Evidence for... Ginseng for diabetes

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) reduces postprandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Vuksan V et al.
Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:1009-13.
American ginseng attenuated postprandial glycemia in both 10 nondiabetic subjects and 9 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus; in the nondiabetic subjects, ginseng lowered postprandial blood sugar only when taken 40 minutes prior to the glucose challenge, whereas in diabetic subjects, ginseng lowered postprandial sugar whether administered 40 minutes prior to, or together with, the glucose challenge.


Similar postprandial glycemic reductions with escalation of dose and administration time of American ginseng in type 2 diabetes.
Vuksan V et al.
Diabetes Care. 2000;23:1221-6.
When different doses of American ginseng (3, 6 and 9 g) were compared in 10 type 2 diabetic subjects, the results showed that ginseng caused the same postprandial blood-sugar lowering results at each dose, and at any time from 0 to 120 minutes before the glucose challenge.


Protective effect of sun ginseng against diabetic renal damage.
Kang KS et al.
Biol Pharm Bull. 2006;29:1678-84.
In a series of experiments, these researchers demonstrated that oxidative stress is increased in the diabetic rat kidney and that sun ginseng (heat-processed Panax ginseng) can prevent renal damage associated with diabetes by attenuating the oxidative stress.