Animal studies suggest that the ginsenoside content in Korean red ginseng (and in Panax ginseng in general) may play a role in regulating abnormal feeding patterns, while it has no effect on normal feeding patterns. Surprisingly, little research has been done on the appetite-stimulating effects of ginseng, despite its traditional use for this purpose. There are no human studies directed to answer this topic, either, but potent acute suppression of appetite is seen in obese mice that overeat, and results are mixed in lean mice.[1][2][3]
The mechanism behind this appetite suppression may involve the downregulation of orexigenic neuropeptides, which stimulate appetite, and the upregulation of anorexigenic neuropeptides, which inhibit appetite.[4]
References
- ^Kang M, Yoshimatsu H, Oohara A, Kurokawa M, Ogawa R, Sakata TGinsenoside Rg1 modulates ingestive behavior and thermal response induced by interleukin-1 beta in rats.Physiol Behav.(1995-Feb)
- ^Kim JH, Hahm DH, Yang DC, Kim JH, Lee HJ, Shim IEffect of crude saponin of Korean red ginseng on high-fat diet-induced obesity in the rat.J Pharmacol Sci.(2005-Jan)
- ^Attele AS, Zhou YP, Xie JT, Wu JA, Zhang L, Dey L, Pugh W, Rue PA, Polonsky KS, Yuan CSAntidiabetic effects of Panax ginseng berry extract and the identification of an effective component.Diabetes.(2002-Jun)
- ^Phung HM, Jang D, Trinh TA, Lee D, Nguyen QN, Kim CE, Kang KSRegulation of appetite-related neuropeptides by Panax ginseng: A novel approach for obesity treatment.J Ginseng Res.(2022-Jul)