root" (referring to the root's characteristic forked shape, resembling the legs of a man). The English pronunciation derives from a southern Chinese reading, similar to Cantonese jên shên and the Hokkien pronunciation "jîn-sim".

The botanical/genus name Panax means "all-heal" in Greek, sharing the same origin as "panacea," and was applied to this genus because Linnaeus was aware of its wide use in Chinese medicine as a muscle relaxant.

Traditional Uses

Both American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) roots are taken orally as adaptogens, aphrodisiacs and in the treatment of type II diabetes, as well as Sexual dysfunction in men. The root is most often available in dried form, either whole or sliced. Ginseng leaf, although not as highly prized, is sometimes also used; as with the root it is most often available in dried form.

This ingredient may also be found in some popular energy drinks: usually the "tea" varieties or functional foods. Usually ginseng is present in subclinical doses and it does not have measurable medicinal effects. It can be found in cosmetic preparations as well, with similar lack of effect.

Modern Science and Ginseng

It has been difficult to either verify or quantify the medicinal benefits of ginseng using science, as there are contradictory results from different studies, possibly due to the wide variety and quality of ginseng used in the tests. High-quality studies of the effects of ginseng are rare.

Ginseng is promoted as an adaptogen (a product that increases the body's resistance to stress), one which can to a certain extent be supported with reference to its anticarcinogenic and antioxidant properties, although animal experiments to determine whether longevity and health were increased in the presence of stress gave negative results.

A comparative, randomized and double-blind study at the National Autonomous University of Mexico indicates it may be "a promising dietary supplement" when assessed for an increase in quality of life.

P. ginseng appear to inhibit some characteristics associated with cancer in animal models; nevertheless, this effect is unclear in humans. A randomized, double-blind pilot study noted ginseng appeared to reduce fatigue in cancer patients.

A 2002 study by the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (published in the annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) found that in laboratory animals, both Asian and American forms of ginseng enhance libido and copulatory performance. These effects of ginseng may not be due to changes in hormone secretion, but to direct effects of ginseng, or its ginsenoside components, on the central nervous system and gonadal tissues. In males, ginsenosides can facilitate penile erection. This is consistent with traditional Chinese medicine and Korean medicine medicinal uses of ginseng. Ginseng is known to contain phytoestrogens.

Use with other Medications

Side effects

According to a Sports Nutrition FAQ published by UMass Amherst, one of P. ginseng's most common side-effects is the inability to sleep. However, other sources state that ginseng causes no sleep difficulties. Other side-effects can include nausea, diarrhea, headaches, epistaxis, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, and mastalgia. Ginseng may also lead to induction of mania in depressed patients who mix it with antidepressants.

Common Classification

Ginseng roots in a market in Seoul, 2003
P. quinquefolius American ginseng (root)

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, American Ginseng promotes Yin energy, cleans excess Yang in the body, and calms the body. The reason it has been claimed that American ginseng promotes Yin (shadow, cold, negative, female) while East Asian ginseng promotes Yang (sunshine, hot, positive, male) is because, according to traditional Chinese medicine, things living in cold places or northern side of mountains or southern side of rivers are strong in Yang and vice versa, so that the two are balanced. Chinese/Korean ginseng grows in Manchuria and Korea, the coldest area known to many Koreans in ancient times. Thus, ginseng from there is supposed to be very Yang. Originally, American ginseng was imported into China via subtropical Guangzhou, the seaport next to Hong Kong, so Chinese doctors believed that American ginseng must be good for Yin, because it came from a hot area. However they did not know that American ginseng can only grow in temperate regions. Nonetheless the root is legitimately classified as more Yin because it generates fluids.

The two main components of ginseng are claimed to be in different proportions in the Asian and American varieties, and are speculated to be the cause of the excitatory versus tonic natures.

The ginseng is traditionally sliced and a few slices are simmered in hot water to make a decoction.

Most North American ginseng is produced in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia and the American state of Wisconsin, according to Agri-food Canada. P. quinquefolius is now also grown in northern China.

A randomized, double-blind study shows that an extract of American ginseng reduces influenza cases in the elderly when compared to placebo.

The aromatic root resembles a small parsnip that forks as it matures. The plant grows 6 to 18 inches tall, usually bearing three leaves, each with three to five leaflets 2 to 5 inches long.

Panax ginseng Asian ginseng (root) and Ginseng and reishi mushrooms in bottles are being sold in Seoul, Korea.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Panax Ginseng promotes Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness, and stimulates the body. Panax Ginseng is available in four forms:

The form called fresh ginseng is the raw product.

The form called white ginseng (WG) is fresh ginseng which has been dried. It is grown for four to six years, and then peeled and dried to reduce the water content to 12% or less. White Ginseng is air dried in the sun and may contain less of the therapeutic constituents. It is thought by some that enzymes contained in the root break down these constituents in the process of drying. Drying in the sun bleaches the root to a yellowish-white color.

The form called red ginseng (RG) is harvested after six years, is not peeled and is steam-cured at standard boiling temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius, thereby giving them a glossy reddish-brown coloring. Steaming the root is thought to change its biochemical composition and also to prevent the breakdown of the active ingredients. The roots are then dried. RG is more common as herbal medicine than WG, and there is increasing research on the pharmacological activities of RG specific ginsenosides.

The form called sun ginseng (SG) is created from a heat processing method which increases ginsenoside components such as ginsenoside-[Rg.sub.3], -[Rk.sub.1] and -[Rg.sub.5] by steaming white ginseng at a higher temperature than red ginseng. The herb is steamed for three hours at 120 degrees C. Research has shown that SG has increased nitric oxide, superoxide, hydroxyl radical and peroxynitrite scavenging activities compared with conventionally processed RG or WG. The increased steaming temperature produces an optimal amount of biological activity due to its ability to amplify specific ginsenosides. Japanese researchers set out to investigate the antioxidant effect of SG on oxidative stress.

Source: Wikipedia