Synonyms/Common Names/Related Substances:

• Related terms: 2-Furanmethanol, 20-(R)-R, (20S)-protopanaxadiol-3-O-(6-O-malonyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside-20-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1-->3)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, 20-(S)-Re, 28-glu-oleanolic acid ester, acetylenic alcohol, acidic polysaccharides, adenosine, aglycones, Allheilkraut (German), alpha-maltosyl-beta-D-fructofuranoside, aluminum, American ginseng (AG), American wild ginseng, antioxidants, Araliaceae (family), Asian ginseng, Asiatic ginseng, calcium, capsaicin 4-O-(6-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside, capsaicin 4-O-beta-D-glucoside, ceramide, chikusetsu ginseng, chikusetsusaponin IV, chikusetsusaponin IVa, chikusetsusaponin-L8, chitinolytic enzymes, chosen ninjin, citral, class I chitinase, cobalt, copper, CPPQ (coarse polysaccharide from Panax quinquefolius), CVT-E002, dae-jo-hwan (DJW), dammarane-type glycosides, dammarane-type triterpene ketone (panaxadione), dammarane-type tetracyclic triterpenoid saponins, dwarf ginseng, fatty acids, five-fingers, five-leaf ginseng, G115®, ginsan, ginsenan PA (phagocytosis-activating polysaccharide), ginseng acidic polysaccharide, ginseng radix, ginseng saponins, ginseng tetrapeptide, Ginsengwurzel (German), ginsenoside, ginsenoside F1, ginsenoside F2, ginsenoside F3, ginsenoside F4, ginsenoside Ia, ginsenoside R0, ginsenoside Ra1, ginsenoside Ra2, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rb2, ginsenoside Rb3, ginsenoside Rc, ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside Rd2, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rf, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rg2, ginsenoside Rg3, ginsenoside Rg5, ginsenoside Rg6, ginsenoside Rh1, ginsenoside Rh2, ginsenoside Rh3, ginsenoside Rh4, ginsenoside Rk1, ginsenoside Rk3, ginsenoside Ro, ginsenoside Rs3, ginsenoside Rs4, ginsenoside Rs5, ginsenosides compound (shen-fu), GTTC (ginseng and tang-kuei ten combination), hakusan (Japanese), hakushan, higeninjin, hong shen (Chinese), hua qi shen (Chinese), hungseng, hungsheng, hunseng, insam (Korean), iron, jenseng, jen-shen, jinpi, kao-li-seng, Korean ginseng, Korean red ginseng (KRG), Kraftwurzel (German), limonene, magnesium, malonylginsenoside Ra3, maltol, manganese, man root, memory enhancer, minjin, molybdenum, mountain ginseng, nhan sam (Vietnamese), ninjin (Japanese), ninzin, niuhan, North American ginseng, notoginseng, notoginsenoside, notoginsenoside-Fe, notoginsenoside R1, notoginsenoside R2, notoginsenoside R4, oleanolic acid, ophioponins, Oriental ginseng, otane ninjin (Japanese), panajaponin, panax de Chine (French), Panax ginseng, Panax ginseng C.A.Mey., Panax notoginseng, Panaxpsuedoginseng, Panax quinquefolium (common misspelling), Panax spp., Panax trifolius L., Panax vietamensis (Vietnamese ginseng), panaxadial, panaxans, panaxatriol, panaxosides, panaxydol, panaxynol, panaxytriol, pannag (Hebrew), peptidoglycans, phenolic compounds, phosphorus, polyacetylenes, polyacetylenic compounds, poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides, poly-hydroxyl octadecenoic acid, potassium, protopanaxadiol ginsenosides, protopanaxatriol, protopanaxatriol saponins, protopanaxatriol (PPT)-type ginsenosides, quinqueginsin, racine de ginseng (French), Re, red ginseng, renshen, ribonucleases, rozu (Japanese), sang, sanchi ginseng, san-pi, sanqi, saponins, schinsent, sei yang sam, seng, sesquiterpenoids, shanshen, shen-fu (Chinese), shenghaishen, shenlu, shen-sai-seng, shenshaishanshen, siyojin, sodium, sterol glucosides, stress-buster, sun ginseng, superoxide dismutase, t'ang-sne, tartar root, terpineol, tienchi ginseng, to-kai-san, triperpenoid saponins, triterpenoids, true ginseng, tyosenninzin, vanadium, vanillic acid, Vietnamese ginseng, vitamins, volatile oil, Western ginseng, Western sea ginseng, white ginseng, wild ginseng, woodsgrown (wild-stimulated) ginseng root, xi shen, xi yang shen, yakuyo ninjin, yakuyo ninzin, yang shen, yeh-shan-seng, yuan-seng, yuansheng, zhuzishen, zinc.
• Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) synonyms: Acanthopanax senticosus, ci wu jia, ciwujia, devil's bush, devil's shrub, eleuthera, eleuthero, eleuthero ginseng, eleutherococ, Eleutherococci radix, Eleutherococcus, phytoestrogen, shigoka, touch-me-not, ussuri, ussurian thorny pepperbush, wild pepper, wu-jia, wu-jia-pi.
• American ginseng (Panaxquinquefolius L.) synonyms: Amerikan ginseng (Turkish), Amerikanischer Ginseng (German), amerikkalainen ginseng (Finnish), anchi ginseng, Aralia quinquefolia Decne. & Planch. (botanical synonym), Araliaceae (family), Canadian ginseng, CVT-E 002®, five fingers, five-leafed ginseng, garantoquen, ginseng, ginseng d'Amérique (French), ginsenosides poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides, man-root, man's health, North American ginseng, Occidental ginseng, Ontario ginseng, Panax quincefolius, Panaxquinquefolius, red berry, redberry, sang, shang (traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)), tartar root, western ginseng, wild American ginseng, Wisconsin ginseng, xi yang shen (TCM, Chinese).
• Panax ginseng synonyms: Aralia (botanical synonym), Aralia ginseng Mey., Araliaceae (family), Asian ginseng, Asiatic ginseng, Chinese ginseng, G115®, Gincosan, Ginsai®, ginseng asiatique (French), ginseng radix, ginseng root, ginsengjuuri (Finnish), guigai, Japanese ginseng, jintsam, Korean ginseng, Korean Panax ginseng, Korean red, Korean red ginseng, kuhuang shenmai injection (KHSM), ninjin (Japanese), Oriental ginseng, Panax, Panax ginseng C.A.Mey., Panax schinseng, Panax schinseng Nees, Panax spp., radix ginseng rubra, red ginseng, ren shen (TCM), renshen (TCM), renxian, sang, schinsent, seng, shen, shengmai, shengmai chenggu capsule, shengmai injection (SI), shengmai san (SMS), shengmai-san, shengmaisan, shengmaiyin, shenmai, shenmai huoxue decoction (SMHXD), shenmai injection (SMI), white ginseng.
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Clinical Bottom Line/Effectiveness

Brief Background:

• The term ginseng refers to several species of the genus Panax (Latinized from Greek: pan, "all" and akos, "cure") of the Araliaceae family. Although ginseng may also refer to Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Siberian ginseng is from another botanical family that differs both chemically and pharmacologically. Therefore, Siberian ginseng may not be considered interchangeable with the Panax ginsengs (1).
• For more than 2,000 years, the roots of slow-growing perennial Panax plants have been valued in Chinese medicine for their invigorating (2), adaptogenic, and tonic properties (3;​4;​5). The two most commonly used species of ginseng are Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A.Mey.), which is mostly extinct in its natural range, and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.), which is both harvested from the wild and cultivated.
• The predominant pharmacologically active constituents of Panax are ginsenosides (6;​7;​8;​9;​10;​11;​12;​13;​14;​15;​16;​17;​18), at least 25 of which have been identified and are present in variable amounts and ratios to one another, depending on the particular species, variety, and conditions of growth. Panaxosides are also found in American ginseng. Products with a standardized ginsenoside concentration are available (19).
• In traditional Chinese medicine, shengmai, also called shenmai (Panax ginseng, Ophiopogon japonicus, and fructus Schisandrae), is a well-studied ginseng combination used to treat conditions involving a weak pulse (e.g., coronary heart diseases and chronic obstruction pulmonary disease) (20). In various chemical analyses, shenmai has been found to contain up to 39 ginsenosides as well as seven ophioponins (21;​22). The use of chemical analysis for quality control of shenmai and other herbal combinations is of growing interest (21;​22;​23).
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Dosing/Toxicology

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Precautions/Contraindications

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Interactions

Most herbs and supplements have not been thoroughly tested for interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs, or foods. The interactions listed below are based on reports in scientific publications, laboratory experiments, or traditional use. You should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy.

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Mechanism of Action

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History

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Evidence Table

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Evidence Discussion

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Products Studied

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Author Information

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References

Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to www.naturalstandard.com. Selected references are listed below.

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