| Disease | GINSENG HAS LONG BEEN USED FOR VARIOUS MEDICINAL REASONS IN EAST ASIA AND HAS RECENTLY ALSO BECOME A POPULAR NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT IN WESTERN COUNTRIES. ALTHOUGH COMMONLY ALLEGED TO INCREASE WORK PERFORMANCE BY ENHANCING THE BODY RESISTANCE TO
STRESS AND FATIGUE, HUMAN EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH EVIDENCE TO EITHER SUPPORT OR REFUTE THESE CLAIMS IS LIMITED AND CONFLICTING. THEREFORE, THIS RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY SERVED TO EXAMINE A GROUP OF HEALTHY ADULT FEMALES
WHO FOR EIGHT WEEKS ADDED 200 MG DAY OF A CONCENTRATED EXTRACT OF PANAX GINSENG C.A. MEYER (N-10) OR PLACEBO (N-9) TO THEIR OTHERWISE SUPPLEMENT-FREE NORMAL DIET. BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRIAL INTERVENTION, EACH SUBJECT PERFORMED A GRADED
MAXIMAL CYCLE ERGOMETRY TEST TO EXHAUSTION AND COMPLETED A STANDARD HABITUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT CHRONIC GINSENG SUPPLEMENTATION HAD NO EFFECT ON MAMIMAL WORK PERFORMANCE (J) AND RESTING, EXERCISE, AND RECOVERY
OXYGEN UPTAKE (VO2, ML.KG-MIN), RESPIRATORY EXHANGE RATIO (RER), MINUTE VENTILATION (VE, L-MIN), HEART RAT (BEATS-MIN), AND BLOOD LACTIC ACID (MMOL.L) LEVELS (P>0.05). HABITUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SCORES OF STUDY PARTICIPANTS WERE FOUND TO BE
SIMILAR BETWEEN THE PLACEBO AND GINSENG TREATMENT GROUP AND AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE EIGHT WEEKS TRIAL PERIOD (P>0.05). THE PRESENT DATA IN HELATHY ADULT FEMALES INDICATED THAT GINSENG C.A.MEYER DOES NOT RESULT IN AN ENHANCEMEN OF WORK
RECOVERY RESPONSE FROM MAXIMAL PHYSICAL WORK. |