{"entity":{"id":"siberian-ginseng-eleuthero","kind":"technology","name":"Siberian ginseng (eleuthero)","aka":["Eleuthero","Eleutherococcus senticosus"],"tldr":"Siberian ginseng is not a true ginseng; it is sold as a tonic for stamina and immunity. Human studies are few and none concerns cancer. It raised digoxin levels in a case report.","summary":"Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is a northern Asian plant used traditionally as an adaptogen, performance enhancer and immune stimulant; it is not a species of Panax ginseng. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary describes neuroprotective, blood-sugar-lowering and steroid-receptor-binding effects in preclinical studies, and calls human studies quite limited: an herbal mixture containing it relieved knee osteoarthritis pain in one small study, and it may improve lipid profiles. No study has tested it in people with cancer. MSK records a subarachnoid haemorrhage in a woman taking a supplement of red clover, dong quai and Siberian ginseng for hot flushes, raised serum digoxin in a case report, and inhibition of CYP2C9 and CYP2E1 in vitro. For fatigue during cancer treatment, the ginseng with trial evidence is American ginseng.","status":"concept","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"MSK About Herbs: Siberian ginseng (page last updated 15 February 2022)","url":"https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/siberian-ginseng"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:insufficient"],"related":["american-ginseng-fatigue","astragalus-root"],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-misinformation"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Eleutherosides and polysaccharides with proposed adaptogenic and immune effects in laboratory models.","strengths":["Few side effects reported"],"limitations":["No studies in cancer","Raised digoxin levels in a case report","Not the ginseng with fatigue trial evidence"]},"route":"/technologies/siberian-ginseng-eleuthero/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"american-ginseng-fatigue","kind":"technology","name":"American ginseng for cancer-related fatigue","route":"/technologies/american-ginseng-fatigue/"},{"id":"astragalus-root","kind":"technology","name":"Astragalus root","route":"/technologies/astragalus-root/"},{"id":"cordyceps-fungus","kind":"technology","name":"Cordyceps","route":"/technologies/cordyceps-fungus/"},{"id":"dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions","kind":"technology","name":"Dietary supplements during cancer treatment: interactions and harms","route":"/technologies/dietary-supplements-treatment-interactions/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"}],"section":[{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-misinformation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Misinformation and unproven therapies","route":"/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/"}]}}