Saponin isolated from Korean Red Ginseng was found to lower high blood glucose level and control
enzyme activities related to sugar metabolism in animal experiments. In particular, ginsenoside
Rb2 inhibited the increase in blood glucose level in experimentally induced diabetes mellitus. It was
also found that ginsenoside Rb2 improved high blood lipid (hyperlipidemia) and protein metabolism
in the liver.
A clinical experiment conducted by Sotaniemi, professor at the University of Oulu, Finland reported
that administration of ginseng to diabetes subjects lowered the blood glucose level and improved
physical and mental activities, thus demonstrated the usefulness of ginseng for controlling diabetes
mellitus.
Korean Red Ginseng powder was given at a daily dose of 2.7 g for 3 months to 21 diabetes patients
under insulin therapy. Significant insulin-sparing effect and improvement of diabetes-derived lesions
in retinal blood vessels was observed in 12 patients. Improvements of subjective symptoms such as
fatigue, general physical status and lumbago (lower back pain) were observed in a clinical
experiment conducted in Toneyama Hospital, a Japanese national rehabilitation center. Korean Red
Ginseng powder was administered at a daily dose of 2.7 g for 2 months.
Another clinical study was carried out at the Korea University Hospital with 50 obese non-insulin-
dependent diabetes patients, where the patients were given Korean Red Ginseng at a dose of 4.5 g per day for 5 months. Inhibition of weight gain and platelet aggregation, and decrease in blood
pressure were observed in the patients.
Recently, professor Tetsutani at Kansai Medical School, Japan performed a clinical study with
76 non-insulin-dependent diabetes patients. She divided the patients into 2 groups: ginseng-treated
(43 subjects) and non-treated group (33 subjects). Korean Red Ginseng powder was administered
at a dose of 3-4.5 g or 6 g/day and effect of ginseng was observed for 2 years.
Korean Red Ginseng was found to stimulate insulin secretion and control blood glucose level. She
emphasized that long-term administration would be necessary to observe the positive effect of
ginseng on the disorder.
