Wisconsin Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) to Improve Cancer-Related Fatigue

This is a great paper about the clinical trial viewable at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3888141/.

Extracts from the report is as follows:

"Effective and safe interventions to prevent and treat cancer-related fatigue (CRF) are needed because it remains one of the most prevalent, distressing, and activity-limiting symptoms survivors can experience, in both the short and long term. The prevalence of fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy is reported to be between 59% and 96% and, in patients receiving radiation therapy, between 65% and 100%. Fatigue can persist 5 to 10 years after diagnosis and treatment. CRF profoundly and negatively affects patients’ quality of life and interferes with routine daily functioning. Furthermore, fatigue accounts for a substantial amount of the variance in overall quality of life, with over 40% of variance attributed to fatigue."

"Dietary supplements are a popular self-administered remedy among patients for symptoms that have no known effective treatment; CRF is no exception. Coenzyme Q 10, L-Carnitine, guarana, and ginseng have been used for fatigue and subsequently studied. Based on their role in cellular energy production, both coenzyme Q 10 and L-Carnitine were evaluated in placebo-controlled trials for CRF; they were found to be no more helpful than placebos."

"Two pilot trials have been completed in cancer survivors. One small study, only published in abstract form to date, reported positive effects of Asian ginseng in patients receiving chemotherapy. A subsequent larger pilot trial was conducted within the North Central Cancer Treatment Group, which randomized 290 patients, receiving or having completed cancer treatment, to one of three doses of American ginseng—750mg, 1000mg, and 2000 mg—vs a placebo for 8 weeks."

"The intervention was supplied in 500-mg opaque capsules and consisted of pure ground root of Wisconsin ginseng from one production lot or a matching placebo containing rice powder. The ginseng contained 3% ginsensosides and was evaluated for quality and potency by an independent company. An Investigational New Drug Application (IND 73088) was in place. The ginseng and placebo were donated by the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (Wausau, WI) and were manufactured using good manufacturing practices by Beehive Botanicals (Hayward, WI)."

"Does ginseng interfere with the activity of chemotherapeutic agents? There are preclinical data demonstrating that American ginseng does not interfere with tamoxifen, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and methotrexate; rather ginseng was synergistic with these agents against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines, inhibiting growth. It must be noted, however, that this is not definitive proof because there have not been studies done in humans to answer this question."

"In summary, although this study provides support for the use of American ginseng to ameliorate CRF, more research is necessary to understand its role and how to maximize its positive effects. It would, however, be reasonable for a cancer survivor to try American ginseng for fatigue, taking into consideration that there are no other pharmacologic agents known to be effective."