Friday July 11, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- American ginseng is often labeled as unsafe for a long term adjuvant therapy indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.  A new study has proved that American ginseng does not result in any adverse effect.

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involved 74 participants with well controlled type diabetes who were assigned to receive either 500 mg American ginseng (10% ginsenosides) per meal or placebo for 12 weeks.

As a result, safety measures including kidney function, liver function and hemostatic function were found unchanged at the end of trial compared to the baseline functions.

Additionally, there were no difference in the number or severity of adverse events between the group receiving American ginseng and the group receiving placebo.

The study concluded that 12 weeks of supplementation with American ginseng did not cause any risk in the patients with type 2 diabetes who were generally at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.  

One previous study showed that North American ginseng can help patients with diabetic kidney disease. (David Liu, PHD)

Iva Mucalo, Elena Jovanovski, Vladimir Vuksan, Velimir Božikov, Željko Romi?, and Dario Raheli?, American Ginseng Extract (Panax quinquefolius L.) Is Safe in Long-Term Use in Type 2 Diabetic Patients, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2014