 Did you know that there's an herb, technically a mushroom, that is grandpa's best friend wink wink nudge nudge when it comes to getting it up? On top of that, this is a great herb for longevity and has evidence behind how it can help you potentially live longer. Now nature is vagroside. I was recently on a trip to New York City and I stopped by an herbal middiscinary there and I'm speaking with one of the herbalists about what are the best herbs for longevity. Now you know that going back for thousands of years people have been seeking these out across the world and traditional Chinese medicine is the most advanced pharmacopoeia of herbs, minerals, plants, or even bugs used for medicinal purposes. And so what better place to seek out the knowledge and wisdom of longevity than the original profession that sought to figure it out itself. So let's jump in top 10 medicinal herbs for longevity. I think this is going to help you guys. Hey guys, I'm Dr. Alex Hine, board licensed acupuncturist and doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, author of the health book, Master of the Day. So let's get in it. Now before we jump in, the most important thing to remember is that just because you supplement with one of these herbs doesn't mean you will live longer. And just because you stop taking them does not mean you will live shorter. The tried and true foundational principles of longevity, the way you live, the way you eat, the way you move, the way you sleep, your stress, your social connections, your reason for being alive are all more important than taking a little herb. So keep that in mind. Well let's jump in to herb number one is ginseng or renchen. Now check out this study. This study is called ginseng, a non-negligible natural remedy for healthy aging, kind of a funny double negative. Now these researchers found that historically ginseng has been thought to prolong lifespan and recently several studies have shown that the components of ginseng can prolong the lifespan of experimental models such as for example Drosophila, which is a fly. Now while ginseng did not significantly prolong the lifespan of mice in one study and actually stabilized their behavior by stabilizing the stress response. Now in one study though, a proprietary extract of ginseng extended the lifespan of infant and juvenile mice with leukemia with a dose dependent manner, meaning the more they took the longer they lived. Most of the time clinically we use ginseng not necessarily for longevity but typically for treating digestive problems or issues involving the HPA axis, so the stress axis let's just call it. We often use ginseng in formulas that are good for low immunity, for digestive problems, for bloating or for chronic fatigue and susceptibility to cratching or susceptibility to easily catching colds and getting sick in the winter. But there are lots of other rituals that we use for healing in Chinese medicine and longevity and my free guide below has four daily healing practices from traditional Chinese medicine that could potentially help you live longer, so I recommend checking that out. Verb number two, wolfberry or goji. So goji in particular is extremely high in antioxidant. Now in one particular research paper that is called Goji berries as a potential natural antioxidant medicine, these researchers said that the carotenoid content of Goji berries has been drawing a lot of attention due to its beneficial effects including antioxidant properties on vision, retinopathy and macular degeneration. So the longevity conferring benefits of goji berries are due to the high levels of antioxidants and in traditional Chinese medicine what's fascinating is that goji berries we say strengthen the liver and the kidney in. It's like the engine oil or the reserves. Now what's crazy though is for thousands of years goji berries have been said to strengthen the eye function which is amazing that modern medical research supports that they actually do have a specific function that benefits the eyes. Verb for longevity number three is astragalus or huangqi. Now in one particular paper featuring astragalus, the paper is called a systematic review of anti-aging effects of 23 traditional Chinese medicines. They found that the major components of astragalus, saponins, flavonoids, polysaccharides, they found that they have immunoregulatory, antioxidant and many more effects and these properties likely contribute to the beneficial effects such as lifespan extension slowing down of vascular and brain aging and anti-cancer activity. Among these bioactive ingredients one particular ingredient has been found to be associated with significant anti-aging effects through the lengthening of telomeres in cells. So huangqi in particular we use for conditions that are low immunity, susceptibility to colds, very often exhaustion, chronic fatigue, anemia, that sort of thing. It's often used for also edema, interestingly enough. Verb number four for longevity is licorice or gansao. In this particular paper that is called antioxidant and anti-aging effects of licorice, these researchers found that in particular licorice roots, the extract, showed in vitro antioxidant activity and this particular I think it's an nematode they studied actually showed an increased in survival rate when they were exposed to it up to a 33.5% increase. So this study on nematodes of course is not done by human beings but gansao, licorice we use for many different things. It's in lots of different formulas in traditional Chinese medicine but often we use it for lots of soothing mucus membrane-like activities, right? Sore throats, sometimes people have reactions to herbs where they're too drying or too spicy and licorice moderates that effect a little bit. Verb number five is called rhodiola or hongjingtian. Now in this particular paper on rhodiola called rhodiola a promising anti-aging Chinese herb, they found that it's been proposed that rhodiola can extend longevity and improve the health span by alleviating oxidative stress. So for example they found that rhodiola supplied every other day at a particular dosage significantly increased the lifespan of drosophila, particular fly, when compared the distribution of deaths between the rhodiola supplemented and the control flies, the flies that got the rhodiola had decelerated aging. So that's kind of cool. Now rhodiola is often used for issues with the HPA axis or stress. Rhodiola is not typically commonly used in modern traditional Chinese medicine but it is in some of the medical texts. In general it is used to mitigate stress. So sometimes it's called an adaptogen which is very generic kind of new agey term for a general stress modulating herb but that is sort of the category it is lumped in. Now on top of that I accept a limited number of new patients every month in my private practice in Los Angeles or virtually via telemedicine. The link to contact my practice or just call us directly is right below the video. Longevity herb number six is called lingjur or reishi. Now in this particular study which is called traditional Chinese medicine and aging intervention. They found that ganoderma was historically considered an elixir and has been around for thousands of years. Now in particular in reishi mushrooms there's something that are called polysaccharides and triterpenes that can potentially exert lifespan elongation or related activities. But besides those anti-aging effects it also is great because it has immunomodulatory, antioxidant, neuro-protective and even anti-tumor effects. Lingjur or reishi we typically use for anxiety and sleep issues. It's very commonly listed as an herb that settles the spirit and is something that promotes longevity. Good for sleep and anxiety. Longevity herb number seven is sanchi or panics notogencing. Now in particular sanchi in one particular study has been found to be called the miracle root for the preservation of life and has been extensively employed in China to treat micro circulatory disturbances, inflammation as well as external and internal trauma. Now in particular it has interesting effects on lifespan extension, anti-vascular aging anti-brain aging and as anti-cancer properties. Now sanchi we don't use a lot day to day besides for external liniments or internal formulas. So sanchi is often in those famous Shaolin monk formulas, you know the external liniments that did that job they use these liquors that are combined in wine often or liquor to improve the effect on let's say local trauma. So if you're someone who's getting bruised because you're getting kicked like in Muay thai or punched you get a bruise, a hematoma that is considered a localized form of bloodstasis in Chinese medicine. So we use herbs that help dispel blood stagnation and help basically circulation to reabsorb that faster. So sanchi is one of those herbs that is often used in these traditional external trauma liniments. Medicinal herb number eight is called ginko or baigua. Now in one particular study on ginko they found that ginko the leaves are widely used in degenerative diseases such as cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer's and more. So the way that ginko actually works is that it functions as an antioxidant, prevents mitochondrial dysfunction. And in general, one of the ways that we use it in Chinese medicine is that we use ginko often interestingly for chronic coughs and wheezing. So baigua is not necessarily used very often for aging in Chinese medicine but is more of a respiratory herb. Longevity herb number nine is called erba sistanches or rotongrong. Now FYI, rotongrong was what I was hinting to in the beginning about grandpa's old natural viagra. But check out this study on rotongrong, it's a mushroom. Now this particular study called traditional Chinese medicine and aging intervention listed it as a yang invigorating tonic herb and used to treat chronic renal disease, impotence, female infertility and other issues like senile constipation interestingly. And what's fascinating is that this paper called it, it was widely accepted and has earned the honor of being called the ginseng in the deserts. Now a lot of the extracts of it have certain compounds that make it very beneficial for longevity as well as for cognitive function as well. Yes, this is grandpa's old libido tonic, wink wink if you know what I mean. And a lot of the herbs that traditional Chinese medicine lists as kidney yang tonics are traditional longevity herbs because the kidney yang in Chinese medicine is like the primal battery of life, it's your vitality. And ancient doctors have said that it is associated with the kidneys in particular or the Ming men, what's called the gait of life. And a lot of kidney herbs are the number one category that people supplement with more longevity or better prevent cognitive decline, that kind of thing. So the herb number 10 is called danchen. Danchen or salvia is a fascinating herb and has lots of cardiovascular benefits. So in this particular study on danchen, this particular paper is called oxidative stress and salvia in aging associated cardiovascular disease. What they found is that it has antihypertensive blood pressure effects and it's working on particular and that danchen can regulate vascular tone and reduce blood pressure. There's another paper though that's even more interesting and what this paper found was that danchen as an injection can actually suppress cigarette smoking, induced lung inflammation by decreasing the levels of a certain interleukin and tumor necrosis factor in certain rats. So this herb could actually mitigate the damage caused by smoking. And we see this for other herbs in Chinese medicine too. One herb that's called jishu immature orange peel can actually offset the damage that leads to the development of fatty liver from a bad diet. So rats that were given a certain diet that would promote the development of fatty liver, given jishu orange peel would often see a decreased risk of that developing and a decreased frequency. So some of these herbs really are preventive in nature too. Now none of these herbs are as important as a lifestyle that promotes longevity. They will not undo the damage of a horrible life and these other factors diet, exercise, et cetera are more important. On top of that, I've put together a brand new online program, introduction to healing with traditional Chinese medicine, which is the fundamental principles on healing and living long. So this is one of the ways I'm keeping this channel as much ad and sponsor free as possible. You know, rather than having like this long pitch about some supplement or some greens juice that I don't know if it really appeals to you if you're interested in, I'm launching a series of courses that may be more appealing. So check it out. It's the pinned comment below. It's in the description. And then before you guys go, I have a great other related video on these practices and herbs right here.