The effect of Korean ginseng on disease-related fatigue
It is well known that fatigue, or the feeling of fatigue and asthenia, is a multifaceted symptom of unknown etiology and varying severity that affects many people in the course of illness.
In traditional Eastern cultures, ginseng has been used for centuries to increase energy and improve people’s health and well-being.
Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng, family Araliaceae), and in particular its dried root, which is its drug in traditional Chinese medicine, helps to invigorate vitality, rejuvenate the pulse, replenish the spleen and lungs with energy, nourish body fluids and blood, and calm the mind.
In recent years, this plant and its derivatives have also been widely used in the form of dietary supplements in Western countries as a tonic, to boost immunity and to reduce fatigue and tiredness.
To date, some 40 active substances of ginseng have been identified that exert a wide range of biological activities, including counteracting oxidative stress, immune regulation, anti-cancer and anti-aging actions, etc.
However, all these activities need to be confirmed and adequately supported by clinical studies.
This recent systematic review with meta-analysis evaluated the effect of Korean ginseng on disease-related fatigue based on 12 randomized controlled trials selected from the medical-scientific databases Pubmed, Embase, Medline and Cochrane, involving a total of 1,298 patients.
Ginseng supplements had statistically significant efficacy on reducing disease-related fatigue and are useful in these settings by exerting a time- and dose-dependent effect, the review authors specify.
Overall, the results of the meta-analysis showed that a high dose of ginseng has statistically significant efficacy on the reduction of disease-related fatigue, as had already been shown in previous studies conducted in vitro and in vivo in animals.
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Source: Zhu J, Xu X, Zhang X, Zhuo Y, Chen S, Zhong C. Liu M, Wang Z. Efficacv of ginseng supplements on disease· related fatigue: A svstematic review and meta analysis. Medicine (Ba/timore). 2022 Jul 1;101(26): e29767.
