Panax ginseng has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years to enhance both longevity and the quality of life. Panax ginseng root contains active chemicals called ginsenosides, which are thought to be responsible for the herb’s pharmacological effects. Some researches have shown that ginseng increases insulin production and reduces cell death in pancreatic beta cells. Also, ginseng can reduce blood-glucose in type II diabetes patients.
Panax Ginseng and Type 2 Diabetes
Panax ginseng is commonly used in Chinese Medicine to treat diabetes. It has been shown in test tube and animal-based studies to increase the release of insulin from the pancreas and to increase the number of insulin receptors. Between 1921 and 1932, Japanese researchers reported that ginseng root decreased baseline blood glucose and reduced hyperglycemia caused by adrenaline or high concentration glucose administration. Results of in vitro studies, animal experiments and clinical studies strongly support the claim that ginseng root possesses antidiabetic effects.30 ginsenosides Ginsenoside Rh2, one of the ginsenosides contained in the Panax ginseng Ginsenoside Rh2 has an property to improve insulin action on glucose.
In animal models of diet-induced Type II Diabetes, Panax ginseng appears to be efficacious at increasing insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue when fed at 200mg/kg bodyweight. There is some findings that taking panax ginseng, 200 mg daily, can lessen fasting blood glucose levels and hemoglobin HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes. In a study in which ginseng root (100 or 200 mg daily for 8 weeks) were orally administered to 36 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients demonstrated a reduction in fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. Ginseng can lessen insulin requirements and prolong the effect of injected insulin. Patients with type 2 diabetes mostly find that after 2 weeks of taking ginseng tea, their blood-sugar levels go down by between 40 and 50 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). In the “Journal of Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases” (January 2008), it was reported that panax ginseng improves glucose and insulin regulation in well-controlled, type 2 diabetes.
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