Apples for Health- Ginseng has an anti-inflammatory effect

Ginseng has an anti-inflammatory effect

HONG KONG, May 14 (UPI) -- The herb ginseng, much used in traditional Chinese and other Asian medicine, has an anti-inflammatory effect, Chinese researchers said.

Study leader Allan Lau of the University of Hong Kong identified seven ginseng constituents -- ginsenosides -- which showed immune-suppressive effects.

"The anti-inflammatory role of ginseng may be due to the combined effects of these ginsenosides, targeting different levels of immunological activity, and so contributing to the diverse actions of ginseng in humans," Lau said in a statement.

The scientists treated human immune cells with different extracts of ginseng. The researchers found that of the nine ginsenosides they identified, seven could selectively inhibit expression of the inflammatory gene CXCL-10.

The findings are published in the Journal of Translational Medicine.