A comprehensive review of the therapeutic and pharmacological effects of ginseng and ginsenosides in central nervous system

Abstract

Ginseng is one of the most widely used herbal medicines in human. Central nervous system (CNS) diseases are most widely investigated diseases among all others in respect to the ginseng’s therapeutic effects. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral ischemia, depression, and many other neurological disorders including neurodevelopmental disorders. Not only the various types of diseases but also the diverse array of target pathways or molecules ginseng exerts its effect on. These range, for example, from neuroprotection to the regulation of synaptic plasticity and from regulation of neuroinflammatory processes to the regulation of neurotransmitter release, too many to mention. In general, ginseng and even a single compound of ginsenoside produce its effects on multiple sites of action, which make it an ideal candidate to develop multi-target drugs. This is most important in CNS diseases where multiple of etiological and pathological targets working together to regulate the final pathophysiology of diseases. In this review, we tried to provide comprehensive information on the pharmacological and therapeutic effects of ginseng and ginsenosides on neurodegenerative and other neurological diseases. Side by side comparison of the therapeutic effects in various neurological disorders may widen our understanding of the therapeutic potential of ginseng in CNS diseases and the possibility to develop not only symptomatic drugs but also disease modifying reagents based on ginseng.

Ginsenoside Rb1 Attenuates Agonist-Induced Contractile Response via Inhibition of Store-Operated Calcium Entry in Pulmonary Arteries of Normal and Pulmonary Hypertensive Rats

“…It has been used widely as a tonic for various disorders in China, Korea and Japan for over two thousand years and is now a popular herbal remedy worldwide. Ginsenosides, the bioactive ingredients of ginseng, have been proven to provide therapeutic effects affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and central nervous systems [6,7,8,9]. Ginsenosides are generally classified into two categories, namely the panaxadiols and the panaxatriols.…”

Acupuncture plus Herbal Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…These results indicated that acupuncture treatment improved the cognitive function of MID rats. (3) Inhibiting the abnormal phosphorylation of Tau protein (Shi et al, 2010;Kim et al, 2013;Li et al, 2015). The studies also found that Ginsenoside Rb1, Rg1, Rd and Icariin can inhibit the abnormal phosphorylation of Tau protein, and some other studies have used electroacupuncture to treat AD rats, the results showed that the total Tau protein levels in the electroacupuncture group were lower than those in the model group, indicating that acupuncture can inhibit the abnormal expression and hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein, reduce the accumulation of neuronal fibrous entanglement in cells, and prevent abnormal Tau entanglement spreading from the inner olfactory cortex to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus .…”

Effects of Red or Black Ginseng Extract in a Rat Model of Inflammatory Temporomandibular Joint Pain

“…Rh2가 있으며, PPT계는 Re, Rg1, Rg2, Rf, Rh1, F1으로 분 류되며 3) , in vitro 연구에서 Rh1은 활성산소를 억제하는 항 산화작용을 한다고 보고되었고 [4][5][6] , Rb2는 암독소 호르몬에 대한 길항작용이 있다고 보고되었다 7,8) . Fig.…”