Effects of Red and White Ginseng Preparations on Electrical Activity of the Brain in Elderly Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Three-Armed Cross-Over Study

Abstract

Background: Recently, the superior efficacy of hydroponically cultivated red ginseng preparation HRG80® compared to wild growing white ginseng (WG) in preventing stress-induced symptoms related to the daily work situation of healthy subjects was reported. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of HRG80®, WG, and placebo on the electrical activity in the brain of elderly human subjects during relaxation and mental challenges. Methods: Changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency ranges of 17 different brain regions were measured after single and repeated administration of HRG80®, WG, and placebo across a four-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled three-armed cross-over trial. Results: Both red and white ginseng preparations had a strong impact on brain activity, with different effects on various brain regions depending on the mental load during relaxation and cognitive tasks associated with memory, attention, and mental performance. Both ginseng preparations exhibited significant effects on spectral powers compared to placebo, reflecting an activating action. The spectral changes in the quantitative EEG induced by HRG80® indicated an improvement in mood as well as calming effects, evidenced by the modulation of β2 waves, representing changes in GABA-ergic neurotransmission. HRG80® attenuated δ/θ powers during relaxation, suggesting the potential improvement of pathologically enhanced spectral power in aging. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that both hydroponically cultivated red and wild growing white ginseng have similar beneficial effects on the cognitive functions of elderly subjects, as reflected by electric brain activity, but their modes of action on the brain are different.

Network Pharmacology of Ginseng (Part II): The Differential Effects of Red Ginseng and Ginsenoside Rg5 in Cancer and Heart Diseases as Determined by Transcriptomics

“…The spectral changes in the quantitative EEG induced by HRG indicated an improvement in mood and calming effects evidenced by the modulation of β2 waves, representing changes in GABA-ergic neurotransmission. HRG attenuated δ/θ waves power, which is increasing with aging [17]. Red Ginseng preparation HRG was more active than WG in humans [17] and an animal study, where HRG induced higher excitability of pyramidal cells by modulation of ionotropic glutamate NMDA and Kainate receptor-mediated transmission at daily doses of 10 to 50 mg/kg body weight corresponding to human doses of 100-500 mg [18].…”

“…HRG attenuated δ/θ waves power, which is increasing with aging [17]. Red Ginseng preparation HRG was more active than WG in humans [17] and an animal study, where HRG induced higher excitability of pyramidal cells by modulation of ionotropic glutamate NMDA and Kainate receptor-mediated transmission at daily doses of 10 to 50 mg/kg body weight corresponding to human doses of 100-500 mg [18].…”

Network Pharmacology of Ginseng (Part II): The Differential Effects of Red Ginseng and Ginsenoside Rg5 in Cancer and Heart Diseases as Determined by Transcriptomics

“…Recently, we have demonstrated that both hydroponically cultivated red ginseng root powder HRG80 TM (HRG) and white ginseng (WG) preparations were effective in preventing and mitigating the stress-induced deterioration of cognitive functions in healthy subjects [ 16 ] and elderly patients with mild cognitive disorders [ 17 ] at daily doses of 418 mg HRG (64 mg of total ginsenosides, 1.2 mg Rg5) and 764 mg WG (19.6 mg of total ginsenosides, 0.16 mg Rg5). Both HRG and WG preparations substantially impacted brain activity, affecting various brain regions depending on the mental load during relaxation and cognitive tasks associated with memory, attention, and mental performance.…”

Network Pharmacology of Red Ginseng (Part I): Effects of Ginsenoside Rg5 at Physiological and Sub-Physiological Concentrations

“…The results of many clinical trials suggesting the beneficial effects of ginseng on stress and cognitive functions were critically reviewed in several comprehensive and systematic review articles [3,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Overall, ginseng is a promising treatment for mental, industrial, and chronic fatigue [15][16][17][18][19], and for the cognitive enhancement performance of healthy subjects [6,[19][20][21][22][23][24], and patients with mild cognitive impairments [25][26][27][28][29][30][31] and/or neurological disorders [7,[26][27][28].…”