March 30, 2006 – Ginseng may increase the chances of survival and the quality of life of women with breast cancer. At least that’s what emerges from the results of a study1 involving 1,455 Chinese women with breast cancer.
The results indicate that the survival rate was higher in women who took ginseng regularly before cancer was diagnosed. Also, those who consumed ginseng after being diagnosed had a better quality of life.
Researchers at a University of Tennessee, United States, analyzed data from an epidemiological study conducted in Shanghai, China, from 1996. Treated for breast cancer, the participants were followed for three or more years. four years. Patients’ consumption of ginseng before and after being diagnosed, as well as various data on their quality of life following treatment were among the pieces of information collected in the Chinese study. American researchers had the idea of correlating the survival rate of patients and their quality of life in relation to their consumption of ginseng. It is these data which have just been the subject of an article in theAmerican Journal of Epidemiology.
The researchers agree that the results of such an epidemiological study cannot demonstrate beyond any doubt that ginseng can improve survival and quality of life in breast cancer patients. But they say they are very encouraged by the results obtained. They plan to conduct further clinical trials to see if this plant could be advantageously integrated into breast cancer treatment protocols.
Remember that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginseng is considered a general tonic. The German Commission E and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize the use of Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) to invigorate the body of tired or weakened people, to restore the capacity for physical work and intellectual concentration, and to accelerate convalescence. The results of some preliminary studies indicate that Asian ginseng and its American cousin (Panax quinquefolius) would have a modulating action on the immune system2-4.
Scientists still do not know what the mechanisms of action of ginseng are.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Reporter.
1. Cui Y, Shu XO, Gao YT, et al. Association of Ginseng Use with Survival and Quality of Life among Breast Cancer Patients, Am J Epidemiol, 2006 Apr 1; 163 (7): 645-53. Epub 2006 Feb 16.
2. Scaglione F, Cattaneo G, Alessandria M, Cogo R. Efficacy and safety of the standardized Ginseng extract G115 for potentiating vaccination against the influenza syndrome and protection against the common cold [corrected], Drugs Exp Clin Res, 1996; 22 (2): 65-72.
3. McElhaney JE, Gravenstein S, Cole SK, et al. A placebo-controlled trial of a proprietary extract of North American ginseng (CVT-E002) to prevent acute respiratory illness in institutionalized older adults, J Am Geriatr Soc, 2004 Jan; 52 (1): 13-9. Erratum in: J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004 May; 52 (5): following 856.
4. Predy GN, Goel V, Lovlin R, et al. Efficacy of an extract of North American ginseng containing poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides for preventing upper respiratory tract infections: a randomized controlled trial, CMAJ, 2005 Oct 25; 173 (9): 1043-8. Full text: www.cmaj.ca