Heo, J-H; Lee, S-T; Chu, K; Oh, M J; Park, H-J; Shim, J-Y; Kim, M
European journal of neurology
2008Aug ; 15 ( 8 ) :865-8.
PMID : 18684311
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Heo, J-H -
Lee, S-T -
Chu, K -
Oh, M J -
Park, H-J -
Shim, J-Y -
Kim, M -
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Ginseng is one of the most popular herbs worldwide. Ginseng has various medical applications, and it seems to have significant effects as a cognition-enhancing drug. In this study, we examined the efficacy of Korean red ginseng (KRG) as an adjuvant therapy to conventional anti-dementia medications in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
METHODS: The trial was designed as a 12-week randomized study. Sixty-one patients (24 males and 37 females) with Alzheimer's disease were randomly assigned to one of the following treatment groups: low-dose KRG (4.5 g/day, n = 15), high-dose KRG (9 g/day, n = 15) or control (n = 31). The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS), Korean version of the Mini-Mental Status Examination (K-MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale were used to assess the change in cognitive and functional performance at the end of the 12-week study period.
RESULTS: The patients in the high-dose KRG group showed significant improvement on the ADAS and CDR after 12 weeks of KRG therapy when compared with those in the control group (P = 0.032 and 0.006 respectively). The KRG treatment groups showed improvement from baseline MMSE when compared with the control group (1.42 vs. -0.48), but this improvement was not statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS: KRG showed good efficacy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease; however, further studies with larger samples of patients and a longer efficacy trial should be conducted to confirm the efficacy of KRG.
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MESH
Aged, Alzheimer Disease/complications/*drug therapy, Cognition Disorders/*drug therapy/etiology, Female, Humans, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, *Panax, *Phytotherapy, Pilot Projects
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