Laboratory Study Suggests Potential Anti-Cancer Benefit of Ginseng

Ginseng (English pronunciation: /ˈdʒɪn.seŋ/) is any one of eleven distinct species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the Panax genus in the family Araliaceae.

It grows in the Northern Hemisphere in eastern Asia (mostly Korea, northern China (Manchuria), and eastern Siberia), typically in cooler climates; Panax vietnamensis, discovered in Vietnam, is the southernmost ginseng found. This article focuses on the Series Panax ginsengs, which are the adaptogenic herbs, principally Panax ginseng and P. quinquefolius. Ginseng is characterized by the presence of ginsenosides.

Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is in the same family, but not genus, as true Ginseng. Like Ginseng, it is considered to be an adaptogenic herb. The active compounds in Siberian Ginseng are eleutherosides, not ginsenosides. Instead of a fleshy root, Siberian Ginseng has a woody root, From Wikipedia

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) extract caused laboratory cultures of colorectal cancer cells to die, indicating that the herb may have an anti-cancer effect, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Letters. Although results from the study suggest that combining ginseng with antioxidants such as vitamin C may potentially enhance this effect, there is no evidence yet that this laboratory research can be extended to treatments in people.

Researchers at the University of Chicago treated two types of colorectal cancer cells with steamed American ginseng root extract. This caused damage to the cells' mitochondria, the internal structures that are involved with energy production, and led to apoptosis (cell death). It also increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS)—a byproduct of the processes in which cells use and break down oxygen (increased levels of ROS can either bring on cell death or activate the survival pathways that protect against it). The researchers found that fewer ginseng-treated cancer cells with high ROS levels died compared with ginseng-treated cancer cells that had low ROS levels. To test whether ROS protected the ginseng-treated colorectal cancer cells from dying, the researchers added two antioxidants (N-acetyl-L-cysteine and vitamin C), which decreased ROS levels and increased rates of cell death.

Whether ROS acts to induce cell death or survival in response to ginseng depends on the specific biochemical pathways that are activated, and how this happens remains unknown. Further studies are needed. The researchers also noted the need for additional investigations to test whether combining ginseng and antioxidants might help prevent the development of colorectal cancers. From Cancer Letters. 2010;289(1):62–70.