November 2005

CMAJ weighs in on ginseng for colds

The latest issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal presents two different perspectives on the use of ginseng in treating the common cold. A study entitled “Efficacy of an extract of North American ginseng containing poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides for preventing upper respiratory tract infections: a randomized controlled trial,” found that the number and duration of colds were reduced in subjects who took two doses of ginseng per day over four months.

In contrast, an editorial by University of Virginia pediatrician Ronald Turner points out that studies of natural remedies such as ginseng often do not identify the mechanism responsible for any beneficial effect. Another problem Turner found with the study’s design is that none of the subjects had had a flu vaccine, which brings into question the interpretation and generalizability of the results.

The randomized, double-blind study was conducted by staff of the Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Sciences department at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. Participants numbered 323, were between 18 and 65 years of age, and were from the general population of Edmonton, Alberta.

The group that received ginseng was composed of 130 subjects who took a daily dose of two 200 mg capsules of ginseng (Panax quinquefolium), containing 80 percent poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides and 10 percent protein formulated from the roots. The 149 subjects in the placebo group were given capsules containing rice powder.

According to the results generated by the participants’ reports, the total symptom score was 31.0 percent lower and the total number of days symptoms were reported 34.5 percent less in the ginseng group than in the placebo group. The study was funded by the ginseng pill’s manufacturer, CV Technologies Inc.

Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal, www.cmaj.ca

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