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Asian ginseng is taken as a tonic for energy and immunity. Whether it helps cancer-related fatigue is unclear, unlike American ginseng, which has a positive trial; it can interact with blood thinners and diabetes medicines and should be stopped a week before surgery.
Panax ginseng is a different plant from American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and from Siberian ginseng, and the evidence does not transfer between them. Memorial Sloan Kettering's About Herbs summary describes observational studies in breast cancer associating ginseng use with better survival and quality of life, small randomised studies suggesting protection against chemotherapy heart toxicity and genetic damage, and no relief of surgical menopause symptoms in gynaecological cancers; whether it eases cancer-related fatigue is not clear, and one meta-analysis found benefit for ginseng-containing formulas but not for ginseng alone. Ginsenosides activated the oestrogen receptor in breast cancer cells at concentrations whose relevance in people is unknown. MSK advises stopping ginseng at least a week before surgery, staying within recommended doses and avoiding unstandardised products, particularly with anticoagulants. Interactions it lists include stronger blood-sugar lowering with insulin and sulfonylureas, mania with monoamine oxidase inhibitors, induction of CYP3A4 by some ginsenosides, and a case of liver injury in a man with chronic myeloid leukaemia on imatinib after three months of ginseng energy drinks.
Ginsenosides have stimulant and immune effects in laboratory models; potency varies widely between products and preparation methods.
Query for this technology: (TITLE:"Asian ginseng" OR ABSTRACT:"Asian ginseng" OR TITLE:"Panax ginseng" OR ABSTRACT:"Panax ginseng" OR TITLE:"Chinese ginseng" OR ABSTRACT:"Chinese ginseng" OR TITLE:"Ren shen" OR ABSTRACT:"Ren shen") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), not a curated reading list.
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