Black Ginger Extract: Thai Ginseng (Kaempferia Parviflora, Krachai Dum)

Black ginger extract, Kaempferia Parviflora (not to be confused with black turmeric) is a native root found in Thailand (sometimes known locally as Krachai Dum) that is said to possess longevity promoting properties, as well as being a sexual tonic for men, improving energy and libido. It is also highly regarded by Muay Thai fighters for its ability to enhance strength, endurance and vigor, sometimes referred to them as Thai Ginseng.

However, Krachai Dum (its name in Thai) refers to Black Galingale and not Black Ginger as we like to call it in the West. It belongs to the Zingiberaceae family (Ginger family) of plants and looks almost the same as ginger except with a purple core in its rhizomes.

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Black Ginger Extract: Thai Ginseng

• Kaempferia Parviflora: The Natural Thai Viagra Alternative
• What Does Science Say About Black Ginger Benefits?
• Increasing Energy Expenditure with Thai Ginseng
• Black Ginger Extract Side Effects & How to Use
• Conclusion

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Kaempferia Parviflora: The Natural Thai Viagra Alternative

Similar to Viagra, black ginger works via inhibition of PDE5, the enzyme which breaks down cGMP and subsequently nitric oxide. By inhibiting this, it increases nitric oxide’s availability throughout the body, including the penis, and enhances the duration and degree of vasodilation, giving you stronger and longer lasting erections..

Pharmaceutical PDE5 inhibitors are very good at their job and inhibit the enzyme potently, but can come with plenty of side effects inclusive of back pain, blurred vision, dizziness, facial flushing, stomach upset, dyspepsia, or nasal congestion and rhinitis to name a few.

When Black ginger inhibits this enzyme but not as strong, allowing significant improvement to erectile potency, but being much safer and suitable for use long term.

Dopamine plays an important part in maintaining healthy libido in both genders, which is why black ginger is also suitable to be used for women’s health as well to enhance sexual function. Its ability to modulate dopamine function also naturally promotes better mood and can assist with motivation and drive.

Examples of other conventional compounds that also increase dopamine and hence improve mood are nicotine and caffeine.

Black ginger is considered a form of natural Viagra since it can markedly improve both the quality of your erections, as well as your libido by increasing your ability to becoming aroused, as a result of enhancing dopamine sensitivity in the brain.

However, it is important to keep in mind that it needs to be consumed daily for 2-3 months for best effects to manifest. Although many people will notice some effects within the first 1-2 weeks.

When taken long term the benefits build up, and you will notice that you are becoming more ready to “engage,” not needing to rely on Viagra dosing just before sex and the stress of planning sex around that.

You can even get a further boost in sexual prowess by consuming another dose of black ginger just prior to sexual activity.

In Thailand, it is a common recommendation to combine black ginger and Butea Superba (another natural Thai adaptogenic/aphrodisiac herb) since they are synergistic together and make an excellent cocktail for boosting men’s health.

Keep in mind that the effects of black ginger are NOT comparable in strength to that of the pharmaceutical Viagra, although they work in similar ways.

Black ginger should be seen as a health-promoting substance to be taken long term, and compared to Viagra it is entirely free of side effects and very safe.

It is very important that you not combine black ginger with other pro-erectile drugs/supplements such as Viagra, Cialis, poppers or anything else that work via nitric oxide enhancement as it can significantly increase the risk of adverse reactions occurring. Substantially.

What Does Science Say About Black Ginger Benefits?

Research has shown that black ginger possesses a wide range of pharmacological effects, not only reserved for promoting sexual function and fertility.

It is traditionally used in Thailand (especially among Hmong/Mong minority groups as an ancient folk remedy) to cure allergy, asthma, impotence, erectile dysfunction, gout, diarrhea, dysentery, peptic ulcers, and diabetes.

It’s also excellent for heating up cold hands and feet (cold extremities aka Raynaud’s phenomenon) and offer relief of gastrointestinal complaints.

The Thai government has been promoting black ginger as a healthcare food to increase public awareness and conserve its traditional uses since this herb is native to Thailand and Laos only.

It remains one of the most popular herbal remedies in Thailand.

Various polymethoxyflavones (potent antioxidants) are the flavonoid type that black ginger is particularly rich in and responsible for much of its beneficial effects.

The primary flavonoids being 5,7-dimethoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-3,7,4’-trimethoxyflavone and 5-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyflavone and major flavones compounds. These flavonoids are all pretty rare in the plant kingdom.

Here is an overview of what research has revealed on the health benefits of black ginger:

• Potent Antioxidant
  
• Activates SIRT1 (Sirtuin 1, a gene implicated in longevity and life extension)
  
• Increases Hand Grip Strength
  
• Decreases Erection Latency to Erotic Stimuli (without affecting hormones)
  
• Increases Length and Girth of Erect and Flaccid Penis States (without affecting hormones)
  
• Increases Blood Flow to Reproductive Organs (without affecting blood pressure)
  
• Improves Peripheral Blood Circulation and Relieves Edema
  
• Inhibits Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5, the same mechanism as viagra)
  
• Improves BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia)
  
• Promotes Nitric Oxide Production
  
• Improves Brain Function
  
• Anti-Inflammatory Effects (more so than any other Ginger species)
  
• Anti-Cholinesterase (potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease)
  
• Anti-Cancer
  
• Anti-Viral
  
• Anti-Osteoporotic
  
• Anti-Allergic
  
• Increases Energy Expenditure
  
• Prevents Metabolic Syndrome (Anti-Obesity, Anti-Diabetic)
  
• Improves Physical Fitness & Quality of Life in Elderly
  
• Reduces Pain
  

That’s a pretty impressive lineup of benefits. The following are some more images taken from research studies on black ginger that illustrates some of the study results above:

Increasing Energy Expenditure with Thai Ginseng

Like we mentioned previously, black ginger helps increase energy expenditure which is preventative for various conditions such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes.  

Here at Anabolic Health we emphasize increasing the metabolic rate as it is one of the core features of good health as demonstrated by the peak metabolic rate people experience in youth (which is the time when you’re often at peak health as well, makes sense right?).

Benefits of a high metabolic rate include increased energy production, faster recovery, higher stress tolerance, more rapid wound healing, deeper sleep, etc., the list is long.  

There are various compounds suitable for increasing the metabolic rate; caffeine is an excellent example of such a substance which most people are already aware of.

Another very potent one is nicotine since smokers have been shown in research to burn about 10% more calories on a daily basis, lowering their risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome (yes nicotine is not all bad).  

But by no means do we suggest that you should pick up smoking (burning matter and inhaling it is carcinogenic), but compounds that increase energy expenditure can be helpful for improving body composition and getting rid of that excess belly fat.

Oral/transdermal nicotine is not a good option for most because of its potential side effects (vasoconstriction) as well as possible addiction. Black ginger, however, comes with none of these side effects (is a vasodilator) but also similarly work on your metabolism.

Black ginger increases energy production by activating AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase).  Caffeine does so in a similar manner by acutely stimulating AMPK in skeletal muscle, and nicotine activates AMPK as well.  
 
Black ginger also activates BAT (brown adipose tissue) which is fat which is thermogenic, abundant in mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cells) and beneficial for energy expenditure.

All in all Black ginger should be seen not only as a booster to your metabolism, but it also improves overall energy production which is beneficial to muscle endurance and physical performance.  

Black Ginger Extract Side Effects & How to Use

Black ginger is free of side effects and does not affect blood pressure negatively (Viagra lowers it) as well as does not affect hormone levels (such as testosterone and estrogen, meaning also great for use while on TRT).

This makes it an especially beneficial herb for people suffering from heart disease or hormonal imbalances such as estrogen dominance since it improves their symptoms without affecting the conditions negatively. Thai doctors often employ black ginger as prevention for strokes.

The only contraindication for black ginger is not to use the herb if you are suffering from arrhythmia, as it can trigger these episodes further.

Black ginger has been tested for toxicity (LD50) as well as mutagenicity (Ames Test).  LD50 is set to be higher than 2000mg/kg (no abnormal changes was seen in a mouse model at this dosage) and was shown to be non-mutagenic.

A standard daily dosage of Black ginger root powder is considered to be 1000-1500mg (1-1.5 grams). A dosage of 1.2 grams per day is recommended by the Thai traditional medicine institute as proven safe from centuries of traditional use.

Conclusion

Combine black ginger with other therapies to monitor and balance your hormone levels, and you are guaranteed to succeed in reversing your erectile dysfunction.

We believe in this herb so much that we have released our own black ginger powder. 

We have personally sourced it on the spot, directly from farmers in Thailand to ensure utmost quality at a very competitive price.

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