Story by Richard Stephens, Jr., staff writer
Do you use the “five Gs” (5Gs) – ginkgo biloba, green tea, ginseng, ginger and garlic – at times?
Dr. P.H. (Public Health Doctorate) Gaines Bradford Jackson of Midwest City recommends taking them all at once.
“These five plants…will synergistically interact with each other and have an overall positive effect on lowering blood pressure, stabilizing your cardiovascular system and making you overall healthy – and not one of these is synthetic. It’s all natural. God put them on this good green earth,” explained Jackson. “There’s no bad side effects from the mixture of all five of these.”
Mix and Drink
Jackson, age 81, thoroughly mixes an equal portion of the five plants: ginkgo biloba, green tea, ginseng, ginger and garlic, in powdered form in a jar. Then, he adds one teaspoon of the mix to a cup of warm coffee, tea or cocoa, stirs, and drinks it. He’s a ten-year user.
His advice? “If you’re beyond 65 years of age and a non-smoker and a non-drinker, I would start putting the stuff in and take a teaspoon a day…It takes a month for the overall cardiovascular system to notice a difference.”
Results? Jackson said he feels better and sleeps through the night. He takes Eliquis but no other medicine. “I don’t have any major health problems.”
Jackson isn’t a snake oil salesman. He has a Bachelor and Masters of Science, a Doctorate of Public Health in Environmental Health and taught at Rose State College’s Engineering Science Division for 34 years.
Many people buy and use the 5Gs and hundreds of other herbs, vitamins and supplements that stores and pharmacies sell over the counter, trying to improve their health. Jolene T. at Midwest City’s healthpatch store, which sells these, said there’s a “general increase in interest in natural products.”
Ginkgo Biloba – Improve circulation to brain, memory. Alzheimer’s prevention. Antioxidant.
Green tea – Antioxidant. Lower blood sugar/pressure, reduce memory loss, blood clots, anxiety, cholesterol. Strengthen bones.
Ginseng – Enhance energy, endurance, memory, virility, concentration. Reduce high blood pressure, diabetes.
Ginger – Prevent motion & morning sickness, nausea, diarrhea, blood thinner, respiratory infections. Lower cholesterol, pain.
Garlic – Improve immune, respiratory and circulatory systems and blood pressure. Reduce total and LDL. Assist the liver.
Informed Responses
Brian dela Cruz, a Registered Dietitian with the Senior Nutrition Program, Oklahoma County, said, “The dietary value of consuming these foods (5Gs) has many health benefits for the body, including keeping your heart healthy, keeping your immune system strong, and having benefits for your digestive health.”
Dr. Ryan Biggers, a family medicine physician with Sisters of Saint Mary (SSM) Health in Midwest City, wrote, “My overall assessment is that (while) there do seem to be some health benefits to all of these supplements, there really is no research on using them all together.” He identified some individual benefits below.
• “Green tea – some good results on supporting cognitive function and metabolism. No benefit on cancer treatment or prevention. Some benefit on Alzheimer’s prevention due to production of L-theanine.
• “Ginkgo biloba – some evidence of use as an anti-inflammatory with minimal side effects, although not to the extent of well-known medications (NSAIDs). Has been shown to produce nitric oxide, and useful vasodilator (but it could cause low blood pressure).
• “Ginger powder – actually the most robust beneficial studies of the five, mostly revolving around its anti-nausea effect…upset stomach, colic, morning sickness, etc.
• “Ginseng – the most widely varied dosed of the five, which makes any consistent studies almost impossible. Does show some promise for cognitive benefit in the elderly and for its use as an anti-viral.
• “Garlic – usually to be considered the safest of the five. This has many medicinal uses, is low-calorie, and is rich in vitamins. Higher doses…seem to be beneficial for lowering blood pressure (and) as a component…Allicin blocks Angiotensin II. It has also been shown to be beneficial to lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 10% (statin drugs lower LDL 40-50%), but does not have any triglyceride-lowering effect.”
Biggers had additional advice. “These supplements show the most benefit when taking for specific conditions, rather than as general health promoters. Quality and standardization of supplement preparations vary greatly, which affects efficacy. Most benefits are moderate (at best) in magnitude.” He closed with, “Although generally safe, potential drug interactions exist, particularly with anticoagulants for ginkgo and garlic.”
Testing the 5Gs
At the end of our interview, curiosity won and Jackson and I sipped the 5Gs together in tea. It has a brown color and tastes bitter.
Will I start taking the 5Gs? Not together. I drink green tea and my wife prepares homemade foods, sometimes adding garlic and ginger for flavor. What will you do?
For more information, go to the FDA, National Institute of Health, www.webmd.com, www.healthline.com, Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Research and others. See the online version of the story for Dr. Ryan Biggers’ complete appraisal.
Disclaimer: Dr. P.H. Jackson and the author are not nutritionists or medical or naturopathic doctors and are not offering medical advice tailored to individual needs and situations. Because herbs, spices and other remedies can interact with medications or affect some medical conditions, you should always check with your prescribing health care professional before using them.
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Story by Richard Stephens, Jr.. website: Rich Travel Niche
