Ginseng Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ginseng, including details on american ginseng, panax, benefits, side effects.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Patients with Cancer Receiving Outpatient Chemotherapy in Taiwan.

Yang C, Chien LY, Tai CJ

Department of Nursing, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

ABSTRACT Purpose: The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) used among patients with cancer receiving outpatient chemotherapy in Taiwan. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey. The study participants were 160 patients with cancer receiving outpatient chemotherapy at a medical center in northern Taiwan. Results: The vast majority of the participants reported CAM use (n = 157, 98.1%). The two most common groups of CAM used were "biologically based therapies" (77.5%) and "mind-body interventions" (60.6%). Fifteen percent (15.3%) of patients took grapeseed and ginseng, which might affect the efficacy of some chemotherapy regimens. Fourteen percent (14.4%) of patients did not know the name of the herbs they took. The most commonly reported reasons for CAM use were to boost the immune system (55.4%) and relieve stress (53.5%). Approximately two thirds of patients (66.2%) had never informed their physicians of CAM use.

Published 25 April 2008 in J Altern Complement Med.
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Articles on Ginseng published 25 April 2008:

Korean Ginseng-Induced Occupational Asthma and Determination of IgE Binding Components.   J Korean Med Sci, 23(2): 232-5.

A number of case reports on occupational asthma caused by herbal medicines have been issued, for example, on Sanyak, Chunkung, Banha, and Brazilian ginseng. Recently, cases of occupational asthma induced by Sanyak and Korean ginseng have been reported, but the pathogenic mechanisms involved are unknown. This study was carried out to evaluate the immunologic mechanism underlying Korean ginseng-induced occupational asthma. A patient engaged in Korean ginseng wholesale was referred for recurrent ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Ginseng published 23 April 2008:

Effects of icariin combined with Panax notoginseng saponins on ischemia reperfusion-induced cognitive impairments related with oxidative stress and CA1 of hippocampal neurons in rat.   Phytother Res, 22(5): 597-604.

Previous studies suggest that treatment with icariin (ICA) combined with Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) improved behavior and cholinergic system disorders followed by amyloid beta-peptide(25-35) lateral ventricle injection in rats. The present study investigated whether administration of ICA + PNS had preventive and therapeutic effects on bilateral common carotid arteries (CCA) occlusion-induced cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Ginseng published 22 April 2008:

Application of FDA adverse event report data to the surveillance of dietary botanical supplements.   Ann Pharmacother, 42(5): 653-60.

BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about the sufficiency of dietary botanical supplement (DBS) surveillance in the US. The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS) represents one of the few existing surveillance mechanisms, but it has not been well characterized with respect to DBS adverse effects. OBJECTIVE: To characterize data on DBSs associated with adverse event reports submitted to CAERS. METHODS: We requested ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Ginseng published 14 April 2008:

NMR-based metabolomics approach for the differentiation of ginseng (Panax ginseng) roots from different origins.   Arch Pharm Res, 31(3): 330-6.

Agro-herbal materials vary in prices and qualities depending on the origin and age and the differentiation is both scientific and public health issue. Here, we describe a metabolomics approach used to discriminate ginseng roots from different sources. Six different types of ginseng roots from China and Korea were analyzed by NMR-based metabolomics. Chinese Dangsam showed prominent differences and was easily differentiated. The difference was mainly due to the large signals in the sugar region. ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

A new triterpenoid from Panax ginseng exhibits cytotoxicity through p53 and the caspase signaling pathway in the HepG2 cell line.   Arch Pharm Res, 31(3): 323-9.

A new triterpenoid, 20(R),22(xi),24(S)-dammar-25(26)-ene-3beta,6alpha,12beta,20,22,24-hexanol (1), and three known triterpenoids, beta-D-glucopyranoside,(3beta,12beta)-12,20-dihydroxydammar-24-en-3-yl,6-acetate (2), 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg(3) (3), and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rh(2) (4), were isolated from the leaves of Panax ginseng. Their structures were determined by chemical analysis and spectral methods (IR, 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS). Compounds 1-4 were exhibited various degrees of cytotoxicity in ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Ginseng published 9 April 2008:

Improved production of ginsenosides in suspension cultures of ginseng by medium replenishment strategy.   J Biosci Bioeng, 105(3): 288-91.

The objective of this study was to improve the accumulation of ginsenosides by the adventitious root cultures of ginseng, which are important secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical applications. The adventitious roots were cultured in bioreactors for 50 d using 1.5-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 10 mg/l indole acetic acid and 75 g/l sucrose. Kinetic studies of the nutrient composition of the spent medium revealed the gradual depletion of various inorganic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Ginseng published 8 April 2008:

The inhibitory effects of garlic and Panax ginseng extract standardized with ginsenoside Rg3 on the genotoxicity, biochemical, and histological changes induced by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in male rats.   Arch Toxicol, 82(3): 183-95.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is widely used in food and other industries to sequester metal ions and to prevent their disadvantageous effects. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the protective effect of Panax ginseng extract standardized with ginsenoside Rg3 (ginsenoside Rg3 content was 3.6% w/w, i.e., 36 mug/mg P. ginseng extract) and garlic against EDTA-induced biochemical, genotoxic, and histological changes in rats. Forty male rats were divided into eight treatment ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Ultra-performance LC/TOF MS analysis of medicinal Panax herbs for metabolomic research.   J Sep Sci, 31(6): 1015-26.

In this study, metabolite profiling of five medicinal Panax herbs including Panax ginseng (Chinese ginseng), Panax notoginseng (Sanchi), Panax japonicus (Rhizoma Panacis Majoris), Panax quinquefolium L. (American ginseng), and P. ginseng (Korean ginseng) were performed using ultra-performance LC-quadrupole TOF MS (UPLC-QTOFMS) and multivariate statistical analysis technique. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the analytical data showed that the five Panax herbs could be separated into five ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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