Ginseng for Reducing the Blood Pressure in Patients with Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Ginseng is one of the most-widely used herbal remedies. This systematic review evaluates the current evidence for its use in the reducing blood pressure (BP) in patients with hypertension. Systematic searches of 12 electronic databases were conducted without language restrictions. All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of ginseng as a treatment for hypertension were candidates for inclusion. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias. Five RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was low in most of the trials. Four of the included RCTs compared the effectiveness of ginseng to placebo. The meta-analysis of these data failed to show a statistically significant acute effect on systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP). However, subgroup analyses showed beneficial effects of Korean red ginseng (KRG) on both SBP (n=54, mean difference [MD], -6.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], -9.99 to -3.04; p=0.0002) and DBP (n=54, MD, -5.21; 95% CI, -7.90 to-2.51; p=0.0001). Two RCTs tested the long-term effects of ginseng for BP for 24hours. One of these trials failed to show any benefits of KRG compared to no treatment, and the other failed to show superior effects of North American ginseng compared to placebo. Adverse events with ginseng were none in one trial or not assessed. Collectively, these RCTs provide limited evidence for the acute effectiveness of KRG in the treatment of high BP. The total number of RCTs included in the analysis and the total sample size were insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. More rigorous studies are warranted.

Antihypertensive effect of Korean Red Ginseng by enrichment of ginsenoside Rg3 and arginine–fructose

“…Total saponins and Rg3 are also involved in vasodilation; the mechanism is associated with the release of NO and the activation of Ca 2+ -dependent K + channels in vascular smooth muscles [20]. Previous studies have demonstrated that an 8–9% decrease in blood pressure may induce a 21% decrease in heart attacks, as well as a 37% reduction in stroke [21]. In the present study, HCEF-RG of 1,000 mg/kg was administered to SHR, which is equivalent to a daily Rg3 intake of 4.04 mg. After 8 wk of treatment, a 17% decrease in systolic blood pressure, as well as an 11% reduction in diastolic blood pressure was observed.…”

Ginseng for Health Care: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials in Korean Literature

“…Five of them include studies published in English only [10]–[12], [16], two analysed the results from English and Chinese databases [8], [9], and the other five searched several available databases, including Korean, Chinese, English and Japanese databases [1], [3], [6], [13], [14]. However, these reviews failed to include several recent studies published in Korea, where the name panax ginseng is from.…”

Effects of Korean red ginseng on cold- and heat-related symptoms and the autonomic nervous system

“…Another study suggested that red ginseng (RG) extended the duration of tolerance to cold stress [16]. However, ginseng is generally known to alleviate heat-related symptoms, including xerostomia and hypertension, in addition to cold-related symptoms [8,17]. Therefore, in this study we examined its effects on heat-related symptoms, as well as cold-related symptoms.…”