Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng CA Meyer) root fractions: Differential effects on postprandial glycemia in healthy individuals

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Variations in ginsenoside profile may predict the postprandial glucose (PPG)-lowering efficacy of ginseng. Previously we reported differential PPG-lowering effects with two Korean red ginseng (KRG) root. Fractions: body and rootlets, of variable ginsenoside profiles. Whether this effect is reproducible with a different KRG source is unclear. We therefore tested two root fractions from a KRG source with elevated ginsenoside levels to assess its effect on PPG. Materials and Methods: After a 12-h overnight fast, 13 healthy individuals (6M:7F; age = 28 +/- 10 y; BMI = 24.1 +/- 3 kg/m2; FBG = 4.77 +/- 0.04 mmol/L) randomly received either 3 g of KRG-body, rootlets or placebo, on three separate visits. Treatments were consumed 60 min prior to a standard test meal with capillary blood samples at 60, 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min. Results: The KRGrootlets had > 6 fold total ginsensosides than the KRG-body but did not significantly affect PPG. Despite a reduced ginsenoside profile, KRG-body lowered PPG levels at 45, 60, 90 and 120 min during the test (p < 0.05), rendering an overall reduction of 27% in incremental area under the glucose curve compared to the control (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Comparing the results with a previously studied batch of KRG suggests a potential therapeutic dose range for ginsenosides. This observation should be clinically verified with acute screening and ginsenoside composition analysis. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.