Under usual circumstances, pulse rates of weight lifters the morning after a day of intensive weight lifting did not return to normal levels. If they took tien-chi ginseng, on the other hand, their morning pulse did return to normal. Soviet athletes regularly use eleuthero ginseng extract as a health tonic. This application follows up laboratory animal studies measuring response and survival rate of animals subjected to very low pressure atmosphere. Thus, it does not seem to be a critical concern as to which kind of ginseng is used for this purpose.
Some athletes prefer to use several types of ginseng at once.
Tien-chi ginseng has the advantage of resolving bruises and other injuries that often occur during sports activities, so it may be especially useful to those just starting an exercise program and those involved in more vigorous sports for that reason.