ABSTRACT
Ginseng is able to lower cholesterol levels in the blood by stimulating either cholesterol transport or an enzyme involved in cholesterol metabolism.[39] The decrease may also be due to an increased conversion of cholesterol into bile acids and=or the direct excretion of cholesterol.[40]
The effects of saponins and monomer saponins from American ginseng on lipid metabolism were evaluated recently. It was found that at 0.5 mg=L, saponins inhibited the activity of pancreatic lipase by 90%, while at 0.5 mg=ml, ginsenosides Rc, Rb1, and Rb2 prevented it by 100%, 96%, and 97%, respectively. This finding suggests the potential use of saponins as drugs for antiobesity.[41] In an evaluation of antihyperglycemic effects of American ginseng berry extracts in diabetic ob=ob mice, Xie et al.[42] reported that the extract may prove to be of clinical importance in the prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Reductions in fasting blood glucose and prolonged elevation of postprandial glycemia (PPG) are important in blood sugar control following meals. Vuksan et al.[20] reported that in a placebo study of 10 men and women with Type 2 diabetes, the participants were randomly administered 0, 3, 6, or 9 g of American ginseng root powder 120, 80, 40, or 0 min before a 25 g oral glucose challenge. They concluded that 3 g of ginseng powder administered within 2 hr of the challenge may be sufficient to achieve reductions of PPG in Type 2 diabetic individuals.
