Ginseng and brain plasticity during normal aging
What it found
In people going through normal aging, ginseng improved some measures of thinking, mood and fatigue, and lowered signs of stress and blood sugar.
The authors say it may help protect brain plasticity, but most of the mechanism evidence comes from animals and cells.
What they found
Studies in people
Thinking and memory
In several small trials, healthy young and middle-aged adults who took Panax ginseng or Panax quinquefolius showed improvements in memory, attention and mental arithmetic. Some improvements appeared after a single dose, others after 8 days to 8 weeks.
Brain structure
In one trial, middle-aged adults who took 1 g of Korean Red Ginseng daily for eight weeks had an increase in gray matter volume in the left parahippocampal gyrus, along with better combined cognitive function.
Mood and fatigue
Healthy adults reported feeling calmer and more self-assured after taking ginseng. In several studies, ginseng reduced general fatigue, and in menopausal women it reduced clinical symptoms of fatigue.
Stress hormones
Middle-aged adults with high stress who took 2 g of Korean Red Ginseng daily for six weeks had lower blood epinephrine. In other trials, ginseng reduced cortisol levels.
Blood sugar and blood vessels
Four clinical studies in healthy young and middle-aged adults looked at ginseng and blood glucose. Single doses of Korean Red Ginseng reduced arterial stiffness, and daily use for 12 weeks reduced carotid intima-media thickness in postmenopausal women.
Gut bacteria
In one clinical study, healthy adults who took 3 g of Korean Red Ginseng daily for 24 weeks had an increase in gut microbial richness.
Animal and lab studies
Mechanisms in animals and cells
In rodent and cell studies, ginseng changed neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, increased BDNF, reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, and supported mitochondria, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and myelin. These studies suggest ways ginseng might act, but they are not in people.
What the authors conclude
- They say ginseng can have beneficial effects on brain plasticity and may help prevent brain function decline during normal aging.
- They suggest it may protect against damage to brain plasticity from a western-style diet, highly processed foods, and environmental pollution.
- They call for future research on how long-term ginseng consumption can enhance brain function during normal aging and prevent or reverse damage from external factors.
How it was done
Many healthy people, especially in Asia, take ginseng to improve brain function or prevent age-related decline, so the authors wanted to understand its effects in people who are not ill.
They reviewed clinical studies in people going through normal aging, plus animal and cell studies from the past three years, on how ginseng affects brain plasticity and related factors.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the human studies were small and used different ginseng types, doses and durations, so the results cannot be combined to show a clear cause and effect.
- Most of the evidence for how ginseng works comes from animals and cells, which cannot show what happens in people.
- The review cannot show whether ginseng prevents or reverses age-related brain decline over the long term.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- None.
- Authors work at
- Gachon University, Republic of Korea; Sejong University, Republic of Korea; Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea
The paper
- Title
- Brain plasticity and ginseng
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Shin MS, Lee Y, Cho IH, Yang HJ (2024). Brain plasticity and ginseng. Journal of ginseng research. doi:10.1016/j.jgr.2024.03.007Free full textPubMed 38707640DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error