Abstract
Objectives: The study investigated the efficacy of oral Korean red-ginseng (RG) on sCRP response mediated by eccentric contraction-induced muscle damage and discussed its mechanism. Methods: Nineteen healthy young subjects (aged 24.4$\pm$2.07 yr) volunteered for this double blind test. They were classified into either the RG group (N=10) or placebo (P) group (N=9) during the 10-d experimental protocol. Blood samples were collected on T1 (baseline), T1 (1h), T2 (1d), T3 (2d) and T4 (3d) after eccentric contraction-induced injury on the seventh day. Statistical analyses were conducted using nonparametric methods (p<0.05). Results: The RG group increased sCRP more than P group and didn't increase soreness peak at T2, not significant. There were no correlations between soreness intensity and sCRP. Oral RG had little efficacy for reducing sCRP at the muscle damage-mediated acute phase; rather, it increased because of its proinflammatory cytokine production. Conclusions: Oral RG could stimulate proinflammatory cytokine production, and occasionally bal-pyo-beob could be helpful for the efficient recovery of muscle injury.