Hey Answer Girl,
What does ginseng do for you? Will it increase my sexual prowess?
-Herbal ExperimenterDigging up ginseng in the mountains of East Tennessee for international sale to China could possibly make you a little richer. Maybe having more money would increase your confidence, which would hopefully trickle down to your “sexual prowess” concerns.
But if you are not reaping in loads of money from buying and selling the root, ginseng probably won’t affect you, sexually or otherwise. According to traditional Asian medicine, ginseng root taken in tea is purported to help cure a variety of ailments. It has been touted, both in olden days and more recently, as a stress reliever, circulatory improver, cancer resister and sexual enhancer. Results from a handful of studies even suggest evidence to support these claims.
Unfortunately, at this time, the studies denying any significant link between the ingestion of ginseng and any corresponding effects on the target symptoms outnumber those in support of the link. But hey, science is always open for debate, right?
And if you believe that your daily dose of ginseng tea is improving the quality of your life then continue taking it, by all means.
It is unlikely that you will develop any ill effects from taking the herb, at least in normal dosages of one to two grams daily.

Do yourself a favor, though, and verify your source of the herb; since the FDA doesn’t regulate dietary supplements, many products that report ginseng as an ingredient actually contain very little ginseng, if any at all.
For more information, search “ginseng” on www.WebMD.com.

Dear Answer Girl,
I’ve been dating “Matt” and we are to the point that if we don’t decide on something, I feel like we’ll just end up as friends. I don’t want to scare him off, but how should I ask him what we are?
-Wanting More

If you want to know his actual verbal response to, “What are we?” then you’ll have to ask him. However this could have a huge variety of outcomes for which you should be fully prepared in advance.
For instance, what if you are the only one who actually considers your “dates” to be romantic interludes? Maybe he thinks you are just friends, anyway.
What if he does like you, but he is one of those don’t-ask-me-about-the-relationship types? Of course, you may not even like him if he is that non-communicative, but that’s another question.
Or, as I have personally experienced, he could be sincerely interested, but severely stunned by your blunt query, thus responding rather evasively.
Could it be that you really don’t want to ask him at all, but that you need some kind of reassurance that you are not wasting your time and interest? Before you go and ruin the suspense, remember back to past relationships. Some of the most fun times are those spent in the early throes of partial ignorance. Why else would it be so enjoyable to talk about to anyone and everyone who will listen? It is certainly difficult, but try to enjoy these free-spirited times.
If you are still going on private outings without too much wheedling, he is obviously interested. If you want to show him how you feel, then go ahead. Time, and no sly question asking, will reveal where your relationship stands.

Have a question for the Answer Girl? Submit your inquires to ETSUAnswerGirl@hotmail.com. All question may be edited for length, libel, spelling, etc. Every inquiry may not appear in the East Tennessean.

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