Ginseng in Science Literature

These papers survey a wide selection of ginseng studies to draw broader conclusions.

March 2021 — Pharmacological potential of ginseng and its major component ginsenosides
This is a review of almost 20 years of Ginseng studies across a broad area of potential benefits.

Dec 2010 — Ginseng for cognition
A review of nine randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trials with healthy participants. The results suggested improvement of some aspects of cognitive function, behavior and quality of life without adverse side-effects. The writers called for larger, standardized trials.

Dec 2017 — Ginseng: An Nonnegligible Natural Remedy for Healthy Aging 
A double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial investigating the antioxidant role of P. ginseng in healthy volunteers found that administration of ginseng showed a significant success as an antioxidant.

Sept 2012 —Panax ginseng reduces oxidative stress and restores antioxidant capacity in aged rats
We are far from rats, but this study shed some light on how ginseng can counteract the more damaging psychological effect of antioxidants.

Mar 2018 — Effect of Korean Red Ginseng in individuals exposed to high stress levels: a 6-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
 A small study of 63 individuals with high stress showed that “ginseng might help to stabilize the sympathetic nervous system and improve cognition.” [1]

Jan 2017 — Effects of ginseng on stress-related depression, anxiety, and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis
A focus on on the disease pathways caused by stress in order to determine how ginseng acts to improve health.  The writers felt that ginseng is a ” effective and stable therapeutic agent.”

Read our blog about Ginseng and Stress.

Sept 2019 — Cognition enhancing effect of panax ginseng in Korean volunteers with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 90 individuals with mild cognitive impairment for six months showed a positive effect on cognitive improvement, particularly on visual memory function

Sept 2018 — Active ginseng components in cognitive impairment: Therapeutic potential and prospects for delivery and clinical study
Concluding that ginseng’s active components have shown potential activity in treating cognitive deficits.

May 2018 —Effects of lifetime cumulative ginseng intake on cognitive function in late life
A study of over 6000 seniors over four years showed that regular ginseng use for longer periods of time may be beneficial to cognitive function in late life.

Read more about ginseng and its effects on cognition.