Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is a well characterized medicinal herb listed in the classic oriental herbal dictionary as “Shin-nong-bon-cho-kyung”. Ginseng bears diverse pharmacologic and therapeutic properties. Black ginseng (BG, Ginseng Radix Nigra) is produced by repeatedly steaming fresh ginseng nine times. Studies of BG have shown that prolonged heat-treatment enhances the antioxidant activity with increased radical scavenging activity. Several recent studies have showed the effects of black ginseng on increased lipid profiles in mice.

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is one of the most distressing side effects for patients undergoing chemotherapy. This study evaluated the protective effect of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) on CIA in a well-established in vitro human hair follicle organ culture model as it occurs in vivo.

Adipocyte-macrophage communication plays a critical role regulating white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammatory gene expression. Because WAT inflammation contributes to the development of metabolic diseases, there is significant interest to understand how exogenous compounds regulate adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk. Previous work showed that an aqueous extract of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) had strong inflammo-regulatory properties in adipocytes. The present study examined if different ginseng extracts influence adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk, as well as WAT inflammatory gene expression.