Hello:

The following information about Korean INSAM was sent to me recently and I found it quite interesting so I have posted it here for others to read and comment on. Korean Insam is a powerful herb used for many disease.


The Effect of Korean INSAM on Disease


Korean INSAM has been chosen for studies because it possesses the highest medicinal constituents of all of the types of ginseng grown in the world. It is a minimum of 5 years old and grows in a geographically specific area with unique growing conditions. The vast majority of studies on ginseng have been conducted in Asia and Russia and are expressed in terms suitable in those cultures.

1. Effects on Diabetes Mellitus

Professor Kimura of Toyama University in Japan, based on the result from the animal tests, stated at the 3rd International Jinseng Symposium that DPG 3-2,a blood Sugar depressive component isolated from Korean INSAM, had the function of stimulating insulin release.

Professor J. S. Jo of Kyeongbuk National University, professor Okuda of
Ehime University in Japan, Dr Yamamoto of Nissei Hospital in Osaka, Japan, and Dr, Yoshida of Yamamoto Municipal Hospital in Japan reported results of clinical studies that, by the administration of red INSAM, the blood Sugar level in diabetics could be lowered and the insulin dosage could reduced, and especially, the subjective symptoms of diabetics such as dizziness, shoulder pain, chest pain, thirst, weariness over the whole body, and heaviness in the head were all remarkably improved.

2. Effects on cancer

Professor Ueki of Kumamoto University examined the anti-cancer effect of 117 kinds of herbs in 1961 and found that Korean red INSAM exerts anti-cancer effects on Ehrlich abdominal ascites cancer cells.

Professor W. I. Hwang of Korea University reported in 1991 that he found the anti-cancer effect of Korean red INSAM was superior to that of Chinese red ginseng through the studies of anti-cancer fraction in Korean red INSAM and Chinese red ginseng.

Dr. T. K. Yun of Korea Cancer Center Hospital, in a presentation titled
Effect of red INSAM on the activation of anti-cancer cell" at the 8th
Asia-Pacific Cancer Conference in September, 1987, stated that Korean red INSAM had a remarkable effect on the activation of natural killer cells that are able to kill cancer based on the result of administering Korean red INSAM for a year to rats suffering from lung cancer.

3. Effects on atherosclerosis and hypertension

Professor C. N. Joo of Yonsei University studied the effect of Korean red INSAM on hyperlipidemia induced by feeding food containing large amounts of cholesterol to rabbits. At the 3rd International Jinseng Symposium in 1980, he reported that Korean red INSAM not only lowered cholesterol level in the blood by promoting the activity of various enzymes related to the lipid metabolism but also prevented atheroma formation due to hyperlipidemia, an accumulation of lipid containing materials in arterial walls.

Dr. Nakanishi of Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital in Japan also found that
Korean red INSAM was very effective in improving lipid metabolism, and thus prevented arteriosclerosis in a clinical test by administering Korean red INSAM capsules to 31 male and female subjects(Clinic and Research, 1980)

Dr. Yamamoto of Nissei Hospital in Osaka reported that administration of Korean red INSAM powder to 67 patients suffering from hyperglycaemia as a result of diabetes lowered the level of blood cholesterol, triglycerides and platelet adhesiveness, and increased the level of HDL protein (planta Medica, 1982)

4. Korean INSAM protects liver

Professor Oura of Toyama University in Japan found that Korean red INSAM was administered to rats with a two-thirds partial hepatectomy, the rate of liver regeneration was more than 34% higher than that of untreated rats. He called the effective components¡ ®protein synthesis stimulating factor', and named it ®prostisol' (Proc. Symp., Wakan YaKu).

Professor Dr. Han of junang University also reported that Korean red INSAM reduced histological lesions including necrotic death of liver cells induced by toxic chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride and phenacetin (The 2nd International Jinseng Symposium. 1978.)

5. Effects on stomach disorders

Professor Matsuda and his colleagues of Kinki University administered Korean red INSAM extract to male cats with experimentally induced gastric ulcer to study the effect of INSAM on stomach disorders. They found that the extract suppressed the gastric ulcer significantly as a result of improved blood circulation in gastric mucous membrane (The Jinseng Reviews 2(3), 1984).

Dr. K. H. Ahn treated patients with Korean red INSAM for one month and
observed X-ray photography of the stomach to find that the movement of food in the organ in treated group was faster than that of untreated group. He claimed that the gastric movement was accelerated by the treatment (jungang Medicine).

6. Korean INSAM eliminates hang-over

Professor C. N. Joo of Yeonse University observed that the administration of ginseng saponin increased the activity of various enzymes related to alcohol metabolism, and confirmed through the electron microscopy that the level of hepatic damage of the rats given ginseng with alcohol only.

Dr. J. I of the Korea Jinseng & Tobacco Research Institute tested 10
volunteers from the institute and found that the alcohol level in the blood of those who took Korean red INSAM with alcohol was significantly lower than those who took alcohol alone. The fact, she stated, indicated that the Korean red INSAM accelerated the degradation of alcohol in the body.

7. Effect on anti-fatigue and anti-stress

Russian pharmacologist, I. I. Brekhman studied the pharmacological effect of Korean INSAM and presented the concept of tonic effect of ginseng as a "phenomenon that increases general resistance", and said that ginseng improves defence ability non-specifically by increasing resistance of the body against harmful environmental conditions. He termed it as "adaptogen (adaptability factor) effect".

Dr. Petkov of Sophia Pharmacology Research Institute reported at the 2nd
International Pharmacological Seminar held in Czechoslovakia in 1963 that Korean INSAM accelerates the release of hormones related to the defence mechanism against stress and thus exhibits an anti-stress effect.

Professor Saito of the University of Tokyo also reported in 1984 that
treating mice with Korean INSAM remarkably prevented the decline of physical capability due to stress accumulation when the mice were forced to walk a tightrope

8. Korean INSAM has anti-aging effect

Professor C. W. Park of Seoul National University found that the nonsaponin components of Korean red INSAM suppressed the harmful effects of free oxygen radicals (O, H2O2, OH, 1O2) which exercise an important role in tissue degeneration. He said it occurred in result of elimination of (O) by the ginseng components.

Professor B. H. Han of Seoul National University reported that Korean red INSAM contains phenolic compounds and maltol that have anti-stress activity as well as anti-aging activity (Chinese Medicine Symposium, 1985).

9. Korean INSAM enhances brain activity

Dr. Petkov of Physiological Research Institute of Bulgaria and Professor J. S. Oh of Seoul National University found that Korean red INSAM enhances brain activity and maintains psychological stability by selectively controlling mechanisms of both stimulation and pacification.

* Protopanaxadiol saponin : Pacification of CNS
* Protopanaxatriol saponin : Stimulation of CNS

In April, 1989, with the subject of "ginseng and brain", Dr. Petkov of
Physiological Research Institute of Bulgaria stated at the International Ginseng Seminar held at the University of Tokyo, that Korean red INSAM is notably effective in artificially induced amnesia in mice and the loss of memory in aged (22 to 24 month old) mice, and thus improves memory and increases learning ability of the animal. Professor Saito of the University of Tokyo also reported that Korean red INSAM is effective in enhancing brain activity based on his study similar to Dr. Petkov's. Especially, he reported that ginseng extract and ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 exerted preventive effect on the retardness of sexual behaviour and learning ability of the animals
suffering from constant stress. These reports clearly indicate that Korean red INSAM not only prevents deterioration of brain activity but also stimulates it.

10. Korean INSAM improves blood circulation.

Professor N. D. Gim of Seoul National University observed and compared the regression of contractibility of the excised heart from two groups of rats: one that was given ginseng and the other that was not. As a result, he confirmed that the heart of the rats given ginseng showed prolonged contractions longer than that of control rats (Journal' of Pharmacology, 1982).

Dr. Kaneko administered Korean INSAM to 30 male and female patients (45
years old in average) suffering from arteriosclerosis, diabetes, low blood pressure, and liver cirrhosis. The result was satisfactory recovery from those subjective symptoms-headache, heaviness in the head, flatulence, coldness in hands and feet, loss of appetite, dizziness, muscular arthralgia and fatigue...without any side effects.

11. Effects on immune system

Professor K. H. Jo of Chungnam National University administered red ginseng saponin after suppressing the function of
Reticuloendothelial (RE) system, which is in charge of immune response, using immune suppressive chemicals, to test the restoration of the function of RE system.

In similar experiment, Professors Kubo of Kinki University and Tanaka of Hiroshima University evidenced that Korean red INSAM promoted the function of the immune system.

12. Korean INSAM helps recovery from anemia

Dr. Kaneki of Toyama Central Hospital in Japan administered the effective component of Korean red INSAM to 13 anaemia patients and found that it was effective on hypochromic anaemia and intractable anaemia caused by gastrectomy
(Shinliou & Shinyaku 7(12) 109).

Professors Yamamura of Osaka University and Arichi of Kinki University
found, through cooperative research, that Korean red INSAM was effective in
3 out of 20 aplastic anemia patients, while 14 out of 38 patients recovered
from anemia symptoms of liver disease, stomach disease, diabetes, and
tuberculosis. In addition, from a clinical study with 51 anemia subjects who
had been unresponsive to all other therapeutics.

Professor Arichi reported that Korean red INSAM was effective against
rheumatic, tuberculotic, and senile anaemia.

13. Protective effect of Korean ginseng against radiation

Dr. Yonezawa of Osaka Padiation Center extensively studied the restorative effect of Korean red INSAM on the function of bone marrow damaged by the exposure to radiation. He administered Korean red INSAM extract to animals whose bone marrow injury had been induced by being exposed to a lethal dose of radiation and confirmed its restorative effect of the number of red blood cells and platelets.

Yonezawa et al., in addition, isolated a heat-stable fraction from Korean red INSAM extract and found that the fraction stimulated the restoration from radiation injury through animal experiments. They stated ginseng was the most promising material for protection from radiation damage as no effective preventive material had been discovered.

14. Korean INSAM effectively inhibits the proliferation of AIDS virus

In September, 1992, Dr. Y. O. Sin and his colleagues at Korea National
Institute of Health stated in their report, "Effect of Korean red ginseng on AIDS", that Korean red ginseng was effective against AIDS when treated with AZT.

15. Korean INSAM helps maintaining homeostasis in the body

Dr. I. I. Brekhman, a Russian scientist, stated that the pharmacological activity of Korean red INSAM is rather mild, and that, unlike synthetic medicines, it works on the control mechanisms of body and thus has an adaptogen activity which maintains the homeostasis in physical function.