A Review of Ginseng Clinical Trials Registered in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform

Abstract

Although ginseng has long been broadly used in clinical settings around the world, few clinical trials on ginseng have been conducted. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the characteristics of ginseng clinical trials registered in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) as of December 2017 regarding their frequency, design, type of ginseng, dosage, duration, condition, funding sources, and publication status. A total of 134 ginseng clinical studies were registered from 2002 to 2017, of which 60.4% were completed and 23.1% are actively recruiting participants. A large number of trials were associated with aspects of high-quality trial design. Overall, 94% of the trials employed randomized allocation to study arms, 78.4% were double-blind studies using placebo as one of the control groups, and 71% were published as completed trials. Trials whose sample size was restricted to fewer than 100 participants accounted for 74.7% of the total. Of the primary funding sources for ginseng studies, 67.2% were nonindustry organizations. The ginseng clinical trials were heterogeneous with respect to ginseng species and variety, indications, dose, duration, and participant characteristics. Clearly, stricter and methodologically suitable studies are needed to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of ginseng.

Novel applications of mass spectrometry‐based metabolomics in herbal medicines and its active ingredients: Current evidence

“…Ginseng has attracted the public attention in modern society due to its health benefits and commercial value. It has the effect to strengthen energy, enhance intelligence and body function, and promote longevity (He et al, ; Wu et al, ). The quality of ginseng is usually influenced by many conditions, such as age, cultivars, climate, medicinal parts, etc .…”

Pharmacological potential of ginseng and its major component ginsenosides

“…A number of modern drugs originate from traditional medications [ 16 ]. Ginseng has been used in clinical settings all over the world [ 17 ] and may provide the basis for the development of novel therapeutic agents. The objective of this article is to review the state of ginseng research and to evaluate the use of its bioactive compounds as therapeutic agents.…”

A critical examination of the main premises of Traditional Chinese Medicine

“…Furthermore, potential pharmacological interference with conventional drugs may be common and remains poorly investigated. For instance, high quality evidence about the clinical efficacy of Pannax ginseng, Lycium barbarum and Cinnamon, the three most extensively exported Chinese herbs, is practically non-existent [89][90][91]. Moreover, a comprehensive report of Cochrane reviews on Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) suggested that only 16% of all included primary studies use adequate sequence generation.…”