• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.160-167
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• 2010

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) are the two most recognized ginseng botanicals. It is believed that the ginseng saponins called ginsenosides are the major active constituents in both ginsengs. Although American ginseng is not as extensively studied as Asian ginseng, it is one of the best selling herbs in the US, and has garnered increasing attention from scientists in recent years. In this article, after a brief introduction of the distribution and cultivation of American ginseng, we discuss chemical analysis of saponins from these two ginsengs, i.e., their similarities and differences. Subsequently, we review pharmacological effects of the saponins, including the effects on the cardiovascular system, immune system, and central nervous system as well as the anti-diabetes and anti-cancer effects. These investigations were mainly derived from American ginseng studies. We also discuss evidence suggesting that chemical modifications of ginseng saponins would be a valuable approach to develop novel compounds in drug discovery.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.10-22
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• 2017

Background: Asian ginseng and American ginseng are functional foods that share a close genetic relationship and are well-known worldwide. This article aims to investigate the correlation between morphological characteristics and the inherent quality of Asian and American ginsengs. Methods: In this study, an ultra-HPLC-quadrupole/time-of-flight MS (UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS) method was established for the quantitative analysis of 45 ginseng samples. The method developed for determination was precise and accurate. Results: The results showed that Asian ginseng samples with the same growing time (with the same or similar number of stem scars) that had a thinner main root, a longer rhizome and more branch roots contained greater amounts of ginsenosides. For American ginseng, two tendencies were observed in the relationship between the diameter of the main root and contents of ginsenosides. One tendency was that samples with thinner main roots tended to contain higher levels of ginsenosides, which was observed in the samples sold under the commercial name pao-shen. Another tendency was that samples with thicker main roots contained higher contents of ginsenosides, which was observed in the samples sold under the commercial name pao-mian, as well as in samples of American ginseng cultivated in Jilin, China. Conclusion: An approach using ultra-HPLC-quadrupole/time-of-flight MS was successfully established to link morphology and active components for evaluating the quality of Asian and American ginsengs. Clear correlation between visible morphological features and quality of Asian and American ginsengs was found. People can see the difference; this means consumers and vendors can evaluate ginseng by themselves.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.21-28
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• 2022

Ginseng is described as the "King of all herbs, "Man-root" or "Root of heaven" and regarded as the most powerful herbal remedy, particularly grown in Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, and North America. It has been in existence for a long time. The most demanded herbal cure, Ginseng, principally the root, has long been employed in traditional Asian medicine. The extent of availability of bioactive combinations and their impact on the body differs between American and Asian ginseng. Asian ginseng, also known as Panax ginseng, has a more calming influence and is more advantageous than American ginseng, such as Panax quinquefolius. The pharmaceutical aspect of development and extraction with diverse morphological properties is examined. Saponins, glycosides, carbohydrates, polyacetylenes, amino acids, vitamins, volatile oil, enzymes are all present in the Phyto-content of Ginseng. Ginsenosides are saponins that are constituents of the triterpenoid dammarane and have anticancer, anti-cardiovascular, anti-microbial, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Ginseng, in particular, has the possibility to help with microbial invasion, inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, and diabetes. It developed nanoparticles and nanocomposite film technologies as novel drug delivery platforms for cancer, inflammation, and neurological illnesses. Furthermore, it offers a range of applications that will be vital for future growth.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.85-95
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• 2017

Background: American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) products, such as slices, have a similar appearance, but they have significantly different prices, leading to widespread adulteration in the commercial market. Their aroma characteristics are attracting increasing attention and are supposed to be effective and nondestructive markers to determine adulteration. Methods: The aroma characteristics of American and Asian ginseng were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) and an electronic nose (E-nose). Their volatile organic compounds were separated, classified, compared, and analyzed with different pattern recognition. Results: The E-nose showed a good performance in grouping with a principle component analysis explaining 94.45% of variance. A total of 69 aroma components were identified by GC-MS, with 35.6% common components and 64.6% special ingredients between the two ginsengs. It was observed that the components and the number of terpenes and alcohols were markedly different, indicating possible reasons for their difference. The results of pattern recognition confirmed that the E-nose processing result is similar to that of GC-MS. The interrelation between aroma constituents and sensors indicated that special sensors were highly related to some terpenes and alcohols. Accordingly, the contents of selected constituents were accurately predicted by corresponding sensors with most $R^2$ reaching 90%. Conclusion: Combined with advanced chemometrics, the E-nose is capable of discriminating between American and Asian ginseng in both qualitative and quantitative angles, presenting an accurate, rapid, and nondestructive reference approach.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2022

Ginseng is an international herb that has been used for thousands of years. Two species most commonly applied and investigated in the ginseng family are Asian ginseng and American ginseng. The number of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) has conspicuously increased, driven by the rapid development of ginseng. However, the reporting of RCT items of ginseng is deficient because of different trial designs and reporting formats, which is a challenge for researchers who are looking for the data with high quality and reliability. Thus, this study focused on providing an extensive analysis of these two species and examined the quality of the RCTs, based on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guideline. Ninety-one RCTs conducted from 1980 to 2019 that were related to Asian ginseng and American ginseng used singly met our inclusion criteria. We found that the reporting quality of the two species has improved during the past 40 years. Publication date and sample size were significantly associated with the reporting quality. Rigorous RCTs designed for the species of ginseng are warranted, which can shed light on product research and development of ginseng in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.585-588
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• 2014

Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases all over the world. Early screening and start of chemotherapy is effective in decreasing mortality. This type of cancer can be controlled to some extent via a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables. Ginseng is a plant which has been consumed as a herbal medicine for thousands of years in Asian countries. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that this plant not only reduces the incidence of colorectal cancer, but also improves patient's status by enhancing the effects of chemotherapy drugs. However, further studies are needed to prove this relationship. We briefly review ginseng and its components such as ginsenosides reported anticancer effects and their mechanisms of action. Understanding these relationships may produce insights into chemical and pharmacological approaches for enhancing the chemo preventive effects of ginsenosides and for developing novel anticancer agents.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.78-84
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• 2013

Powders prepared from three different varieties of Korean ginseng (white, red and black) are consumed daily by many Koreans as a functional food material. These variants exert a variety of physiological effects. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the quality characteristics of Yanggaeng prepared with three different types of ginseng powder. We conducted tests for ginsenosides content, Hunter's color values, mechanical characteristics, and sensory evaluation analysis. The ginsenosides of black ginseng were higher than those of white and red ginseng. The lightness of the black ginseng Yanggaeng was significantly less than the white, red, and control samples (p<0.05). We noted significant differences in Hunter's a and b values. With regard to the mechanical properties of the samples, we noted significant differences in gumminess (p<0.05), but no differences in hardness, springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness were detected. The results of sensory evaluation showed that there were significant differences in the color, flavor, and overall quality of the samples (p<0.05), but there were no significant differences in taste and texture. Overall, red ginseng Yanggaeng appeared to have the most commercial value for improving the Yanggaeng product.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.371-378
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• 2007

Red ginseng has been considered a functional food, and many studies on red ginseng and the prevention of cancer, hypertension, arteriosclerosis and constipation have been conducted. In this study, white bread dough with 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5% red ginseng marc powder was measured by a farinograph, extensograph, amylograph, as well as for pH to evaluate the development time, stability, extensibility, resistance to extension, gelatinization temperature, and maximum viscosity temperature. The ash content of the wheat flour increased with an increasing content of red ginseng marc powder. The gelatinization maximum and the temperature for the gelatinization maximum of the flour-water suspension in the amylograph were not affected by the addition of red ginseng marc powder. The moisture absorption of the wheat flour in the farinograph increased as the content of red ginseng marc powder increased. Also, as the content of red ginseng marc powder increased, dough development time decreased. The extensibility of the dough in the extensograph showed a negative relationship with the amount of red ginseng marc powder added.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.207-214
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• 2011

We investigated the quality characteristics of fermented ginseng Yakju produced using different percentage contents and application dates of ginseng. Although the pH of fermented ginseng Yakju was not significantly different among the various treatment groups, the total acidity was changed depending on the percentage of ginseng content. the application date of ginseng did not influence the total acid content. The amount of volatile acids was higher at a 0.2~0.3% content of white or red ginseng than in other treatment groups. The ginsenoside contents of white and red ginseng used for making ginseng Yakju were 3,555.0 and 4,447.4 ppm, respectively. In ginseng Yakju, total ginsenoside contents were detected at very small amounts of <10 ppm. A total of 15 volatile components were detected in ginseng Yakju. Higher levels of methanol were produced at early application dates. In sensory evaluations, the preference for aroma was higher at white ginseng levels of 0.5% and 1.0% than for other treatment groups, and the taste was judged to be best at a white ginseng content of 0.3%. In the red ginseng treatment group, a red ginseng content of 0.3% was most preferred for both aroma and taste. The taste preference for white ginseng was at 4 days after application, while the taste of the red ginseng treated group was good at the beginning of fermentation.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.173-179
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• 2014

Asian sand dust is known to promote various respiratory symptoms or disorders. For the prevention of harmful health effects by Asian sand dust, the best strategy is known to avoid or reduce exposure to the Asian sand dust. Several studies have shown that Korean red ginseng (RG) has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. The study aimed to clarify the effect of Korean red ginseng intake on lung inflammation responses to artificial sand dust (ASD) similar to Asian sand dust. BALB/c mice were divided into five groups (n=12) of control (saline), ovalbumin (OVA), OVA with ASD, OVA plus RG with ASD, and OVA plus dexamethasone (DEXA) with ASD. Histopathologic evaluation of lung was conducted. Interleukin (IL)-5, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, IL-13, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and eotaxin within bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were measured by ELISA. OVA+ASD group significantly increased concentrations of IL-5, IL-13, MCP-1, and eotaxin (P<0.01) compared to the control. OVA+ASD+RG group showed significant decreased levels of IL-2, IL-13, MCP-1 and eotaxin (P<0.01) compared with OVA+ASD. Between RG and DEXA treatment groups, there was no significant difference in all cytokines and chemokines. The inflammatory cells were significantly decreased in treatment groups with RG or DEXA compared to OVA+ASD group. This study suggests a beneficial effect of Korean RG administration in preventing inflammation of lung resulting from Asian sand dust.