Ginseng

What is ginseng, and what types exist?

NCCIH describes Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) as a plant native to Korea, northeastern China, and the far east of Siberia; it states that it is used in traditional Chinese medicine as a calming agent and “adaptogen,” and that the root is the part most often used for health purposes. “Red ginseng” and “white ginseng” are not separate species but two different preparation forms of the same Asian ginseng roots. The components thought to be most important are called ginsenosides (panaxosides). ^[1]

Products sold under the name ginseng are not the same plant. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) are different species; in Türkiye, the Plant List contains separate rows for Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius, while the Restricted Substances List treats Siberian ginseng in a separate row. ^{[9] [10]} The summaries of the meta-analyses below do not give details on which ginseng species they cover; the two studies conducted with American ginseng (cancer-related fatigue and the warfarin interaction) are marked separately under their own headings.

Known role in the body and the supplement claim

Ginseng is not a nutrient; it has no required function or deficiency in the body. The claims NCCIH lists include stress, cognitive function, flu, fatigue, athletic performance, diabetes, aging, asthma, and anxiety. ^[1] According to NCCIH, the word “adaptogen” describes the idea that the plant helps the body’s resistance to physiological and psychological stress; this is not a measured outcome but a traditional idea. In the sections below, what controlled studies measured for each claim, in whom they measured it, and where they are limited is given separately.

Does ginseng help fatigue?

The meta-analysis by Bach and colleagues included RCTs comparing ginseng supplementation with placebo; of 155 articles, 12 RCTs (630 participants) entered the final analysis. In the fixed-effect analysis of four RCTs, a significant reduction in fatigue was found (SMD 0.34; 95% CI 0.16–0.52). The authors concluded that, because few RCTs with small samples have been published, the clinical evidence that ginseng reduces fatigue is insufficient. ^[2]

The 2023 meta-analysis by Li and colleagues covered 19 RCTs. When ginseng was compared with control, no significant reduction in fatigue severity was found (SMD −0.36; 95% CI −0.82 to 0.11; p = 0.13). In subgroup analyses, however, a significant reduction was seen for ginseng herbal formulas (SMD −0.39), in chronic fatigue (SMD −0.30), and for ginseng in general fatigue not specific to a disease (SMD −0.48; 95% CI −0.71 to −0.25); ginseng did not increase side effects, and the authors noted that the effect sizes were small. ^[3] NCCIH reports this review as 19 studies and 2,413 participants; it states that ginseng alone may provide a small benefit in general fatigue, whereas in chronic fatigue it was herbal formulas containing other ingredients that appeared beneficial, not ginseng alone. ^[1]

The result as a whole reads as follows: results vary by subgroup, and the effect is small and does not overlap completely across analyses. Subgroup results do not replace the main result; when all ginseng studies were taken together, the difference in Li and colleagues was not significant.

What was found in cancer-related fatigue?

The N07C2 study by Barton and colleagues is a multicenter, double-blind phase III RCT comparing American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius, from Wisconsin) with placebo; 364 cancer patients and survivors with fatigue complaints were enrolled from 40 institutions. In the change in the MFSI-SF general subscale at week 4, the primary endpoint, the difference was not significant (14.4 in the ginseng arm, 8.2 in the placebo arm; p = 0.07); at week 8, the difference was significant (20 and 10.3; p = 0.003). The benefit was reported to be greater in people receiving active cancer treatment than in those who had completed treatment; toxicity did not differ significantly between the two arms. The study was NIH-supported. ^[7] Because it is a single RCT and the product was American ginseng, the result cannot be transferred to Asian ginseng.

Does ginseng affect cognitive function and memory?

The Cochrane review (Geng et al., search date February 24, 2009) searched for double-blind RCTs comparing ginseng with placebo. Nine studies met the criteria: eight in healthy participants and one in people with age-related memory impairment. Only five had analyzable data; because outcome measures, duration, and dose differed greatly, the data could not be pooled. Improvement was seen in some aspects of cognitive function, behavior, and quality of life; no serious side effects were detected. The authors’ conclusion: there is no convincing evidence that Panax ginseng improves cognition in healthy participants, and there is also no high-quality evidence of efficacy in patients with dementia. ^[4]

NCCIH reports that a small amount of research suggests improvement in areas such as abstract thinking, attention, arithmetic, and reaction time in middle-aged adults (not in young adults), while any benefit for memory appears to be due to the addition of ginkgo. ^[1] There is a separate page on ginkgo: Ginkgo biloba.

Does ginseng lower blood sugar?

The meta-analysis by Shishtar and colleagues included RCTs lasting at least 30 days that examined the glycemic effect of ginseng in people with or without diabetes; 16 studies were analyzed. Fasting blood sugar fell relative to control (mean difference −0.31 mmol/L; 95% CI −0.59 to −0.03; p = 0.03; 770 participants). There was no significant effect on fasting insulin, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR. 67% of the studies were shorter than 12 weeks, and participants’ glycemic control was relatively good (median HbA1c 7.1% in the 7 studies in people with diabetes). ^[6] NCCIH states that a 2022 review including 20 studies (1,295 participants) found improvement in fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and some inflammation markers in prediabetes and diabetes, but that research on blood sugar control in people with diabetes is overall inconclusive and conflicting. ^[1]

Does ginseng improve athletic performance?

In Bach and colleagues, in the fixed-effect analysis of eight RCTs for physical performance, there was no association between ginseng supplementation and a performance increase (SMD −0.01; 95% CI −0.29 to 0.27). ^[2] NCCIH also reports that most research has shown that Asian ginseng does not improve athletic performance. ^[1]

What is the evidence for erectile function?

The Cochrane review (Lee et al., search January 30, 2021) included nine placebo-controlled studies in 587 men aged 20–70 with mild–moderate erectile dysfunction; follow-up lasted up to 12 weeks. The mean difference in the IIEF-15 erectile function domain was 3.52 points (95% CI 1.79–5.25; 3 studies; low certainty); the authors assumed the minimal clinically important difference to be 4 points and characterized the effect as trivial. On the IIEF-5, the difference was 2.39 (95% CI 0.89–3.88; 3 studies; moderate certainty; assumed important difference 5). For adverse events, there was no or very little difference from placebo (RR 1.45; 95% CI 0.69–3.03; 7 studies). For self-reported ability to have intercourse, RR 2.55 (95% CI 1.76–3.69; 6 studies; low certainty). No study compared it with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. ^[5] NCCIH, by contrast, states that some research shows oral Asian ginseng seems to improve sexual function in people with erectile dysfunction; the Cochrane review found this effect to be trivial. ^[1]

Is ginseng safe, and what interactions does it have?

According to NCCIH, short-term oral use (up to 6 months) at recommended amounts appears safe for most people; there are questions about long-term safety, and some experts voice opposition to its use in infants, children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women. Insomnia is the most common side effect; among those rarely reported are severe rash, liver damage, and serious allergic reactions. NCCIH also states that Asian ginseng may worsen autoimmune diseases, may impair blood clotting, may lower blood sugar, and may interact with some drugs. Some studies suggest that oral use in pregnancy may not be safe; a chemical in it has been found to cause birth defects in animals. ^[1]

Human data on the warfarin interaction come from American ginseng. In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study by Yuan and colleagues, 20 healthy people were followed for 4 weeks; in the ginseng arm, peak INR after 2 weeks fell significantly relative to placebo (difference −0.19; 95% CI −0.36 to −0.07; p = 0.0012), and peak plasma warfarin level and warfarin AUC also fell. As a limitation, the authors noted that the study was conducted in young healthy volunteers, not in patients taking warfarin at a therapeutic dose. ^[8] The PubMed record also links to published comment letters on this study (Ann Intern Med 2004;141:893–4). ^[8] The result was not measured directly for patients taking Asian ginseng and warfarin.

What is the status of ginseng in Türkiye?

In the Plant List of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (updated July 16, 2026), Panax ginseng root (“Korean ginseng, red ginseng”) is listed as positive (P); Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) root is also positive. ^[9] In the September 21, 2026 version of the Restricted Substances List for Dietary Supplements, Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is shown as the source for “Ginsenosides,” and 200 mg/day is written in the age 11 and over maximum column; the 4–10 year columns are blank (published June 27, 2016). ^[10] This figure is for the amount of ginsenosides (a marker compound); it is not in the same unit as the total extract weight used in a study. For Siberian ginseng, the list also has a separate “Eleutherosides B and E” row (420 mg/day), which is a different plant and a different unit. ^[10]

The general framework for dietary supplements is covered separately on the page supplement regulation in Türkiye. This guide does not recommend products or places of supply and does not set personal doses.

Evidence table: claim, population, and limits