In the News: Researchers Urge Caution Over Using Ginseng in Early Pregnancy

A growing number of people, eager for its health benefits, have added ginseng to their regime of supplements. The results of a study done by doctors in Hong Kong raises a warning about the safety of ginseng for pregnant women.¹

Ginseng Study

In a study done at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong researchers tested the ginsenoside Rb1 on rats. Rb1 is one of the gensenosides found in commercially available ginseng. Ginsenosides are a class of steroid glycosides, and triterpene saponins found found only in genseng. In all, more than 20 had been identified and previous studies had shown that different ginsenosides might have different actions.

Affects of Rb1

The study showed that exposure to Rb1 in rat embryos had significantly lower morphological scores. Morphological scores are a way of assessing the development of the important organs of embryos: the higher the score, the more normal is the development of the embryo. In short, exposure to average doses of ginseng led to birth defects in the rats in the study. Although more studies need to be completed before ginseng can be tied directly to birth defect in human babies, the studies were troubling enough for doctors to advise caution about the use of ginseng by pregnant women.

References

• 1. Researchers urge caution over using ginseng in early pregnancy, Biology Online,

photo by W Mahan