Clinical uses of Ginseng

As a powerful natural antioxidant, ginseng effectively modulates apoptosis by reducing the excessive inflammatory response in acute or chronic inflammation. When this homeostasis is disturbed, it can damage the immune system and lead to several fatal diseases. Ginseng has excellent anti stress effects, as compared to appropriate controls. Prolonged cortisol secretion results in immunosuppression. Cortisol is produced and regulated by a major hormonal control center, the hypothalamicepituitaryeadrenal (HPA) axis, regulated by the sympathetic nervous system. Adrenocorticotropic hormone then stimulates the adrenal cortex, the last region of the HPA, triggering the release of cortisol (in humans) and corticosterone (in humans, rats, and mice). Cortisol interacts with the cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptor. This hormone-receptor complex moves to the nucleus and regulates the expression of several genes. Ginseng has the potential to improve anxiety. Chronic stress can trigger such diseases because of abnormal immune responses and hormonal disorders. However, regular ingestion of ginseng has both preventive and therapeutic effects on several human diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes mmellitus (DM), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoporosis, erectile dysfunction (ED), and allergic asthma. When a person faces a stressful environment, ginseng can improve their response by regulating the function of the HPA axis. Ginseng also has applications beyond everyday use in healthy people. It provides a potential treatment agent for patients with HPA axis disorders associated with hypersecretion of cortisol, including depression, asthma, hypertension, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Ginseng is an effective antioxidant, and also improves vasomotor function and prevents blood clots. These effects positively improve cardiovascular health. Ginseng alleviates such stress and could thus help to prevent CVD. By regulating brain cell necrosis and the production of pro inflammatory factors; it contributes to the prevention of deadly brain inflammation. Ginseng has been used for the treatment or prevention of diseases for thousands of years in eastern countries, and over the last three decades, it has gained popularity in the Americas, Canada, and Europe. Ginseng occupies a prominent position on the list of best-selling natural products in the world (FM, 2009). It is included in the pharmacopoeias of China, Japan, Germany, France, Austria, and the United Kingdom. Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) are the two most recognized ginseng botanicals in the world. These ginsenosides, which are extracted from the ginseng roots, leaves, stems, and fruit, have multiple pharmacological effects. They are subdivided into about 100 different categories. Ginsenosides have effective treatment for organ damage and cell death, as well as for immunological and metabolic diseases. In addition, these pharmacologically active constituents have been shown to support neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, neuronal growth, and neurotransmission, thus helping to protect the central nervous system from unexpected events; ginseng is also reported to be excellent for improving memory.