This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Carabin, I. G. Articles by Chatzidakis, C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Carabin, I. G. Articles by Chatzidakis, C. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Safety Assessment of Panax Ginseng

Burdock and Associates, Inc., Vero Beach, Florida, USA

George A. Burdock

Burdock and Associates, Inc., Vero Beach, Florida, USA

Chris Chatzidakis

The Procter and Gamble Company, Winton Hill Technical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Since the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, the consumption of botanical supplements has increased to the point where ginseng is the third best selling herbal supplement in the United States and it is now also being used as a flavoring agent in foods. The predominant pharmacologically active constituents of Panax are ginsenosides, at least 25 of which have been identified and are present in variable amounts and ratios to one another, depending on the particular species, variety, and conditions of growth. The toxicological profile of ginseng indicates it to be of rather low acute oral toxicity (LD₅₀ > 5000 mg/kg for rats and mice, approximating 200 mg ginsenoside/kg.) No toxicological effects were identified in mini pigs at a dose of 2000 mg/kg (80 mg ginsenoside/kg). As concluded from a 90-day dog study and in reproduction studies in rats and mice, 15 mg/kg ( 0.6 mg ginsenoside/kg) was without effect. No effect was seen in rats administered 4000 mg/kg (160 mg ginsenoside/kg) for 20 days. There was no mutagenic activity observed in Salmonella typhimurium TM677 system with the use of ginseng in the presence or absence of metabolic activation. The no-observed-adverse-effectlevel (NOAEL) in rodents is likely within the range of 50 to 100 mg ginsenoside/kg. There are no confirmed reports of adverse reactions in humans attributed to ginseng alone. Importantly, no consistent symptomology or findings have been attributed to, or identified as being associated with, ginseng consumption. Ginseng extracts standardized at a concentration of 4 mg ginsenosides/100 mg capsule and given at a dose of up to 114 g ginsenoside/kg have not resulted in untoward effects when administered to humans for periods of up to 12 weeks.

Key Words: Clinical Study • Dietary Supplement • Ginseng • Panax • Pharmacology • Toxicity

International Journal of Toxicology, Vol. 19, No. 4, 293-301 (2000)
DOI: 10.1080/10915810050202105


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?