P. ginseng: P. schin-seng var. coraiensis T.Nees, P. verus Oken; P. quinquefolius: P. americanus (Raf.) Raf., P. quinquefolius var. americanus Raf. Araliaceae P. ginseng: Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng, Korean ginseng, Oriental ginseng; P. quinquefolius: American ginseng, Wisconsin ginseng (when collected and grown in Wisconsin, the source of most American ginseng; it is highly prized, even in Asia) P. ginseng: Ginseng radix; Ginseng radix rubra (used to describe ‘red ginseng’, which is the species’ steamed root); P. quinquefolius: Panacis quinquefolii radix Secondary storage root The closely related species P. quinquefolius and P. ginseng both contain similar triterpene saponins, which include those commonly referred to as ginsenosides; an essential oil with polyacetylenes (e.g. falcarinol, panaxydol) and sesquiterpenes, polysaccharides (e.g. panaxans A-F), peptidoglycans, fatty acids, carbohydrates and phenolic compounds (Li et al. 2012; Williamson et al. 2013). Over 150 ginsenosides have been identified so far (ginsenosides series Ra to Rs), but the content of the active ginsenosides and their metabolites varies depending on the species, plant age, preservation method, season of harvest and extraction method. Variability of ginsenoside content may also partly be attributed to natural variations in environmental growing conditions (soil, weather, geographical location) in addition to production procedures, including fermentation (Jia and Zhao 2009; Li et al. 2012; Smith et al. 2014). A Cochrane review (Geng et al. 2010) investigating the efficacy of the genus Panax on cognitive performance suggested that ginseng improved some aspects of cognitive function, well-being and quality of life in healthy participants, but there was a lack of convincing evidence. No high-quality evidence was found for efficacy in dementia. A further meta-analysis of 65 studies investigating other therapeutic areas produced the following key conclusions (Shergis et al. 2013). The psychomotor performance seemed to improve in people given P. ginseng, but the significance of these results is difficult to interpret. No significant effect on physical performance was seen. A varied set of study groups, protocols and dose regimens used and evaluation parameters makes an assessment difficult.
Ginseng
Panax ginseng C.A.Mey., P. quinquefolius L.
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Cognitive function:
Psychomotor performance (17 studies):
Physical performance (10 studies):
Circulatory system (8 studies):
Effects on glucose metabolism (6 studies):
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