Efficacy and Mechanism of Panax Ginseng in Experimental Stroke

This from Feb. 2015 completely proves the incompetence of everyone in stroke, no followup, no nothing, so more research writeups are done because that database of stroke research and protocols doesn't exist.

Ginseng: a promising neuroprotective strategy in stroke

February 2015

But lets do more repeated research here:

Efficacy and Mechanism of Panax Ginseng in Experimental Stroke

Lei Liu¹, Gigi A. Anderson¹, Tyler G. Fernandez¹ and Sylvain Doré^1,2*

• ¹Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
• ²Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, Pharmaceutics, and Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. However, effective therapeutic approaches are still limited. The disruption of blood supply triggers complicated temporal and spatial events involving hemodynamic, biochemical, and neurophysiologic changes, eventually leading to pathological disturbance and diverse clinical symptoms. Ginseng (Panax ginseng), a popular herb distributed in East Asia, has been extensively used as medicinal and nutritional supplements for a variety of disorders worldwide. In recent years, ginseng has displayed attractive beneficial effects in distinct neurological disorders including stroke, involving multiple protective mechanisms. In this article, we reviewed the literature on ginseng studies in the experimental stroke field, particularly focusing on the in vivo evidence on the preventive or therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of ginseng and ginsenosides in various stroke models of mice and rats. We also summarized the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of ginseng and ginsenosides on short- and long-term stroke outcomes.

Introduction

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) has been extensively used as medicinal and nutritional supplements for a variety of disorders worldwide (Rastogi et al., 2014; Colzani et al., 2016). Asian ginseng has a history of herbal use over thousands of years, first described in the ancient Chinese pharmacopeia, Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (300 BC−200 AD, also Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica) (Unschuld, 1985; Yang and Wu, 2016). It is one of the most highly regarded herbs in the Orient used to promote health, general body vigor, and to prolong life span. The Greek word “Panax” originates from the word “panacea,” which means “cure all diseases,” and true to its name, ginseng has been proven to have a wide variety of medicinal uses, including benefits in cardiovascular disorders (Karmazyn et al., 2011; Sun et al., 2016; Kim, 2018), aging-related disorders (Bjorklund et al., 2018), and others (Sotaniemi et al., 1995; An et al., 2011; Shergis et al., 2014; Zhang et al., 2017; Arring et al., 2018). In recent years, preclinical and clinical studies revealed that ginseng displayed attractive beneficial effects in multiple neurological disorders like stroke, hypertension, cancer, and maintenance of hemostasis in the immune system, involving multiple protective mechanisms (Lee et al., 2009; Im and Nah, 2013; Rastogi et al., 2014; Gonzalez-Burgos et al., 2015; Ong et al., 2015; Oh and Kim, 2016; Wang et al., 2016b; Kim et al., 2018).

Stroke is a leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide (Feigin et al., 2017; Benjamin et al., 2018); however, effective therapies are limited (Feigin et al., 2016). The disruption of blood supply triggers complicated temporal and spatial events involving hemodynamic, biochemical, and neurophysiologic changes, eventually leading to pathological disturbance and diverse clinical symptoms (Lo et al., 2003; Iadecola and Anrather, 2011; Annunziato et al., 2013; Bernhardt et al., 2018). The severity and dynamic progression of brain injury depend on the degree of cerebral blood flow (CBF) interruption, lesion volume and site, duration of stroke, and the coexisting complications (Shen and Duong, 2008; Sun et al., 2014b; Fu et al., 2015; Ward, 2017). Accumulated evidence shows that oxidative stress and inflammation play key roles in the pathophysiology of stroke (Iadecola and Anrather, 2011; Li et al., 2011a; Carbone et al., 2015; Fu et al., 2015). Although the ginseng remedy has been widely applied to improve cardiac health and circulation, their studies in the stroke field are still limited (Gan and Karmazyn, 2018; Kim, 2018). Over the last decade, much promising advancements were made in the therapeutic effects of ginseng or ginsenosides on experimental stroke brain injury.

In this article, we reviewed the literature on ginseng and ginsenosides studies in the experimental stroke field, particularly focusing on the in vivo evidence in diverse stroke models of mice and rats. We summarized the efficacy of ginseng and ginsenosides on short- and long-term stroke outcomes, as well as the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms. This review provides current understanding of the pharmacological benefits of ginseng that contribute to stroke prevention and recovery.