Siberian Ginseng — an Herb for the Winter
This is my review of Eleuthero by Superman Herbs which is now called Lost Empire Herbs (which is a product they’ve discontinued), which is actually a rebranding that I dislike — I’ll explain why later.
I’ve been using Eleuthero (often referred to as Siberian Ginseng) which is a performance-enhancing herb for a little over a year now; this 100-gram package has lasted me that long. Which is pretty impressive, that’s a lot of herbal performance enhancement millage from a supplement that costs about $40!
You’re going to want to check out my meta-analysis of Eleuthero; where I go into the significant body of research supporting this herb, the medicinal tradition, and the interesting recent history of its use. This review is mostly just about my own thoughts after gaining a meaningful amount of experience with it.
I highly recommend that you get Eleuthero in its powdered form as opposed to in capsules because it is better to take it as tea. I’ve discovered that pretty consistently if you take Adaptogenic herbal Nootropics as tea that their experiential effects are much more noticeable. Perhaps the hot water makes the nutrients more absorbed by the intestines, perhaps it opens up the pores in the mouth and throat which allow the Nootropic to be absorbed more directly in the bloodstream. I’m not exactly sure what the pharmacology of this is but you’ll enjoy using your herbal Nootropics a bit more if you take them as tea. Its taste is described as sweet, earthy, and slightly bitter.
Herbal adaptogens like Eleuthero are quite different as Nootropics than say the Racetams. With the Racetams, there’s a pretty universal standard.
This is not the case with herbs, there’s a big quality difference, which is why you will want to choose a source that purity-tests its products (and ideally provides a COA).
One of the most well-documented effects of Eleuthero is its strengthening or tonifying of the immune system.
And I certainly experienced this. Since I’ve been using Eleuthero I’ve been living and traveling in some countries that are best described as dodgy; I’ve no doubt exposed myself to all sorts of interesting pathogens.
During this time I’ve spent a winter and a half (as in 1.5 winters) in Eastern Europe, which gets pretty extreme weather, and in this time, with one exception I’ve managed to keep from getting sick. Anytime, I felt I may be getting sick I would step up my high dosage of Eleuthero for a few days and very consistently would feel back-to-normal. The one time I did get sick, I think it was because of the apartment I was staying in. I think there was maybe like a decaying body hidden below the floor that was making me sick. Just kidding, it wasn’t quite that bad!
I think herbs are kind of a victim of poor branding…
It’s a bit funny; before I knew about herbs I always kind of thought of them as being like kind of wimpy; you walk by the herb aisle in the vitamin store and you see all these bottles with like flowers on them but then I started researching herbs and herbs are actually like really manly…
- Herbs raise testosterone.
- Herbs make you more aggressive, assertive, and energetic.
- Herbs increase your libido and make you a better lover.
- The Adaptogens, in particular, make your nervous system more resilient to stress which makes you much cooler under fire — think of a man who remains calm and relaxed when everyone else around him is getting emotional and losing their shit — it’s a quintessential part of the masculine character.
- Herbs like Eleuthero are also potent athletic enhancers.
Any guy that aspires to true masculinity, should be using herbs. This is why I disliked their rebranding from Superman Herbs to Lost Empire Herbs, but what really matters is quality control.
Eleuthero is not a real hardcore cognitive enhancer like Piracetam, I don’t even know if I’d call it a quintessential smart drug.
Stacking herbs
I’ve combined it with a bunch of different things…
- Most notably; Rhodiola and Schisandra produce an energizing and mood-uplifting effect which in my experience — taking almost 100 different Nootropics — is almost unequaled.
- I’ve used it with the Racetams.
- I’ve used it in combination with Nicotine which had a nice effect of brightening my mood, giving me a lot of energy, and also really firing up my creative cognition.
- You can take it alone and it’s still certainly beneficial but to get the maximum bang for your buck you’re going to want to use it in concert with other herbs or Nootropics.
