• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 1981

In order to evaluate the mode of action of ginseng saponin. metabolic changes in the plasma of normal and aloxan-intoxicated rats were compared Normal groups were administered only ginseng saponin 0, 5, 50mg/kg for 16 days, but alloxan-intoxicated groups were administered alloxan 25mg/kg for 3 days in addition to ginseng saponin. (1) No significant change in the concentration of glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) was observed in normal rats but great inhibitory effect, except elevation of TG, was observed in alloxan-intoxicated rats. However, blood urea nitrogen was elevated in both normal and alloxan- intoxicated rats by administration of ginseng saponin 50mg/kg, and it was considered to be due to the impaired kidney function caused by overdose toxicity. (2) In normal rats, COT and ALP actIn,its were not changed by administration of ginseng saponin but GPT activity was decreased significantly. In alloxan-intoxicated rats, ginseng saponin exerted inhibitory action on the elevation of COT, CPT and ALP activity. But administration of ginseng saponin Smghg was much more effective than administration of 50mg/kg. (3) There fore, we concluded that ginseng saponin has the adaptogenic activity showing little effect on normal metabolism but great preventive action on alloxan-intoxicated rats.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2021

Traditional medicinal practices have used natural products such as adaptogens to treat inflammatory, autoimmune, neurodegenerative, bacterial, and viral diseases since the early days of civilization. Panax ginseng Myer is a common herb used in East Asian countries for millennia, especially in Korea, China, and Japan. Numerous studies indicate that ginseng can modulate the immune system and thereby prevent diseases. Although the human immune system comprises many different types of cells, multiple studies suggest that each type of immune cell can be controlled or stimulated by ginseng or its derivatives. Provisional lists of ginseng's potential for use against viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms suggest it may prove to be a valuable pharmaceutical resource, particularly if higher-quality evidence can be found. Here, we reviewed the role of ginseng as an immune-modulating agent in attempt to provide a valuable starting point for future studies on the herb and the human immune system.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.687-693
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• 2023

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic more than 6 million people have died, and it has bought unprecedented challenges to our lives. The recent outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) has brought out new tensions among the scientific community. Currently, there is no specific treatment protocol for MPXV. Several antivirals, vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) and smallpox vaccines have been used to treat MPXV. Ginseng, one of the more famous among traditional medicines, has been used for infectious disease for thousands of years. It has shown promising antiviral effects. Ginseng could be used as a potential adaptogenic agent to help prevent infection by MPXV along with other drugs and vaccines. In this mini review, we explore the possible use of ginseng in MPXV prevention based on its antiviral activity.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.13-22
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• 1979

Panax Ginseng C. A. Meyer which has been known for more than 2000 years, occupies a particular place in folk medicine as so called tonic remedy. The brief pharmacological action of Ginseng complied from the numerous reports can be summarized as adaptogenic effect to be increased nonspecific resistance. Among the various components of Ginseng, the effective components has been known Ginseng butanol fraction as so called Ginseng saponin. In order to study on the effect of the Ginseng butanol fraction which influences spontaneous activity by CNS drugs in mice. Experiment of response was measured the change of spontaneous activity by CNS drugs in which mice were treated Ginseng butanol fraction. A method of measuring spontaneous activity in mice used by counting the number of times which were interrupted a beam of light. Results of experiment can be summarized as follows: 1. In case of administrating Ginseng butanol fraction for 1 day, stimulating effect of Ginseng was observed in spontaneous activity by caffeine in comparison with the control. at the first, but after 45 minutes no significant change was observed. 2. In case of administrating Ginseng butanol, fraction for 5days, decreasing tendency was observed in spontaneous activity by caffeine. 3. In case of administrating Ginseng butanol fraction for 10days, marked decrease was observed in spontaneous activity by caffeine in comparison with the control. From the experiment on the increased dose of caffeine, nonsignificant change was observed in comparison with caffeine and sodium benzoate 25mg/kg group. 4. A state of increased resistance was lasted until 5 days, and after 10 days it was disappeared. 5. Otherwise, nonsignificant change was observed for chlorpromazin HCl in comparison with the control. 6. From this result, 10 days administrating of ginseng butanol fraction appeared to have increased resistance in mice against caffeine.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.203-218
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• 2018

It has been extensively known in the high temperature regions such as southern China and south east Asia that Korean ginseng(Panax ginseng) intake raises body heat, while American ginseng(Panax quinquefolium) lowers it, based upon oriental medicine. This is likely due to the misunderstanding of the conception that Korean ginseng shows a warm property, resulting in enhanced blood circulation and stimulation of metabolism. It's further supported by the fact that current scientific studies have shown no notable side effects. Moreover, it has been demonstrated in animal experimental test that Korean ginseng shows a complementary effect in a high temperature environment, together with scientific evidence of a preventive effect of ginseng saponin against cold conditions, suggesting it to exhibit an adaptogenic effect normalizing the body under abnormal body conditions. However, there is a shortage of studies published concerning comparative clinical and animal studies of Korean and American ginsengs, and also, on natives of high temperature countries. Therefore, a further placebo-controlled clinical study has to be considered to elucidate scientifically clinical evaluation of Korean and American ginsengs on the body heat. In this article, we summarize the scientific publications reporting the clinical comparative study of Korean and American ginsengs on body heat response.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.04a
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• pp.59-59
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• 2018

Panax ginseng Meyer (Korean ginseng) is in the spotlight of Oriental medicine and is proclaimed as the king of medicinal plants owing to its adaptogenic characteristics. Ginseng root rot is a devastating disease caused by the fungus, Ilyonectria mors-panacis that generally attacks younger roots (~2 years), leading to defects in root quality, ginsenoside accumulation and also life cycle of the plant. Hence, there is an indispensable need to develop strategies resulting in tolerance against ginseng root rot. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of silica nanoparticles(N-SiO2) in Panax ginseng during I. mors-panacis infection. Long term analysis (30 dpi) revealed a striking 50% reduction in disease severity index upon 1mM and 2mM treatment of N-SiO2. However, N-SiO2 did not have any direct antifungal activity against I. mors-panacis. Membrane bound sugar efflux transporter, SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters) was identified in ginseng and as expected, its expression was suppressed upon N-SiO2 treatment in the root rot pathosystem. Furthermore, the total and reducing sugars in the apoplastic fluid clearly revealed that N-SiO2 regulates sugar efflux into apoplast. In a nut shell, N-SiO2 administration induces transcriptional reprogramming in ginseng roots, leading to regulated sugar efflux into apoplast resulting in enhanced tolerance against I. mors-panacis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.209-218
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• 2011

Ginseng has been used as a general tonic agent to invigorate the human body as an adaptogenic agent. In a previous report, we have shown that ginseng contains a novel glycolipoprotein called gintonin. The main function of gintonin is to transiently enhance intracellular free $Ca^{2+}$ $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ levels in animal cells. The previous method for gintonin isolation included multiple steps using organic solvents. In the present report, we developed a simple method for the preparation of crude gintonin from ginseng root as well as stem and leaf, which produced a higher yield of gintonin than the previous one. The yield of gintonin was 0.20%, 0.29%, and 0.81% from ginseng root, stem, and leaf, respectively. The apparent molecular weight of gintonin isolated from stem and leaf through sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was almost same as that from root but the compositions of amino acids, carbohydrates or lipids differed slightly between them. We also examined the effects of crude gintonin from ginseng root, stem, and leaf on endogenous $Ca^{2+}$-activated $Cl^-$ channel (CaCC) activity of Xenopus oocytes through mobilization of $[Ca^{2+}]_i$. We found that the order of potency for the activation of CaCC was ginseng root > stem > leaf. The $ED_{50}$ was $1.4{\pm}1.4$, $4.5{\pm}5.9$, and $3.9{\pm}1.1$ mg/mL for root, stem and leaf, respectively. In the present study, we demonstrated for the first time that in addition to ginseng root, ginseng stem and leaf also contain gintonin. Gintonin can be prepared from a simple method with higher yield of gintonin from ginseng root, stem, and leaf. Finally, these results demonstrate the possibility that ginseng stem and leaf could also be utilized for ginstonin preparation after a simple procedure, rather than being discarded.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.55-65
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• 2002

Ginseng has been used as a key constituent in traditional medicine prescriptions for centuries. Other than its well-known anti-stress and adaptogenic properties, ginseng has also been shown to be very effective in treating age-related deterioration in metabolic and memory functions. Although it is generally believed that the saponin (GS) fraction of the ginseng root accounts for the bioactivity of ginseng, a direct demonstration on which ginsenoside does what is still generally lacking. In the past decade, our laboratory has endeavored to identify the active GS components involved in energy metabolism, memory, and anti-neurotoxicity. To examine the ergogenic effects of GS in enhancing aerobic capacity, rats were subjected to either severe cold ($40^{\circ}C$ under helium-oxygen, two hours) or exercise workload $(70\%\;VO_{2}max,$ to exhaustion). Acute systemic injection (i.p.) of ginseng GS (5-20 mg/kg) significantly elevated both the total and maximum heat production in rats and improved their cold tolerance. However, pretreating the animal with the optimal dose (10 mg/kg) of GS devoid of $Rg_1\;and\;Rb_1$ failed to elicit any beneficial effects in improving cold tolerance. This indicates that either $Rb_1\;and/or\;Rg_1$ may be essential in exemplifying the thermogenic effect of GS. Further studies showed that only pretreating the animals with $Rb_1(2.5-5\;mg/kg),\;but\;not\;Rg_l,$ resulted in an increase in thermogenesis and cold tolerance. In contrast to the acute effect of GS on cold tolerance, enhancement of exercise performance in rats was only observed after chronic treatment (4 days). Further, we were able to demonstrate that both $Rb_1\;and\;Rg_1$ are effective in enhancing aerobic endurance by exercise. To illustrate the beneficial effects of GS in learning and memory, a passive avoidance paradigm (shock prod) was used. Our results indicated that the scopolamineinduced amnesia can be significantly reversed by chronically treating (4 days) the rats with either $Rb_1\;or\;Rg_1$ (1.25 - 2.5 mg/kg). To further examine its underlying mechanisms, the effects of various GS on ${\beta}-amyloid-modulated$ acetylcholine (ACh) release from the hippocampal slices were examined. It was found that inclusion of $Rb_1$ (0.1 ${\mu}M$), but not $Rg_1$, can attenuate ${\beta}-amyloid-suppressed$ ACh release from the hippocampal slices. Our results demonstrated that $Rb_1\;and\;Rg_1$ are the key components involved in various beneficial effects of GS but they may elicit their effects through different mechanisms.