Panax Ginseng (Asian Ginseng)

Panax ginseng, commonly called Asian or Korean ginseng, is a perennial herb native to East Asia. Its root has been used for centuries as an adaptogenic herbal medicine. The therapeutic focus of modern supplementation is to harness its bioactive ginsenosides for supporting energy, cognition, and metabolic resilience.

• Panax ginseng contains a complex mixture of triterpenoid saponins; the most studied is ginsenoside Rb1 (C₅₄H₉₂O₂₄, molecular weight ≈ 1109 g mol⁻¹).
• Its IUPAC name (simplified) is 20‑(β‑D‑glucopyranosyloxy)‑3‑hydroxy‑24‑(or‑(2‑hydroxy‑2‑methyl‑propyl)…)‑dammarane‑3‑yl β‑D‑glucopyranosyl‑(1→2)‑β‑D‑glucopyranosyl‑β‑D‑glucopyranoside, reflecting a dammarane backbone with multiple glucose moieties.
• Ginsenosides are amphiphilic: a hydrophobic aglycone (dammarane) and hydrophilic sugar chains confer poor oral bioavailability, which is enhanced by intestinal microbiota that remove sugars to produce compound K (C₅₂H₈₈O₂₂).
• The presence of multiple hydroxyl groups gives ginsenosides high polarity (log P ≈ –2 to –3) and solubility in water and ethanol, facilitating extraction with 70 % ethanol or water‑ethanol mixtures.

• Panax ginseng is cultivated primarily in Korea, China (Jilin, Heilongjiang provinces), and the Russian Far East.
• High‑quality raw material comes from 4‑year‑old cultivated roots harvested after 5–6 years of growth; wild‑harvested roots are rarer and often contain higher ginsenoside concentrations but are limited by conservation regulations.
• Commercial extracts are produced by aqueous‑ethanol extraction followed by concentration and spray‑drying to yield powder or standardized capsules.
• Quality control hinges on HPLC‑based quantification of total ginsenosides (≥5 %) and fingerprint‑profiling of individual ginsenosides (Rb1, Rg1, Rd).
• Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities that employ low‑temperature extraction preserve labile ginsenosides, while standardization to a defined ginsenoside profile ensures batch‑to‑batch consistency.