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Radix Ginseng
in rat (76), and rabbit testes, and increased the motility and survival of
rabbit sperm outside the body (75).
Intragastric or intradermal administration of an ethanol extract of the
drug to rats decreased histamine-, pentagastrin-, carbachol- and vagal
stimulation-induced gastric secretion, and inhibited gastric ulcers induced
by stress or by pyloric ligation (77–79).
Liver-protectant activity of ginseng has been demonstrated in vitro
and in vivo (80, 81). Intraperitoneal administration of Radix Ginseng extracts
to normal and dexamethasone-treated rats did not influence the
blood chemistry of normal rats, but it decreased aspartate aminotransferase
and alanine aminotransferase levels in dexamethasone-treated animals,
thereby demonstrating a liver-protectant effect (81). However, another
study demonstrated that an intraperitoneal injection of a methanol extract
of Radix Ginseng had no protective activity against carbon tetrachlorideinduced
hepatotoxicity in rats (82).
Clinical pharmacology
Antifatigue activity
The results of clinical studies measuring increased performance and antifatigue
effects of ginseng extracts are conflicting and, in general, most
studies suffer from poor methodology, lack of proper controls, and no
standardization of the ginseng extracts used. The influence of chronic Radix
Ginseng administration (2 g/day orally for 4 weeks) on substrate utilization,
hormone production, endurance, metabolism, and perception of
effort during consecutive days of exhaustive exercise in 11 naval cadets
was reported. No significant differences were observed between the control
group and the group receiving the ginseng supplementation (83). Another
clinical trial with eight participants reported no significant difference
between placebo and ginseng administration during exhaustive
exercise after 7 days of treatment (84). A randomized, double-blind,
cross-over study sought the effects of ginseng on circulatory, respiratory,
and metabolic functions during maximal exercise in 50 men (21–47 years
old) (24). Total tolerated workload and maximal oxygen uptake were significantly
higher following ginseng administration than with placebo. At
the same workload, oxygen consumption, plasma lactate levels, ventilation,
carbon dioxide production, and heart rate during exercise were all
lower in the ginseng treatment group. The results indicated that the ginseng
preparations effectively increased the work capacity of the participants
by improving oxygen utilization (24). A placebo-controlled, crossover
study determined the effects of ginseng on the physical fitness of
43 male triathletes (25). The participants received 200 mg of a ginseng
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