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(Hypertension. 2006;47:791.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Articles

Long-Term Intake of North American Ginseng Has No Effect on 24-Hour Blood Pressure and Renal Function

P. Mark Stavro; Minna Woo; Lawrence A. Leiter; Tibor F. Heim; John L. Sievenpiper; Vladimir Vuksan

From the Risk Factor Modification Centre (P.M.S., L.A.L., J.L.S., V.V.) and Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism (M.W., L.A.L.), St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Departments of Medicine (M.W., L.A.L, V.V.) and Nutritional Sciences (P.M.S., L.A.L., T.F.H., V.V.), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Correspondence to Vladimir Vuksan, Risk Factor Modification Centre, St Michael’s Hospital, #6-136 61 Queen St East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 2T2. E-mail v.vuksan{at}utoronto.ca

Ginseng is consumed by 10% to 20% of adults in Asia and by up to 5% in Western countries. Despite observational evidence suggesting a link between its intake and the development of hypertension, there remains no long-term scrutiny for its effect on blood pressure (BP). We therefore undertook a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, crossover trial in 52 hypertensive individuals to determine the effect of 12-week North American ginseng intake on 24-hour BP; we also measured serum cystatin C as a marker of renal function. After a 4-week placebo run-in, we randomly assigned 52 participants to 3 g/day of ginseng or placebo for 12 weeks. This was followed by an 8-week washout and a subsequent 12-week period in which the opposite treatment was administered. At run-in and at weeks 0 and 12 of each treatment period, participants were fitted with an ambulatory BP monitor to assess 24-hour BP. The primary outcome was the treatment difference at week 12 in mean 24-hour systolic BP. Secondary outcomes were treatment differences at week 12 in other ambulatory BP parameters and serum cystatin C. Forty participants (77%) completed the trial, with 3 removed from main analysis (n=2, antihypertensive drug changes; n=1, incomplete ambulatory monitoring). In the remaining 37, 12-week ginseng treatment was associated with a neutral effect on all ambulatory BP parameters compared with placebo; an intention-to-treat analysis supported this. Ginseng did not affect serum cystatin C level. Overall, long-term ginseng use had no effect on 24-hour BP and renal function in hypertensive individuals.

Key Words: clinical trials • blood pressure • hypertension, essential

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