Ginseng Also

Ginseng. This herb may react with the drug phenelzine, causing headaches, tremors, and manic-like symptoms, according to reports. However, it is possible that the ginseng in these cases may have been contaminated with caffeine. Ginseng also lowers blood concentrations of alcohol and warfarin. 

Ginsenoside Rgl (27) from Panax ginseng also exerted a direct mitogenic effect when applied in vitro to microcultures of thymus cells. Again, this effect was greater with a lower dose (25 pg/ml) while a higher dose of Rgl (50 pg/ml) had no significant effect on thymocytes [59]. 

Ginsenan S-IIA, a polysaccharide fraction from the roots of P. ginseng is a potent inducer of IL-8 production by human monocytes and THP-1 cells, and this induction is accompanied by increased IL-8 mRNA expression. The polysaccharide appears from the structural feature to be a mixture of arabino-galactan type I and type II, based on the presence of 1,3-, 1,6-, 1,3,6-, 1,4-, and 1,4,6-galactose units as well as terminal arabinose and 1,5-, 1,3,5-, and 1,2,5-linked units. It also contains 1,4,6-linked glucose units that together with the 1,2,5-linked arabinose units are different from the units found in other ginseng polysaccharides and may thus be of importance for the activity [64]. 

Ginseng Rg2 has shown inhibitory effects on platelet aggregation similar to aspirin, and R0 reportedly inhibits the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin [27]. The amount of ginseng administered may also influence the effect(s) produced. In rats and mice, small doses of ginseng extract result in increased spontaneous motor activity, whereas larger doses produce an inhibitory effect on the central nervous system [28]. 

Ginseng extracts have also been shown to modulate the immune responsiveness of human leukocytes in vitro. For example, extracts from P. ginseng were reported to increase NK cell function and ADCC in PBMC from both healthy and immunocompromised individuals [18]. In addition, similar extracts and their degradation products displayed anti-complement activity [46]. In contrast to the mouse data described above, a standardized ginseng extract (Gerimax) by itself (no inflammatory stimulus) induced the production of IL-12 (but not IL-10) by PBMC from healthy test subjects [47],... 

The content of total and individual ginsenosides does not only vary between plant organs and species. In particular, the content of ginsenosides in ginseng roots also depends on growing conditions and age of the roots, and internal root size (root hairs, lateral roots, and main roots) (Christensen et al, 2006 Court et ah, 1996b Soldati and Tanaka, 1984 Wills and Stuart, 2001). 

As described above, the cyclization of squalene oxide is a biosynthetic branching point not only for phytosterols and triterpenes but also for dammarane- and oleanane-type ginsenosides. In ginseng, the enzyme... 

Many t)q)es of extraction procedures have been employed for the extraction of ginsenosides from fresh or dry ginseng plant material as well as from ginseng preparations. Characteristic for most of the extraction methods is the use of methanol or ethanol or different aqueous mixtures of these two solvents, which also clearly enhance the extraction performances of these compounds compared with pure methanol or ethanol at room temperature (Anderson and Burney, 1998 Christensen et ah, 2006 Euzzati, 2004 Lou et ah, 2006a). In order to enhance the recovery of... 

FIGURE 1.9 Ginseng roots from 6-year-old American ginseng plants (Panax quinquefo-lium) grown in Denmark with root hairs, lateral roots, and main roots. Ginseng roots within the same species may not only differ in content of ginsenosides but also in root size. 

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