Effect of Panax Ginseng on the Cognitive Performance in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive decline of memory and intellectual abilities, interfering activity in daily living, the overall quality of life, and ultimately leads to death. Although pharmacologic treatments are currently approved for treating mild- to moderate AD using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (ACEI) or memantine, the NMDA antagonist, for the advanced stage of AD, the therapeutic efficacies need to be further improved. For millennia, ginseng or its components have been used to treat medical conditions, and the pharmacologic effects have been demonstrated in cardiovascular, endocrine and immune system (Attele et al., 1999). In means of memory and learning, a number of studies suggested that ginseng can attenuate learning deficits of damaged or ageing brains in rodent models (Kennedy et al., 2003; Zhao and McDaniel, 1998; Nitta et al., 1995). In studies with human healthy participants, correspondently, both acute and chronic dosage of ginseng increased the cognitive performance (Kennedy et al., 2001; Kennedy et al., 2003; D'Angelo et al., 1986; Sorensen and Sonne, 1996). In this study, we we will investigate the contribution of ginseng treatment in increasing the cognitive improvement of AD patients. In addition, we will test various bio-markers and hematopoietic progenitor cell count in those included patients using their blood samples. Patients with AD as well as memory decline will be included

Lee ST, Chu K, Sim JY, Heo JH, Kim M. Panax ginseng enhances cognitive performance in Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2008 Jul-Sep;22(3):222-6. doi: 10.1097/WAD.0b013e31816c92e6.