Korean ginseng is a name for the plant species Panax ginseng, which has its origins in East Asia and Russia. Roots from this plant have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. Korean ginseng appears to have antioxidant properties, which can potentially help lower your risk for heart disease. Consult your doctor before taking Korean ginseng for any purpose.
Korean Ginseng Basics
Panax ginseng is also called Chinese ginseng and Asian ginseng. The species differs from three other common types of ginseng, American ginseng, Panax pseudoginseng and Siberian ginseng. The main active ingredients in Korean ginseng are a group of substances known as ginsenosides or panaxosides. Additional chemical constituents of the herb include B vitamins, flavonoids and glycans, or panaxans. Available forms of Korean ginseng include a dried, peeled product known as white ginseng and an unpeeled, steamed and dried product known as red ginseng.
Antioxidants and Heart Disease
Antioxidants are natural compounds that protect your body from molecules known as free radicals, which can harm the health of your cells and damage your DNA by "stealing" particles called electrons during chemical reactions. Some free radicals form naturally when your body turns food into energy; others come from outside sources such as pollution and sunlight. Free-radical damage can play a significant role in the eventual onset of heart disease; part of this effect appears to stem from free radicals' ability to alter the structure of the harmful LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream and make it more likely to accumulate on the walls of your arteries.
Potential Benefits
The antioxidant effects of Korean ginseng can potentially improve the symptoms of existing cases of heart disease. The herb also has a purported ability to ease the heart-disease-related chest pain called angina. Use of Korean ginseng may also potentially lower your blood levels of LDL cholesterol and elevate your blood levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that scientific justification for these conclusions is preliminary.
Considerations
The Harvard School of Public Health reports that the heart-disease-related benefits of antioxidants are generally overrated, though they do not specifically assess the heart-related benefits of Korean ginseng. The U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus states that Korean ginseng has not been studied in human populations with heart disease and recommends that people with heart problems exercise caution when using the herb. Populations that should not take Korean ginseng include infants, children, pregnant or lactating women and people with bleeding disorders, diabetes, schizophrenia, hormone-sensitive cancers or autoimmune diseases. Ask your doctor if Korean ginseng use is appropriate in your circumstances.
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