The Orient
Michael J. O’Dowd in The History of Medications for Women, 2020
Ginseng is prescribed to reinforce the vital energy, to increase longevity, and this ‘man plant’ is also used to treat frigidity and impotence (PPRC, 1992). Panax may also be used to treat heavy periods and problems in the puerperium (the Chinese term for the postnatal era is, chan ru, Maciocio, 1998). A number of ginseng preparations are available, including the cultivated and wild varieties, and the sun-dried and red ginseng types. The three main forms available in the West are Asiatic (Panax ginseng), American (Panax quinquefolius) and the Siberian (Eleutherococcus senticosus) and, although similar, they differ in their medicinal properties. Many substitutes and inferior specimens are being sold so the would-be purchaser should buy with caution.
Examples of single Chinese and botanical medicines derived from TCM
Raymond Cooper, Chun-Tao Che, Daniel Kam-Wah Mok, Charmaine Wing-Yee Tsang in Chinese and Botanical Medicines, 2017
The ginsenosides are the major active compounds present in ginseng (P. ginseng). In the various Panax species, more than 30 ginsenosides have been identified. The type, number, and site of attachment of the sugars impart structural and functional variation among the ginsenosides. Among the Panax species, significant variation exists in both the types and ratios of ginsenosides. The most abundant ginsenosides in P. ginseng are Rb1 and Rg1 which generally occur in a ratio from 1 to 3. For example, in P. quinquefolius, the Rb1:Rg1 ratio is approximately 6:1; and Rb1 and Rb2 ginsenosides have been well documented to be higher and lower in concentration than those in P. ginseng. Figure 6.5 shows the structures of Rb1 and Rb2 and other ginsenosides. Several of their biological mechanisms are reviewed in detail.
Plant-Based Natural Products Against Huntington’s Disease: Preclinical and Clinical Studies
Megh R. Goyal, Hafiz Ansar Rasul Suleria, Ademola Olabode Ayeleso, T. Jesse Joel, Sujogya Kumar Panda in The Therapeutic Properties of Medicinal Plants, 2019
Recent reports suggest that herbal extracts and medicines are ahead of the conventional therapies in the prevention of some CNS diseases. For example, Bacopa monnieri or Brahmi extracts was reported effective against ADHD, epilepsy, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [117, 118, 134] and an array of other neurological diseases. Centella asiatica or Thankuni has proven its therapeutic ability through various in-vivo/in-vitro models against Parkinson’s Disease (PD), learning, and memory deficit and migraine; and its anti-HD potential in 3-NP treated brain mitochondria has been examined in recent studies [114–116]. The Panax ginseng possesses anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, and pro-cognitive properties. A partially purified extract (Rb extract) containing ginsenosides, Rb1, Rb3, and Rd significantly improved 3-NP induced motor-impairment and striatal cell loss [68]. Korean Red ginseng hot-water extract (@50, 100 and 250 mg/kg/day, per os (P. O)) reduces neurological impairment and loss and down-regulates the levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 in 3-NP in treated male mice.
Integrative Management of Pancreatic Cancer (PDAC): Emerging Complementary Agents and Modalities
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2022
Mustafa B. A. Djamgoz, Valerie Jentzsch
Panax ginseng (“ginseng”) is a perennial plant that grows in East Asia. It is a traditional medicinal herb with a unique family of active saponin ingredients called “ginsenosides”. It is available in various forms (e.g., fresh, white, steamed, acid-processed and fermented) leading to a range ginsenoside compositions with diverse pharmacological properties (160). Yun & Choi found in an early case-control study concluded ginseng consumption would reduce the risk of PDAC and liver cancer (161, 162). Experimentally, extracts of ginseng (leaves, flowers and roots) and some nanoparticle preparations have been tested against various human PDAC cell lines and shown to inhibit cell viability, proliferation and angiogenesis whilst promoting apoptosis (e.g., Refs. 163–165). Some anti-PDAC effects have also been reported in vivo (166, 167). Furthermore, ginseng could delay the development of type 1 diabetes and pancreatitis, both PDAC risk factors, in rats (168, 169). Finally, ginseng has also been reported to enhance the effectiveness of in vitro gemcitabine (and some other chemotherapeutic agents) on PDAC cells as well as liver, lung and prostate cancers (170–172).
Novel ultra-small micelles based on ginsenoside Rb1: a potential nanoplatform for ocular drug delivery
Published in Drug Delivery, 2019
Mengshuang Li, Jie Lan, Xuefei Li, Meng Xin, Hui Wang, Fan Zhang, Xiaohong Lu, Zengfang Zhuang, Xianggen Wu
The genus Panax (ginseng) has a long history of clinical use in Chinese traditional medicine, and it is also widely used as a food and a food additive worldwide. In fact, ginseng may be one of the most popular and most prescribed natural remedies in folk medicine and its long history of use points to its safety. Parallel findings reported in several systematic reviews investigating the efficacy and safety of ginseng have led to the conclusion that while its efficacy remains questionable, its use appears to be generally safe (Shishtar et al., 2014). The pharmacologically active components of ginseng are the ginsenosides. Among more than 40 different ginsenosides isolated from ginseng, Rb1 is recognized as the major active component responsible for many pharmaceutical actions of ginseng (Betts et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2013). Rb1 also shows many bioactivities in ophthalmology, including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesis, and retinal cell protective functions.
Effect of Panax quinquefolius extract on Mycobacterium abscessus biofilm formation
Published in Biofouling, 2023
Zhiqun He, Xinyue Xu, Chuan Wang, Yuqing Li, Baoyu Dong, Shuai Li, Jumei Zeng
The scarce quantity of drugs against M. abscessus urgently needs to be supplemented with new and effective candidates. Panax quinquefolius is one of the most widely used herbs in Traditional Chinese medicine, with a variety of pharmacological activities, such as anti-diabetic effect, anti-obesity, anti-ageing, anti-cancer, neuroprotective, immune-boosting, and anti-pathogenic microbial effects, as preliminarily proven by numerous studies in vitro and in vivo. P. quinquefolius contains a variety of active substances mainly consisting of ginsenosides, polysaccharides, flavonoids, and phenols (Szczuka et al. 2019; Yang et al. 2020). P. quinquefolius has good bioactivity as an anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial (Kachur and Suntres 2016; Kim and Yang 2018; Wang et al. 2020), showing inhibitory effects against the respiratory bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Song et al. 2010; Iqbal and Rhee 2020; Alsayari et al. 2021). However, only a few studies are available on the antimicrobial activity of P. quinquefolius against bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of P. quinquefolius extract (PQE) against M. abscessus, explore its anti-biofilm formation mechanism, and search for effective active monomers.
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