Ginseng is a popular herbal remedy that has been proposed to increase resistance to stress and enhance immune function. Regular moderate exercise results in an acute physiological stress that affects immune function.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of daily consumption of a standardized ginsenosidecontaining North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) extract on immune function before, immediately after, and during recovery from moderate exercise in healthy, non-athletic women.
A double-blinded randomized trial was conducted where healthy female subjects (n=12) were randomized to receive either ginseng (1125 mg/d; n=6) or placebo (n=6) for four weeks. An exercise test was performed and peripheral blood collected before and after the four-week treatment period. Immune assays (phenotype analysis, neutrophil function, lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell cytotoxicity) were performed before, immediately after, and 30 minutes post-exercise.
Ginseng-treated subjects had a lower (P < 0.05) proportion of antigen mature CD4+CD45RO+ peripheral blood cells before and after exercise, and experienced a sustained reduction (P < 0.05) in the proportions of total CD28+ and CD4+CD28+ cells during recovery from exercise. The ginseng group had significantly higher mitogen-stimulated neutrophil function (oxidative burst) at all exercise protocol time points (P < 0.05). There were no effects of ginseng on the proportions of other immune cells, lymphocyte proliferation, or natural killer cell cytotoxicity in peripheral blood.
The consumption of ginseng for a four-week period improved the ability of neutrophils to respond to stimulation and produced changes consistent with less T cell activation after an acute exercise stress.
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