South Korea greenlights liver health claims for ginseng following 5-year study

14 Dec 2021 --- South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has registered Korean ginseng as a functional ingredient for improving liver health, according to the Korea Ginseng Association.

Ban Sang-bae, the president of the Korea Ginseng Association, says that the registration has heightened the possibility of developing various healthy, functional foods using ginseng. There may also be new ways to improve the edible appeal of ginseng, Sang-bae asserts.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s recognition of Korean ginseng as a “functional ingredient for improving liver health” was based on a five-year clinical study conducted by the research team of the Geumsan Ginseng Herb Industry Promotion Institute.

As a result of this study, Korean ginseng’s officially recognized health benefits increased to four factors: improved bone health, immune system, fatigue recovery and liver health.

Notably, health claims play a crucial role in communicating with consumers. However, industry experts recently flagged a fractured international scene. The Korea Ginseng Association is a corporation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

Eying the evidence
The researchers from the Geumsan Ginseng Herb Industry Promotion Institute gave 2.4 g of ginseng extract per day for 12 weeks to 60 men and women between the ages of 19 and 70 whose liver levels were slightly higher than the normal range. 

After 12 weeks, ALT, which increases with damaged liver cells, decreased by 15.7%.

In the case of alcohol-related liver disease or biliary tract disease, gamma GT also decreased by 5.9%, showing a marked improvement. 

Also, the researchers found that heating ginseng saponins over time produces saponin and amino sugar compounds such as ginsenosides Rg3, Rg5 and Rk1. 

These components show excellent effects in antioxidative activity, anticancer, blood circulation improvement and memory enhancement. In particular, the polysaccharide component in ginseng is known to be helpful in enhancing the immune systems, according to the Korea Ginseng Association. 

Tapping into key trends
Ginseng has been at the center of attention in recent years, with Korean researchers recently developing a way to boost the supply of ginsenosides, which is currently not meeting the high demand in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. 

New research also continues to unlock ginseng’s benefits, with a study finding Farlong Pharmaceutical’s ginseng supplement may have a positive influence on reducing cardiovascular disease risk. 

In tandem, liver health is starting to become a sought-after positioning. Interesting offerings in this space include Nexira’s Hepure and Aker BioMarine’s krill oil. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell