Letter to the Editor

Ginsenoside variability in American ginseng nomenex). The ginsenosides were separated by gradient elution
samples with eluents A (water) and B (acetonitrile) according to the fol-
lowing profile: 10–40% B over 60 min (curve 1) and then 40% B
Dear Sir: up to 70 min at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min and 22 C. The ultra-
violet detector range was 0.01 absorbance unit full scale, and the

Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/75/3/600/4689357 by guest on 17 October 2021

Ginseng root has been used for > 2000 y in the belief that it is wavelength was 202 nm. Dried powder from the Wisconsin-
a panacea and promotes longevity. Originally labeled as an adap- cultivated (20.5 mg) and Illinois-cultivated (20.4 mg) extracts
togen, ginseng helps to increase resistance to stress and restore were each dissolved in 1000 L 90% MeOH; 20 L of each
homeostasis (1). The major active components of ginseng are gin- solution was injected into the system. In a comparison of 6 gin-
senosides, a diverse group of steroidal saponins that target a myr- senosides from these 2 specimens, our data showed remarkable
iad of tissues, producing an array of pharmacologic responses (2). variability in the total concentration and in the percentages of
Recently, Harkey et al (3) performed a comprehensive study in individual ginsenosides. For example, of the 2 major ginseno-
which they analyzed the variability in commercial ginseng prepa- sides, the Illinois-cultivated American ginseng had 30% less
rations. Consistent with previous reports (4), they found signifi- ginsenoside Rb1 and 25% more ginsenoside Re than did the Wis-
cant variability between the measured concentrations of ginseno- consin-cultivated American ginseng (7).
sides in product samples and the amount labeled on the products. There is enormous public enthusiasm for the use of herbal
The potency of herbal products can vary from manufacturer to medications. Ginseng, one of the best-selling herbs in the United
manufacturer and from lot to lot (5), partly because of nonstan- States, is reported to have beneficial effects (2). However, because
dard processing and manufacturing methods. In addition, the most previous animal studies and clinical trials of ginseng phar-
variability of cultivation conditions (eg, soil, temperature, mois- macology used preparations with variable phytochemical con-
ture, length of cultivation, and harvest season) affects the total tents, the results of these studies cannot be compared to deter-
ginsenoside concentration and the percentages of individual gin- mine the effectiveness of ginseng. Furthermore, the safety of
senosides in the plants. Therefore, the degree of effects from a herbal preparations is of primary importance to physicians (8, 9).
single ginseng species cultivated in 2 different countries can vary Potential adverse effects of ginseng include hypoglycemia, an
widely. Our previous pharmacologic study showed that the increased risk of bleeding, and a decreased anticoagulant effect
inhibitory activity of extracts of Panax quinquefolius (American of warfarin (9). The variability in the effectiveness of ginseno-
ginseng) cultivated in the United States was significantly sides observed in our study (7) complicates our prediction of
stronger than that of American ginseng cultivated in China (6). clinical outcome. Some herbal manufacturers have tried to stan-
We measured ginseng’s ability to modulate neuronal activity in dardize products to fixed concentrations of selected chemical
the brainstem when the extracts were applied to the gastric com- constituents (10); however, the benefit of this effort is uncertain
partment of an in vitro animal preparation. In the 28 neurons because herbs may achieve their effectiveness through the com-
tested, American-cultivated American ginseng extract (30 mg/L) bined or synergistic actions of different compounds. Therefore,
inhibited the neuronal activity of the brainstem by 37 ± 14.4%, future investigations of the effectiveness of ginseng must focus
whereas Chinese-cultivated American ginseng with a higher con- on the use of standard methods and preparations.
centration of extract (100 mg/L) inhibited the neuronal activity
of the brainstem by only 18 ± 8.3% (P < 0.01) (6). Chun-Su Yuan
We recently used HPLC to evaluate the effects of different Ji An Wu
American ginseng samples on brainstem activity (7). Wisconsin- Joachim Osinski
cultivated American ginseng was obtained from the Roland Gin-
seng LLC in Marathon; the roots were 4 y old and had been Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research
grown in a field partially shielded by a man-made shelter. Illi- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care
nois-cultivated American ginseng was obtained from a private University of Chicago
farm near Champaign; the roots were 5 y old and had been grown Chicago, IL 60637
in a forest. The same extraction method was used for both sam- E-mail: [email protected]
ples (6). The high-pressure gradient HPLC instrument used
was manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation (Kyoto, Japan).
The chromatographic procedure was performed on a Prodigy REFERENCES
C 18 5-m analytic column (150  3.2 mm; Phenomenex, Tor- 1. Huang KC. The pharmacology of Chinese herbs. Boca Raton, FL:
rance, CA) protected by a C8 guard column (30  3.2 mm; Phe- CRC Press, 1999.

600 Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:600–1. Printed in USA. © 2002 American Society for Clinical Nutrition
 LETTER TO THE EDITOR 601

2. Attele AS, Wu JA, Yuan CS. Multiple pharmacological effects of 7. Yuan CS, Wang X, Wu JA, Attele AS, Xie JT, Gu M. Effects of
ginseng. Biochem Pharmacol 1999;58:1685–93. Panax quinquefolium L. on brainstem neuronal activities: compari-
3. Harkey MR, Henderson GL, Gershwin ME, Stern JS, Hackman RM. son between Wisconsin-cultivated and Illinois-cultivated roots. Phy-
Variability in commercial ginseng products: an analysis of 25 prepa- tomedicine 2001;8:178–83.
rations. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;73:1101–6. 8. Miller LG. Herbal medicinals: selected clinical considerations
4. Herbal roulette. Consumer Reports 1995 Nov:698–705. focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions. Arch Intern
5. Winslow LC, Kroll DJ. Herbs as medicines. Arch Intern Med Med 1998;158:2200–11.
1998;158:2192–9. 9. Ang-Lee MK, Moss J, Yuan CS. Herbal medicines and perioperative
6. Yuan CS, Wu JA, Lowell T, Gu M. Gut and brain effects of Ameri- care. JAMA 2001;286:208–16.
can ginseng root on brainstem neuronal activities in rats. Am J Chin 10. Thompson CA. Herbal quality seems to be growing. Am J Health
Med 1998;26:47–55. Syst Pharm 1998;55:2341–2.

Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/75/3/600/4689357 by guest on 17 October 2021

Erratum
Golub MS, Keen CL, Gershwin ME. Behavioral and hematologic consequences of marginal iron-zinc nutrition in adolescent
monkeys and the effect of a powdered beef supplement. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:1059-68.

On page 1060, column 2, paragraph 3, the iron content of the control diet is incorrectly stated as 100 g. The sentence
should read as follows: The control diet contained 30 g Zn/g diet as zinc carbonate and 20 g Fe/g diet as iron sulfate.