Effects of Korean Ginseng
The Rural Development Administration (RDA) announced on November 21 that its research team has confirmed that Korean ginseng is effective in countering stress in collaboration with the College of Medicine at Soonchunhyang University.
The research team administered 300mg/kg of ginseng extract to pregnant mice 30 minutes before being exposed to a series of stresses (eg imprisonment, temporary starvation, forced swimming, exposure to extreme cold, and changes in day and night) during the last week of pregnancy.
The result showed that the level of stress for ginseng-injected mice was reduced as much as 51.38 % in comparison to a control group.
The team also found that ginseng helped children of ginseng-administered mice lower the level of abnormal behaviors related to various mental illnesses, including depression and schizophrenia. The effect is due to the fact that the herb played a role in regulating abnormal expression of neurogenesis-related genes.
Kim Seung-yoo, team manager at RDA, said, “This research finding confirmed the anti-stress effects of Korean Ginseng using a complex stress model, which will receive a lot of attention in the research of the nervous system and stress.” He added, “In particular, it is possible for ginseng farmers to make more money by promoting the confirmed benefits of ginseng. So, I think that the Korean ginseng industry can be revived.”