Health Professionals Toolkit
We share your passion for improving public health and admire all your hard work to help Canadians make healthier choices. We want to support your efforts and help make your life easier by empowering you with the latest Panax Quinquefolius ginseng research and resources.
While ginseng is a mainstream item in many Asian countries – and has been for centuries – it has yet to be adopted by Canadians. We’d like to change that by creating demand for Panax Quinquefolius ginseng here at home, and that starts by educating Canadians on the many proven health benefits.
Consumers are struggling with making healthier choices and looking for easy solutions that don’t involve a lot of compromises. We hope to partner with you to be an advocate for Panax Quinquefolius ginseng and show consumers how they can focus on their health journey by taking small steps to include ginseng. This might include supplements, teas, and coffee, or adding powdered or fresh roots to recipes.
We’d love to continue the conversation with you and find out how we can support you in introducing ginseng to your clients.
Download the Toolkit
We’re here to support you in your efforts by providing you with this toolkit for starters and are available beyond the toolkit to answer questions and provide consultation and training on how you can get Ontario-grown ginseng into the hands of Canadians.
Meet Our Nutrition Experts
Abbey Sharp
Registered Dietitian
Joy Mccarthy
Holistic Nutritionist
Doug Cook
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Why Canadian is Best!
The clean air and water and the native soils in southwestern Ontario help to ensure the high quality of Ontario’s ginseng. Ontario-grown ginseng is considered by the majority of people to be the most potent and powerful of all ginseng varieties, closely mimicking all the sought-after properties of wild ginseng.
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.
Ontario-grown ginseng can help in the prevention of acute respiratory illness and reduces the severity of colds and flu. Ginsenosides have anti-asthmatic effects through the relaxation of human bronchial smooth muscle by stimulating the release of nitrous oxide from airway epithelium.
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.
Study: 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.
Studies: 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.
Studies: 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 worldwide 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.
Studies: 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
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.
Study: 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.
Studies: 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 a 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.
Studies: 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
Get Cooking with Ginseng
Ginseng Recipes, from Breakfast to Dessert
Where to Buy Canadian Ginseng
Always be sure to look for the “Running Root” logo on consumer products, this ensures the product is 100% Canadian ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), grown in native Ontario soils. Our partner retailers, online or local, can be found in our ginseng retailer list.
Share Your Experience
We’d love to see how you and your clients are using Panax Quinquefolius ginseng.
Share your experiences with this unique root on social media using the #OntarioGinseng hashtag and tag @GinsengOntario in your posts. We can’t wait to see what you cook up!
Meet A Canadian Ginseng Farmer
