• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.200-203
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• 1994

Recent trend of ginseng (p. ginseng) trade in Japan was analyzed. From 1984 white ginseng import increased continuously to 240% while export of red ginseng decreased to 29%. Red ginseng import increased until 1990 and decreased thereafter, resulting in 12% of total import ginseng in 1993 from 47% in 1990. During five years (1989∼1993) white ginseng import from Korea decreased from 44% to 14% of total white ginseng imported while import from China increased. Red ginseng import from China ranged 97 to l00% of total red ginseng and little change was shown during five years. Price of Korean ginseng was higher than that of China by 2.2 times for white and 6.6 times for red. The continuous decrease of Chinese ginseng price might affect import trend. Export price of red ginseng increased continuously and was higher than that of Korean red ginseng (1.95 times) and much higher than import price (20 times in 1993).

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.289-299
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• 1998

In this present study, we investigated the effects of red ginseng extract and its active constituents - Rbl , Re, Rgl on cycloheximide (CXM)-induced amnesia in the passive avoidance task in rats. Red ginseng water extract at 0.05-0.5 g/kg could improve CXM-induced amnesia in rats, Furthermore, the recovery effect of Rbl at 10 mghg administered 30 min before training trial from CXM-induced amnesia was better than those of Rbl administered other time before or after training trial. Rbl at 0.001-0.1 mghg could significantly improve CXM-induced amnesia and at 1 mghg completely augmented, but at 10 mghg its improving effect slightly weakened. Rgl and Re at 0.3-10 mghg could significantly improve CXM-induced amnesia and Rgl at 10 mg/kg completely avgmented. On the other hand, Rbl at 10 mghg could prolong the step through latencies in the training trial. These results suggest the beneficial effect of red ginseng extract on CXM-induced amnesia in rats could mainly due to the contribution of its active constituents - Rbl, Re, Rgl. The improving effect of Rbl on CXM-induced amnesia was best among the three active constituents. But the reduction in the improving effect of Rbl at 10 mg/kg might be due to the decrease in motor activity and attention to the passive avoidance task.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.343-351
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• 2018

Background: Red ginseng is a popularly used traditional medicine with antiaging effects in Asian countries. The present study aimed to explore the changes in protein expression underlying the mechanisms of life span extension and antiaging caused by red ginseng extract (RGE) in Drosophila melanogaster. Methods: A proteomic approach of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to identify the differential abundance of possible target proteins of RGE in D. melanogaster. The reliability of the 2-DE results was confirmed via Western blotting to measure the expression levels of selected proteins. Proteins altered at the expression level after RGE treatment (1 mg/mL) were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry and by searching against the National Center for Biotechnology nonredundant and Uniprot protein databases. The differentially expressed proteins were analyzed using bioinformatics methods. Results: The average survival life span of D. melanogaster was significantly extended by 12.60% with RGE treatment (1 mg/mL) compared to untreated flies. This followed increased superoxide dismutase level and decreased methane dicarboxylic aldehyde content. Based on the searching strategy, 23 differentially expressed proteins were identified (16 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated) in the RGE-treated D. melanogaster. Transduction pathways were identified using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database, and included the hippo and oxidative phosphorylation pathways that play important roles in life span extension and antiaging process of D. melanogaster. Conclusion: Treatment with RGE in D. melanogaster demonstrated that mechanisms of life span extension and antiaging are regulated by multiple factors and complicated signal pathways.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.198-208
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• 2006

Background : Ginseng has traditionally been used in oriental countries to recover vital energy from Qi deficiency, and has shown various biomedical effects in the scientific literature. Recent reports suggest that ginseng could regulate blood pressure (BP), but much controversy still remains. Therefore, we intended to assess the anti-hypertensive effect of several ginseng types frequently used in clinics. We also investigated the anti-hypertensive effect on Koreans and Chinese, and by the body type according to Sasang Constitution Medicine (SCM). Methods : The study subjects were recruited from mildly hypertensive patients who exhibited pre-hypertension(120/80 to 139/89 mmHg) and stage I hypertension (140/90 to 159/99 mmHg) in Korea and China. After assigning the subjects into a Korean, a Chinese, a red, and an American ginseng group by randomization, we prescribed ginseng at a dose of 4.5 g per day for 4 weeks. To assess the anti-hypertensive effect, we compared the mean of systolic and diastolic BP between before and after ginseng medication using a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor (24 hr ABPM. We also monitored adverse effect and laboratory findings to secure the subjects' safety. In addition, all of the subjects in Korea consulted a specialist of Sasang Constitution Medicine to identify their constitutional type. Results : There were 64 subjects treated with Korean ginseng, 58 treated with Chinese ginseng, 33 treated with red ginseng, and 64 treated with American ginseng. Korean, Chinese, and American ginseng all reduced subjects' BP; Korean and Chinese ginseng showed more effect. The secondary analysis on the subjects' nationality revealed that all of the ginseng types showed more significant anti-hypertensive effect in Chinese patients than in Koreans. The third analysis on the constitutional type of SCM showed there was no significant difference in the effectiveness and the safety of ginseng among the constitutional types. Conclusions : We suggest ginseng, especially Panax ginseng without any steaming-drying process, could be useful for mild hypertension. Further, ginseng is safe regardless of subjects' constitutional type or type of ginseng within a dosage of 4.5g per day.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 1996

Chemical components of Panax (P) species were compared. p. species used were Korean white ginseng, Korean, Chinese and Japanese red ginseng (P ginseng), American and Canadian ginseng (P. quinquefolium) , and sanchl ginseng (P. notoginseng). No significant difference in the proximate contents was observed among P. species. Ash, crude lipld and total sugar contents in root of P. notoginseng were found to be relatively lower than those of P. ginseng and P. quinquefolium, but the contents of crude protein and crude fiber were similar among those ginsengs. Mineral nutrient con tents showed a little difference among ginseng species. Total nitrogen contents were slightly higher in P. ginseng than P. quinquefolium and P. notoginseng and Fe and Cu were lower in Chinese and Japanese red ginsengs. Kinds and compositions of amino acids were similar but contents of amino acids were different among ginseng species. Total amino acid contents were 76.3∼83.9 mg/g in P. ginseng 53.8∼60.4 mg/g in p. quinquefolium and 54.9 mg/g in P notoginseng. Free sugar contents were lower in P. notoginseng than P. ginseng or P. quinquefolium. Sucrose accounted for 90∼92% of total free sugar contents with relatively high content in white ginsengs, while sucrose and maltose were 32-36% and 55∼60%, respectively, in red ginseng.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.676-683
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• 2019

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is widely used for strengthening the immune system and fighting fatigue, especially in people with deficiency syndrome. However, there is concern that the long-term application or a high dose of KRG can cause "fireness" (上火 in Chinese) because of its "dryness" (燥性 in Chinese). The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a 4-week treatment with KRG in participants with deficiency syndrome. Methods: This was a 4-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 180 Chinese participants were randomly allocated to three groups: placebo control group, participants were given a placebo, 3.6 g/d; KRG 1.8 g and 3.6 g groups. The primary outcomes were the changes in fireness and safety evaluation (adverse events, laboratory tests, and electrocardiogram). The secondary outcomes were the efficacy of KRG on fatigue, which include the following: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scale and fatigue self-assessment scale. Results: Of the 180 patients, 174 completed the full study. After 4 weeks of KRG treatment, the Fire-heat symptoms score including Excess fire-heat score and Deficient fire-heat score showed no significant change as compared with placebo treatment, and no clinically significant changes in any safety parameter were observed. Based on the TCM syndrome score and fatigue self-assessment score, TCM symptoms and fatigue were greatly improved after treatment with KRG, which showed a dose- and time-dependent effect. The total effective rate was also significantly increased in the KRG groups. Conclusion: Our study revealed that KRG has a potent antifatigue effect without significant adverse effects in people with deficiency syndrome. Although a larger sample size and longer treatment may be required for a more definite conclusion, this clinical trial is the first to disprove the common conception of "fireness" related to KRG.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.491-496
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• 1996

This experiment was performed to determine the safety of the Korean red ginseng irradiated with gamma rays with respect to genotoxicity. Ethanol extracts of the 5 and 10 kGy gamma-irradiated red ginseng were examined in two short-term in vitro tests : (1) Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay(Ames test) in strain TA 98, TA 100 and TA 102 (2) Micronucleus test in cultured Chinese hamster ovary(CHO) cells. No mutagenicity was detected in the two assays with or without metabolic activation. It was suggested that the Korean red ginseng irradiated with gamma rays did not cause genotoxicity in vitro. Further tests of genotoxicity in vivo, chronic and reproductive toxicity should be carried out to determine whether it is safe to irradiate Korean red ginseng with practical doses of gamma rays.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.424-434
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• 2020

Background: Amino acids are one of the major constituents in Panax ginseng, including neutral amino acid, acidic amino acid, and basic amino acid. However, whether these amino acids play a role in ginsenoside conversion during the steaming process has not yet been elucidated. Methods: In the present study, to elucidate the role of amino acids in ginsenoside transformation from fresh ginseng to red ginseng, an amino acids impregnation pretreatment was applied during the steaming process at 120℃. Acidic glutamic acid and basic arginine were used for the acid impregnation treatment during the root steaming. The ginsenosides contents, pH, browning intensity, and free amino acids contents in untreated and amino acid-treated P. ginseng samples were determined. Results: After 2 h of steaming, the concentration of less polar ginsenosides in glutamic acid-treated P. ginseng was significantly higher than that in untreated P. ginseng during the steaming process. However, the less polar ginsenosides in arginine-treated P. ginseng increased slightly. Meanwhile, free amino acids contents in fresh P. ginseng, glutamic acid-treated P. ginseng, and arginine-treated P. ginseng significantly decreased during steaming from 0 to 2h. The pH also decreased in P. ginseng samples at high temperatures. The pH decrease in red ginseng was closely related to the decrease in basic amino acids levels during the steaming process. Conclusion: Amino acids can remarkably affect the acidity of P. ginseng sample by altering the pH value. They were the main influential factors for the ginsenoside transformation. These results are useful in elucidating why and how steaming induces the structural change of ginsenoside inP. ginseng and also provides an effective and green approach to regulate the ginsenoside conversion using amino acids during the steaming process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.247-255
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• 2021

Today, energy bars are consumed not only as snacks but also as meal replacement foods. Convenience and nutritional supplementation are the main factors accounting for the increasing use of energy bars. Two hundred Chinese customers who attended the China Fisheries & Seafood Exposition in China, and had no inhibitions about consuming cereal bars were selected. The questionnaire was composed of CATA choices that selected both the reasons for liking and disliking four different types of cereal bars, namely topokki flavor (hot pepper paste), seaweed flavor, kimchi flavor, and ginseng flavor cereal bars with 10% of dried anchovy content produced by BadaOne Co. (Seoul, Korea). The purpose of the study was to investigate Chinese consumer's attitudes and acceptance of different flavored cereal bars containing protein and calciumrich anchovy. For the selected Chinese customers, the acceptance score for the seaweed flavor was the highest, followed by topokki, red ginseng, and kimchi. The acceptance for the topokki flavor was higher than for seaweed for the attributes of color except for general acceptance, flavor, aroma, and texture. The results of the survey showed that the acceptance of kimchi was the lowest, contrary to earlier predictions. The results of the Check All That Apply (CATA) analysis showed that the reasons for liking the seaweed & anchovy flavor were the most diverse, and there was no reason chosen for disliking this flavor. The reasons for liking this flavor were listed as sweet flavor, healthy, seafood flavor, malty flavor, texture, new/unique, and umami. In the case of topokki and kimchi, the reason for disliking the flavor was umami, and in the case of red ginseng, the ginseng flavor was the reason for both likes and dislikes. CA analysis showed that both the flavor and emotional factors were positive for seaweed & anchovy and topokki, but negative for red ginseng. As a result, seaweed & anchovy flavor, which is familiar to the Chinese people, should be the first cereal bar considered for a launch.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.210-212
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• 1990