Fibroids and ginseng
I have taken your advice of March 9th and stopped using Siberian ginseng since I also have a fibroid (I did not know this was a contraindication before you wrote about it.) Would this supplement have made the fibroid larger in the several months I was taking it and is there anything I can now use to make it smaller?
The word natural often misleads people into thinking it is synonymous with harmless. If these natural agents had no action in the body, (i.e. were harmless because they were impotent), then there would be no point in taking them - but the very fact that they are effective means it is always wise to check for contraindications and, especially, to ask for advice before mixing them with, say, prescription medicines or other supplements.
Fibroids, which occur in about 20% of women over the age of 30, are an abnormal response to the female hormone, oestrogen. Siberian ginseng, as you now know, also has an oestrogenic effect in the body, which means women with hormone-sensitive conditions such as breast or ovarian cancers, endometriosis and fibroids and anyone taking HRT should not use it.
You will be relieved to learn, the risk of the ginseng you have been taking having increased the size of the fibroid is relatively small (Korean ginseng has a much more dramatic effect on hormone-sensitive conditions than Siberian ginseng) but since you have sensibly eliminated any risk by stopping that supplement, what you need to do now is take agnus castus, also known as chasteberry.
This herb will increase levels of the other female hormone, progesterone, to counter the higher oestrogen levels that have triggered the formation of the fibroid. The therapeutic daily dose is 150mg a day of standardised extract. If you cannot find a supply locally, mail order Nature’s Plus (60 veggie capsules cost £14.95) from Victoria Health (0800-413596) and take one a day.
The other piece of good news is that although lots of women do have these benign tumours surgically removed, they often shrink naturally after menopause. Until then, a combination of the amino acid, L-arginine (500mg a day) with 50mg of vitamin B6 and 1g of vitamin C may help retard further growth.