Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. · herb
Evidence tier: limited
Combats mental and physical fatigue and improves stress resilience
Acts mainly on energy, the nervous system and the body's stress and glucose handling. The ginsenosides are thought to modulate the HPA axis (the body's stress response pathway) and to have antioxidant and mild glucose lowering activity, which is the leading laboratory explanation for the traditional fatigue use. Proposed, not proven at the doses people take.
Limited, and the regulator says so. EMA (monograph EMA/HMPC/27744/2023, revision 1, adopted 29 May 2024) grants Panax ginseng TRADITIONAL USE ONLY, for 'symptoms of asthenia such as fatigue and weakness', exclusively on long standing use. The well established use column of the monograph is empty. The trials match that modest framing: the largest fatigue review (19 trials, PMID 36730693) found NO significant reduction in fatigue overall versus control, with only small subgroup effects; a 2026 meta analysis found no significant effect on cancer related fatigue at very low certainty (PMID 41745077); the Cochrane review found 'a lack of convincing evidence to show a cognitive enhancing effect of Panax ginseng in healthy participants' (PMID 21154383), and a newer meta analysis found a small effect on memory only, not on overall cognition, attention or executive function (PMID 39474788). The best signal is erectile function (7 trials of red ginseng beat placebo) but the authors said the trials were too small and too low quality 'to draw definitive conclusions' (PMID 18754850). NCCIH: ginseng does not improve athletic performance. Not the strong adaptogen its reputation suggests.
EMA traditional use doses span preparations: powdered root 250 to 1200 mg as a single dose (600 to 2000 mg daily), red ginseng powder 1200 to 1800 mg daily, or a standardised dry extract at 4 percent ginsenosides at 40 to 200 mg daily. Duration capped at 3 months. The PlantRx product is two capsules daily of red Asian ginseng standardised to 7 percent ginsenosides.
Take in the morning, stimulating properties can delay sleep if taken in the afternoon. Start at 200mg to assess tolerance. Cycle on/off: 3 months on, 1 to 4 weeks off. Standardised extract required, raw root powder has inconsistent ginsenoside content.
Onset: ~21 days
Avoid in pregnancy, ginsenosides have shown embryotoxic effects in animal studies. Avoid in breastfeeding due to insufficient data. Ginseng abuse syndrome (insomnia, hypertension, irritability) at high doses. Interacts with warfarin, MAOIs, and diabetes medications.
Pregnancy: avoid
Breastfeeding: avoid
Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years as the foremost Qi tonic, a supreme adaptogen for vitality, longevity, and immune resilience. Referenced in the Shennong Bencao Jing (circa 100 CE), the first comprehensive Chinese pharmacopeia. Used by imperial courts for thousands of years.
Active compounds: ginsenosides (panaxosides) Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg1, Rg2
Remedies using Ginseng · Browse by body system · Check it against what you take
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.