HONG KONG, May 14, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- 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.
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