Multiple effects of American ginseng in clinical medicine

American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Summer-Fall, 2001 by Chun-Su Yuan, Lucy Dey

It is believed that ginsenosides are responsible for ginseng's clinical effects. The view that ginsenosides may initiate effects at the plasma membrane by interacting with multireceptor systems, and that they also freely traverse the membrane and produce genornic effects, complements the intriguing pharmacology of ginseng (Attele et al., 1999). However, many mechanisms of ginsenoside activity still remain unknown. Since ginseng is a very commonly used herb, further studies, including controlled clinical trials, are clearly needed.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The ginseng plant: (a) The aerial portion of a fruiting plant showing four palmately compound leaves, each with five leaflets. (b) The underground portion of the plant showing the primary root with its branches, and one adventitious root attached to the rhizome, and a subterminal bud. (c) A flower showing five petals, five stamens, and an inferior ovary. (d) A fruit with a persistent bifid style (from Shin-Ying Hu, The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 5:2, 1977).

References

(1.) Attele, A.S., J.A. Wu and C.S. Yuan, C.S. Multiple pharmacological effects of ginseng. [Commentary] Biochem. Pharmacol. 58: 1685-1693, 1999.

(2.) Bensky, D. and A. Gamble. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica. Eastland Press, Seattle, 1993.

(3.) Huang, K.C. The Pharmacology of Chinese Herbs. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1999.

(4.) Lee, F.C. Facts about Ginseng, the Elixir of Life. Hollyn International Corp., Elizabeth, NJ, 1993.

(5.) Persons, W.S. American Ginseng: Green Gold. Asheville: Bright Mountain Books, 1986.

(6.) Yuan, C.S., J.A. Wu, T. Lowell and M. Gu. Gut and brain effects of American ginseng root on brainstem neuronal activities in rats. Am. J. Chin. Med. 26: 47-55, 1998.

(7.) Yuan, C.S., X. Wang, J.A. Wu and A.S. Attele. Effects of Panax quinquefolium L. on brainstem neuronal activities: Comparison between Wisconsin-cultivated and Illinois-cultivated roots. Phytomedicine In press, 2001.

Chun-Su Yuan, M.D., Ph.D. and Lucy Dey, M.D. Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research and Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care

Pritzker School of Medicine University of Chicago Chicago, IL 60637, U.S.A.

(Accepted for publication April 17, 2001)