Researchers examined the efficacy of Panax ginseng sprout extract from the Korean brand ThinkGIN to address subjective memory impairment (SMI), as the brand was shown to bolster memory in preclinical studies. The study provides sufficient clinical evidence that ThinkGIN can be manufactured as a functional food to improve cognitive function, the researchers proposed.
“Pathological, functional and structural changes in the brain begin to occur 20 years before clinical signs of dementia appear,” they wrote. “Therefore, this study is meaningful by verifying the memory improvement effect of ThinkGIN in SMI, suggesting that ThinkGIN can be used as an alternative prevention strategy in SMI.”
The study was funded by the BTC Corporation from the National Innovation Convergence Complex Support Project (R&D) backed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Korea.
Active compounds
The United Nations projects that older adults will comprise 16% of the global population by 2050 and that age-related health problems associated with cognition will increase. Traditional herbal medicine Panax ginseng, also known as Korean ginseng, is a popular functional food that can improve cognition, blood circulation and cognition and memory with mental strengthening.
Its active compounds include ginsenosides, polysaccharides, amino acids, volatile oils, and polyacetylenes.
“In particular, ginsenosides as representative ingredients of P. ginseng are known to have neuroprotective effects by regulating synaptic plasticity, cholinergic system, amyloid β (Aβ) aggravation, tau hyperphosphorylation, anti-neuroinflammation, antioxidants and anti-apoptosis,” the researchers wrote. “However, the use of ginseng has problems such as its high price, long cultivation period and quality changes depending on the natural environment.”
To address those issues, the researchers studied sprout ginseng that was grown through smart farming that uses “information communication technologies to improve plant quality and productivity by providing accuracy, efficient use of resources and optimal conditions,” they explained.
A previous study showed that sprout ginseng extract produced by smart farming was able to regulate AKT/ERK/CREB signaling in a mouse model. The study also demonstrated that the extract improved neuroinflammation.
The scientists said these outcomes may be the result of anti-inflammatory effects of ginsenosides that rise with smart farming.
Study details
The 12-week, single-center, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial took place at Woosuk University Korean Medicine Hospital from March 2022 to December 2022.
Eighty participants between 55 to 75 years old were selected and placed in either the ThinkGIN group or a placebo group. Over the study period, the participants received 450 mg of the ginseng extract.
After the 12 weeks, the total score of the Seoul Verbal Learning Test immediate recall sizably increased, demonstrating a statistically significant difference between the experimental and placebo groups. Visuospatial-executive and language scores of MoCA-K also increased in the ThinkGIN group but declined in the placebo group.
Moreover, the results showed that ThinkGIN can appreciably reduce AChE, improving memory by enhancing the production of acetylcholine, neurotransmitter that regulates synaptic plasticity. The scientists also explained that ThinkGIN improved sleep for the cohort. Older adults often have difficulty staying asleep and maintaining deep sleep.
“Despite the increasing aging population, currently there are no proven effective agents that can be used to reverse or delay the progression of subjective memory impairment,” the researchers noted. “Therefore, this study is meaningful by verifying the memory improvement effect of ThinkGIN in SMI, suggesting that ThinkGIN can be used as an alternative prevention strategy in SMI.”
Source: Nutrients
doi: doi.org/10.3390/nu16121952
“Efficacy and Safety of Panax ginseng Sprout Extract in Subjective Memory Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial”
Authors: Hyang-Im Baek et al.