[Effects of Red Ginseng] From Immunity to Fatigue and Memory Improvement, 3 Benefits of Red Ginseng

Dec 03, 2023KimSunhyo

[Effects of Red Ginseng] From Immunity to Fatigue and Memory Improvement, 3 Benefits of Red Ginseng

Red Ginseng

The True Effects of Red Ginseng, a National Health Food

This content is health information about ingredients and not directly related to a specific product.

Effects of Red Ginseng

1. Boosts immunity
2. Improves physical fatigue
3. Improves attention, memory, and stress

Recommended to:

1. Those looking for nutritional supplements to improve fatigue
2. Those who are concerned about decreased immunity
3. Those concerned about memory decline

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

Red ginseng, a nutritional supplement loved by people of all ages, from children, test takers, office workers to people in their 50s and 60s, and a frequent holiday gift, is not out of place to call it the ‘national health food.’

The history of consuming red ginseng in Korea goes back over 1,000 years. Historically, its beginnings can be found in the Goryeo Dogyeong (高麗圖經), a record left by an envoy from the Song Dynasty when he visited Goryeo[1]. In addition, according to oriental medicine, red ginseng is believed to have the effect of replenishing energy in the body when energy is lost [2].

Therefore, today, we will find out whether red ginseng truly deserves to be called a national health food and find out the efficacy of red ginseng through research papers.
[1] Dictionary of cultural archetypes
[2] Doosan Encyclopedia

1. Boosts Immunity

Immunity is divided into ‘innate immunity’ and ‘acquired immunity’. Innate immunity is the immunity that a person has from birth and refers to an immune response caused by cells such as macrophages and natural killer cells (NK cells). Acquired immunity is an immune response produced by T cells and B cells. It refers to an immune response that remembers specific pathogens that have invaded the body and responds quickly when those pathogens re-invade.

Red ginseng promotes both innate and acquired immunity, so it can be seen as a material that has a comprehensive impact on immunity. cRed ginseng promotes both innate and acquired immunity, so it can be seen as a material that has a comprehensive impact on immunity. that when 2g of red ginseng was consumed daily for 8 weeks, an increase in T cells and B cells in the spleen and thymus was confirmed, and the number of white blood cells in the blood increased.

“This study demonstrated through an 8-week test and follow-up analysis that red ginseng strengthens the immune system by increasing T cells, B cells, and white blood cells.”

Reference : Hyun, S. H., Ahn, H.-Y., Kim, H.-J., Kim, S. W., So, S.-H., In, G., … Han, C.-K. (2020). Immuno-enhancement effects of Korean Red Ginseng in healthy adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Ginseng Research.

2. Improves Physical Fatigue

It is no exaggeration to say that modern people are always tired. Especially the day after you exert physically, or on a day when you are not in a good mood, you feel muscle pain all over the body. This type of muscle pain is caused by a build-up of ‘fatigue substances’ that occur when muscles are used. These fatigue substances include lactic acid and creatine*, which is produced from creatine phosphorylase (CK) [3]. Therefore, the accumulation of lactic acid and creatine phosphatase (CK) in the body can be seen to be directly related to physical fatigue.
*Creatine: Amino acid-like substance found in abundance in muscles

In 2010, Jung, H. L. and researchers published a human trial showing that when consuming red ginseng, blood lactic acid levels and creatine phosphatase (CK) levels were significantly reduced compared to the placebo group.
[3] Dictionary of Life Sciences

“We found that creatine phosphorylase (CK) and lactic acid levels measured 48 hours after exercise were significantly lower in the red ginseng group compared to the placebo group.”

Reference : Jung, H. L, Kim, B. S., Lee, C. D., Na, H. J., Kim, S. S., Kim, Y. C., & Kang, H. Y. (2010). Effects of Red Ginseng Intake on Muscle Injury Due to Eccentric Exercise. Preventive Nutrition and Food Science, 15(2), 88-91.

3. Improves Attention, Memory, and Stress

The reason red ginseng continues to be loved as a nutritional supplement for test takers and the elderly is because it is one of the few nutritional supplements that helps improve immunity, fatigue, and memory.

In this regard, a cell experiment study on the memory improvement benefits of 'ginsenoside', a key ingredient contained in red ginseng, revealed that ginsenoside has neurotrophic and selective neuroprotective effects that can contribute to improving cognitive function [4 ]. Furthermore, the memory improvement benefits of red ginseng have also been proven through human trials.
[4] Rudakewich, M., Ba, F., & Benishin, C. (2001). Neurotrophic and Neuroprotective Actions of Ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1. Planta Medica, 67(06), 533–537.

In a study conducted by Mariage in 2020, it was confirmed that when subjects consumed red ginseng powder for two weeks, it was effective in improving attention, memory, and stress.

“Overall, consuming red ginseng powder (HRG80) was significantly superior to the placebo group in attention, memory, and stress scores.”

Reference : Mariage, P.-A., Hovhannisyan, A., & Panossian, A. G. (2020). Efficacy of Panax ginseng Meyer Herbal Preparation HRG80 in Preventing and Mitigating Stress-Induced Failure of Cognitive Functions in Healthy Subjects: A Pilot, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial. Pharmaceuticals, 13(4), 57.

Today, we looked at academic research on red ginseng, a national health food. In addition to the aforementioned effects of improving immunity, improving fatigue, and improving memory, red ginseng is a material that is being studied for a variety of other effects, including antioxidant, blood circulation health, and menopausal women's health.

However, as always, even if a material has many benefits, it may not be beneficial to everyone. People taking diabetes medications or blood anticoagulants should be careful when consuming red ginseng. This is because the ginsenoside component contained in red ginseng can reduce platelet coagulation and enhance the blood sugar lowering effect.

In addition, red ginseng has the potential to cause allergies due to ingestion, so adverse events may occur depending on the individual's constitution. Therefore, if symptoms such as hives or itching occur while consuming, we recommend that you stop consuming and be sure to consult your doctor.

I hope you have a healthy day both physically and mentally. This was Jinny.