Stressed from work? Korean ginseng prevents damage caused by intense work stress

Research has found that Korean ginseng supplement called GINST15 can help reduce physical stress. The study, which was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, has revealed that Korean ginseng prevents damage caused by intense work stress due to its antioxidants.

• A team of researchers from The Ohio State University in the U.S. aimed to determine the effects of GINST15 supplement on hormonal and inflammatory responses to physical stress in humans.
• The research team recruited 10 women and nine men for the study.
• The participants finished three 2-week treatment cycles with 960 milligrams (mg) of the Korean ginseng supplement, 160 mg of the Korean ginseng supplement, or a placebo, separated by a 1-week washout period.
• At the end of the treatment, the research team put the participants to an intense resistance exercise to cause physical stress.
• The participants provided blood samples at rest and immediately, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 24 hours after exercise.
• The research team then measured cortisol, superoxide dismutase, total glutathione, nonspecific antioxidant activity, total antioxidant power, and creatine kinase.
• The results revealed that the supplementation of Korean ginseng reduced cortisol and increased enzymatic and nonspecific antioxidant activity.
• Twenty-four hours after the intense exercise, a high dose of the Korean ginseng supplement greatly reduced muscle damage and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) responses to physical stress.

The findings of the study indicated that taking Korean ginseng supplements can reduce cortisol levels and muscle damage caused by physical stress.

To read more stories on the health benefits of ginseng, visit AlternativeMedicine.news today.

Journal Reference:

Flanagan SD, DuPont WH, Caldwell LK, Hardesty VH, Barnhart EC, Beeler MK, Post EM, Volek JS, Kraemer WJ. THE EFFECTS OF A KOREAN GINSENG, GINST15, ON HYPO-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AND OXIDATIVE ACTIVITY INDUCED BY INTENSE WORK STRESS. Journal of Medicinal Food. 1 January 2018; 21(1). DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2017.0071