Novel ginseng extract reduced risk of cardiovascular disease risk in recent study

Photo © AdobeStock.com/Маргарита Медведева

A recent randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blind study¹ found that a proprietary ginseng extract called Farlong NotoGinseng from Farlong Pharmaceutical (Walnut, CA) supported cholesterol and blood pressure. In the study 95 health participants with normal to mild hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, were either given ginseng or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Lipid profile, blood pressure, and endothelial vasodilation parameters were assessed at baseline and weeks four, eight, and 12.

Results showed that subjects taking the ginseng extract saw a 4.33% reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at week eight, and a 1.8% improvement in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) at week 12. By contrast, subjects in the placebo group saw a non-significant 1.37% reduction in HDL-C at both eight and 12 weeks. Ginseng also improved systolic and diastolic blood pressure in subjects, by 0.94% and 0.16%, respectively, while subjects in the placebo group saw an increase in those measures. In total, 17.5% of subjects in the ginseng group experiences improvements in three cardiovascular disease risk factors (LDL-C, HDL-C, and systolic blood pressure), compared to 5% in the placebo group. The ginseng group also saw the highest proportion of subjects with borderline high levels of LDL-C at baseline to have a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk factors (42%). Overall, the extract was well tolerated and demonstrated a potential positive influence on cardiovascular disease risk.

Reference

1. Evans M et al. “A randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blind study to determine the effect of Farlong Ginseng Plus® NotoGinseng Extract on cholesterol and blood pressure.” Current Nutraceuticals, Published online ahead of print on July 14, 2021