Although ginseng has been used in traditional medicine over many centuries, modern clinical research is inconclusive about its medical effectiveness. In fact, there is no substantial evidence that ginseng is effective for treating any medical condition, however, it is commonly sold as a dietary supplement. Here Evangelyn Rodriguez, FoodScience.news, reflects on polysaccharides from ginseng berries demonstrating a strong immune-enhancing effects:

“Ginseng is known worldwide as a medicinal herb that increases longevity. The root of this short, slow-growing plant is its most used part, as the ginseng root is abundant in bioactive compounds called ginsenosides. Ginsenosides are responsible for many of ginseng’s medicinal properties.

According to research, ginsenosides are triterpene glycosides or saponins with numerous biological activities, including anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. But a previous study has found that ginsenosides are concentrated not just in the roots of the ginseng plant, but also in its berries. In fact, ginseng berries contain higher amounts of ginsenosides than ginseng roots.

In addition to ginsenosides, ginseng berries contain acidic polysaccharides, which also have useful biological activities. In a recent study, South Korean researchers investigated the effects of these polysaccharides on the activation of natural killer (NK) cells and the inhibition of tumors. They discussed their findings in an article published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

Ginseng berries can boost the immune system and prevent tumors

Ginseng root is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the enhancement of immune system function. However, the effects of ginseng berries on said function remains unknown. To find out if they also have immune-stimulating effects, the researchers isolated a crude polysaccharide (GBPP) from ginseng berries and used gel filtration chromatography to obtain three more fractions: GBPP-I, GBPP-II and GBPP-III.

The researchers reported that GBPP-I consisted mainly of the sugars galactose (46.9 percent) and arabinose (27.5 percent). Treatment with GBPP-I induced murine peritoneal macrophages – a type of white blood cell – to produce more interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a, which are all pro-inflammatory molecules.”

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