An open-label trial of Korean red ginseng as an adjuvant treatment for cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease

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.