Ginseng for Cancer-Related Fatigue
A 2020 study found that colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy who took 2g of Korean red ginseng daily had significant improvements in fatigue, mood and walking ability compared to placebo over 16 weeks. This effect may not be the same for other types of ginseng, other cancers or other cancer treatments. Ginseng may cause insomnia among other side effects. Ginseng is not safe for use during pregnancy.
Kim JW, Han SW, Cho JY, Chung IJ, Kim JG, Lee KH, Park KU, Baek SK, Oh SC, Lee MA, Oh D, Shim B, Ahn JB, Shin D, Lee JW, Kim YH. Korean red ginseng for cancer-related fatigue in colorectal cancer patients with chemotherapy: A randomised phase III trial. Eur J Cancer. 2020 May;130:51-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.02.018. Epub 2020 Mar 13. PMID: 32172198.
Guglielmo M, Di Pede P, Alfieri S, Bergamini C, Platini F, Ripamonti CI, Orlandi E, Iacovelli NA, Licitra L, Maddalo M, Bossi P. A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of ginseng in reducing fatigue in patients treated for head and neck cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2020 Oct;146(10):2479-2487. doi: 10.1007/s00432-020-03300-z. Epub 2020 Jul 2. PMID: 32617701; PMCID: PMC11804631.
Kim HS, Kim MK, Lee M, Kwon BS, Suh DH, Song YS. Effect of Red Ginseng on Genotoxicity and Health-Related Quality of Life after Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2017 Jul 19;9(7):772. doi: 10.3390/nu9070772. PMID: 28753932; PMCID: PMC5537886.
NCCIH. “Asian Ginseng.” NCCIH, Aug. 2020, www.nccih.nih.gov/health/asian-ginseng.