Health Benefits
Throughout history, this humble root has been revered for its health benefits to the entire body and even for mood and brain function.
To find out more about each specific benefit and the research available on each, click through each of the topics below.
Ginseng is a green, perennial herb that is mainly grown for its root. Although there are many so-called ginsengs on the market today, in botanical terms, there are only two authentic types: North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng).
North American and Asian ginseng differ in their chemical composition and each appears to have distinct biological properties. While Asian ginseng has been studied for many years, it has only been in the last 20 years that Western researchers have turned their attention to the medicinal properties of North American ginseng. Although research is in its early stages, evidence supporting the use of Ontario grown ginseng in the treatment of a variety of conditions is beginning to emerge.
One trial evaluated Ontario-grown ginseng in the prevention of acute respiratory illness in 128 elderly adults within an institutional setting. After 8-12 weeks of treatment with North American ginseng extract, the seniors experienced an 89% reduction in the risk of developing cold or flu. Most of these seniors had received vaccinations (90%) and the ginseng extract appeared to be safe and complementary.
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References
McElhaney JE, Gravenstein S, Cole SK, et al. A placebo-controlled trial of a proprietary extract of North American ginseng (CVT-E002) to prevent acute respiratory illness in institutionalized older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2004 Jan;52(1) : 13-9.
Laboratory studies suggest that North American ginseng has antioxidant properties that protect heart muscle cells from free radical damage.
Extracts of Ontario-grown ginseng have also been shown to protect against endothelial cell damage. Endothelial cells line blood vessels and their dysfunction is considered to be at the centre of a wide spectrum of cardiovascular diseases. Animal studies suggest that extracts of North American ginseng can also reduce cholesterol.
A recent study was the first to specifically investigate the effect of North American ginseng on blood pressure, in individuals with high blood pressure. The results suggested that, in the short-term, Ontario-grown ginseng had a neutral effect overall: it neither raised nor lowered blood pressure. This study helps to address some of the controversies about the use of ginseng in individuals with high blood pressure since previous studies have reported elevations of blood pressure in some people who use ginseng frequently.
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References
Shao ZH, Xie JT, Vanden Hoek, et al. Antioxidant effects of North American ginseng berry in cardiomyocytes exposed to acute oxidant stress. Biochem Acta 2004 Feb;1670(3):165-71
Stavro PM, Woo M, Heim TF, Leiter LA, Vuksan V. North American ginseng exerts a neutral effect on blood pressure in individuals with hypertension. Hypertension 2005; 46:1-6
Ginseng has a long history of use in Asian medicine as an aphrodisiac. Researchers looking for potential changes in hormones in laboratory animals that were fed North American ginseng found no changes in male sex hormones but instead found that ginseng significantly enhanced male libido and copulatory performance. There is also interest in the use of the root in the treatment of sexual dysfunction, such as erectile disorder.
Researchers have also turned their attention to studies with Ontario-grown ginseng in hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer.
In the laboratory, cultured human breast cancer cells that were exposed to an extract of North American ginseng inhibited the growth of the cancer cells. This test was performed with two types of breast cancer cells; one that had receptors for estrogen, and one that did not. Ginseng inhibited the growth of both types of breast cancer cells. Similarly, ginseng inhibited cancer cell growth in tests with two types of human prostate cancer cells: ones that were testosterone–responsive and those that were not. Ginseng extracts have also been shown to slow tumour growth in animal studies. This effect was enhanced when Ontario-grown ginseng was used in combination with a common chemotherapy drug called doxorubicin.
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References
Murphy LL, Cadena RS, Chavez D, Ferraro JS. Effect of North American ginseng on male copulatory behavior in the rat. Physiol Behav 1998 June;64(4): 445-50
Murphy LL, Lee TJ. Ginseng, sex behavior, and nitric oxide, Ann N Y Acad Sci 2002 May;969:372-7
Duda RB, kang SS, Archer SY, Meng S, Hodin RA. North American ginseng transcriptionally activates p21 mRNA in breast cancer cell lines. J Korean Med Sci 2001 Dec:16 Suppl:S54-60
Davis M. Digging for ginsengs secrets. Perspectives: Research and creative activities at SIUC. Spring 2001.
Canadian researchers at the University of Toronto are world-wide leaders in studies evaluating the use of ginseng in diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus is a condition characterized by high blood sugar levels. Controlling after-meal blood sugar levels is an important strategy in managing diabetes.
Ginseng may also play an important preventative role in the non-diabetic population. A series of four acute, short-term clinical studies published in 2000 and 2001, showed that Ontario-grown North American ginseng taken before a meal could significantly reduce after-meal blood sugar levels in people with or without type 2 diabetes.
A subsequent long-term clinical trial, in which subjects with Type 2 diabetes received eight weeks of treatment with an extract of North American ginseng, while maintained on existing medications and a healthy diet, demonstrated significant reductions in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). HbA1c is a measure of long-term blood glucose control. Lowering HbA1c levels may reduce the risk of diabetes complications such as heart disease and stroke. When study subjects continued to take North American ginseng for an additional four months, HbA1c was further reduced. As a safety precaution, study subjects were monitored for high blood pressure, but there was actually a significant decrease in blood pressure with ginseng treatment. This may represent an added benefit of ginseng therapy in this population. This is being studied further.
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References
Vuksan V, Stavro MP, Sievenpiper JL, et al. American ginseng improves glycemia in individuals with normal glucose tolerance: effect of dose and time escalation. J Am Coll Nutr 2000;19(6): 738-44.
Vuksan V, Sievenpiper JL, Koo Vy, Francis T, Beljan Zdravkovic U, Xu Z, Vidgen E. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) reduces post prandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Arch intern Med 2000 Arp;160(7): 1009-13
For centuries, Ontario grown ginseng has been used to support health and vitality. Scientific research is now providing preliminary evidence supporting its medicinal potential in a variety of body systems and disorders, including enhancing the immune response, which helps fight infections.
Two key studies compared Ontario-grown ginseng with a placebo in randomized, double-blind studies. One of these trials evaluated North American Ginseng (NAG) in the prevention of acute respiratory illness in 198 elderly adults within an institutional setting. After 8-12 weeks of treatment with the NAG extract, the seniors experienced an 89% reduction in the risk of developing cold or flu. Most of these seniors had received flu vaccinations (90%) and the Ontario Ginseng extract appeared to be safe and complementary.
Several laboratory studies have demonstrated the immune-enhancing effects of North American Ginseng, including research identifying a protein isolated from the root that had antifungal action and anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity.
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References
McElhaney JE, Gravenstein S, Cole SK, et al. A placebo-controlled trial of a proprietary extract of North American ginseng (CVT-E002) to prevent acute respiratory illness in institutionalized older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2004 Jan;52(1) : 13-9.
The primary active ingredient in North American ginseng is a group of chemicals called ginsenosides. These ginsenosides have many pharmacological actions, including various actions on the central nervous system.
Two clinical trials, with 101 participants, showed that the ginseng extract enhances memory in both normal, young (20 to 24 years of age) and older adults (46 to 64 years of age). The second trial demonstrated that the product enhanced visual working memory and other neurological measures in 64 patients with schizophrenia. Laboratory studies have also demonstrated improved learning and memory, nerve cell protection, and promotion of nerve cell growth.
Other laboratory and animal studies suggest that North American ginseng may exert a wide range of activity on the central nervous system, including the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) , an anticonvulsant effect, a pain-relieving effect and protection of nerve cells from damage caused by a lack of oxygen (suggesting it might help prevent or limit impairment from strokes). These are very early results and require more research before these effects can be safely tested and confirmed in humans.
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References
Sloley BD, Pang PK, Huang BH et al. North American ginseng extract reduces scopolamine-induced amnesia in a spatial learning task. J Psychiatry Neurosci 1999;24(5):442-52.
Rudakawich M, Ba F, Benishin CG. Neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions of ginsenosides Rb(1) and Rg(1) Planta Med 2001;67(6):533-7
Lyon MR, Cline JC, Totosy de Zepetnak J, Shan JJ, Pang P, Benishin C. Effect of the herbal extract combination Panax Quinquefolium and ginkgo biloba on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2001;26(3);221-8
North American Ginseng was an important medicine for people of the First Nations and has traditionally been used to treat a wide range of digestive disorders. Herbalists have used ginseng to treat indigestion and loss of appetite.
Recent studies in laboratories have demonstrated the potential for Ontario grown ginseng in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. An extract of North American ginseng berries reduced nausea and vomiting associated with the chemotherapeutic agent, cisplatin, and resulted in significant recovery of food intake. The antioxidant action of Ontario-grown ginseng is thought to play a role in counteracting the symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
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References
Mehendale S, Aung H, Wang A, Yin JJ, Wang CZ, Zie JT, Yuan CS, North American ginseng berry extract and ginsenoside. Cancer chemother pharmacol 2005; 56 (1) 63-9
Wang M, Guilbert LJ, Ling L, et al. Immunomodulating activity of CVT-E002, a proprietary extract from North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium). J Pharm Pharmacol 2001; 53 (11) : 1515-23
Assinewe VA, Amason JT, Aubry A, Mullin J, Lemaire I. Extractable polysaccharides of Panax quinquefolius L. (North American ginseng) root stimulate. TNFalpha production by alveolar macrophages. Phytomedicine 2002;9(5): 398-404
Wang M, Guilbert LJ, Ling L, et al. A proprietary extract from North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium). Enhances IL-2 and IFN-gamma productions in murine spleen cells induced by on-A. Int Immunopharmacol 2004;4 (2):311-5.
Wang HX, Ng TB. Quinquenginsin, a novel protein with anti-human immunodeficiency virus, antifungal, ribonuclease and cell-free translation-inhibitory activities from North American ginseng roots. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2000;269(1):203-8
The First Nations and Chinese Cultures have long revered ginseng as the miracle “man-root” —known as such because the root is shaped like a man and is believed to be beneficial for every part of a human.
Class 1 Safety Rating
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) Safety Rating for North American Ginseng is Class 1: herbs that can be safely consumed when used appropriately. The American Botanical Council Clinical Guide to Herbs (2003) reports that there are no known contraindications or drug interactions for North American Ginseng.
