Recent studies have reported that the aerial parts of ginseng contain various saponins, which have anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity properties similar to those of ginseng root. However, the leaf extracts of Korean ginseng have not yet been investigated. In this study, we demonstrate the anti-obesity effects of green leaf and dried leaf extracts (GL and DL, respectively) of ginseng in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. The administration of GL and DL to HFD-induced obese rats significantly decreased body weight (by 96.5% and 96.7%, respectively), and epididymal and abdominal adipose tissue mass. Furthermore, DL inhibited the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes through regulation of the expression of key adipogenic regulators, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP)-α. In contrast, GL had little effect on the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes but greatly increased the protein expression of PPARγ compared with that in untreated cells. These results were not consistent with an anti-obesity effect in the animal model, which suggested that the anti-obesity effect of GL in vivo resulted from specific factors released by other organs, or from increased energy expenditure. To our knowledge, these findings are the first evidence for the anti-obesity effects of the leaf extracts of Korean ginseng in vivo.

Three type of Lime Bordeaux mixture (LBM) that has been used since 1800's for control plant disease are used for eco-friendly ginseng (Panax ginseng) disease control. But it was restricted the use in the crops cultivation in some countries of Europe recently, because there is a possibility that the copper component is concentrated in the soil and plants with using LBM containing copper. According to the concentration and number of LBM spraying treatment, it was investigated copper and other components in soil and ginseng root. In case of LBM sprayed 33 times for three years, copper concentration was increased up to 75.9 ppm in the soil. However copper concentration of ginseng root was increased with 9.9~23.0 mg/kg in comparison with 8.38~11.39 mg/kg at LBM non-treatment. It has shown that the copper components can be concentrated to in the soil if used continuously in the long term.

No abstract

Korean ginseng has been used for thousands of years as an important medicinal plant. Lime-Bordeaux mixture (LBM) was made with copper sulfate and quicklime, which was sprayed instead of pesticides in ginseng field. Net photosynthesis (PN) was compared between Treatment and Non-treatment of LBM in 3 Year Old Ginseng. PN in control plot recorded 2.94 μmol (CO2) m-2 s-1 at the first day of experiment, which was similar until the last day of experiment. However, The PN in LBM recorded 2.23 μmol (CO2) m-2 s-1 , which was lower than that in control plot. As time goes by, The PN in LBM was gradually increased up to 3.21 μmol (CO2) m-2 s-1 and finally, it was similar with that in control plot at 7th day as a 3.20 μmol (CO2) m-2 s-1).

In 2008, a new Panax ginseng (ginseng) cultivar, 'Cheonmyeong', was bred by pure-line selection for tolerance to physiological disorders using a genetic resource collected from the farm race field, Buyeo, Chungnam, Korea. In 2019, 'Cheonmyeong' was registered as a new breed by the Korea Seed and Varieties Service (grant number 7467) and accorded plant breeders' rights. 'Cheonmyeong' has a yellowish orange pericarp, which has not been previously reported. 'Cheonmyeong' sprouted and flowered 2 days earlier than the control cultivar 'Chunpoong', and its fruit-ripening period occurred 3 days earlier. 'Cheonmyeong' had 1.5-fold more stems per plant than 'Chunpoong'. 'Cheonmyeong' plants were characterized by a lower occurrence of rusty root disease, and had approximately 28% higher 4-year-old root yields (571.8 ± 99.7 kg•10a -1) than those of the rusty root-tolerant 'Chunpoong ' (444.1 ± 110.4 kg•10a-1). The total ginsenoside content of 'Cheonmyeong' (31.70 ± 1.83 mg•g -1 ) was higher than that of 'Chunpoong' (26.62 ± 1.60 mg•g -1 ). Concentrations of the ginsenosides Rg1 (which improves human memory and learning), Rf (which is effective for neuronal oscillation), and Rc (which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects) were higher in 'Cheonmyeong' than in 'Chunpoong'. 'Cheonmyeong' is likely to have strong tolerance against physiological disorders, ensuring reliable production of ginseng, even in response to changes in the cultivation environment.