American Ginseng: Potential Therapy for Cancer-related Fatigue

Filed in archive Studies , Treatment on June 4, 2007

Highest dose tested of a form of american ginseng has been found by North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) researchers (based at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.) to provide greater improvements in fatigue and vitality of cancer patients.

The said study is the first to evaluate the Wisconsin species of American ginseng as a possible therapy for cancer-related fatigue.

Most cancer patients experience extreme fatigue either after diagnosis or during cancer treatment.

According to Debra Barton, Ph.D. a registered nurse, Mayo Clinic cancer researcher and the study's primary investigator:

"We hope that Wisconsin ginseng may offer us a much-needed treatment to improve our patients' quality of life, and we look forward to further evaluation.

Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most profound and distressing issues patients face.

This unique type of fatigue can have dozens of causes, and for patients who have completed cancer therapy, fatigue is among their foremost concerns, second only to fear of disease recurrence."

Ginseng has the characteristics of an adaptogen, according to traditional Chinese medicine and current understanding of ginseng's functions.

Adaptogen is a substance that helps the body overcome the effects of environmental stress. Since cancer-related fatigues are due to a range of psychological and physical fatigue brought about by cancer diagnosis and treatment (i.e chemotherapy and radiotherapy).

Thus, these researchers are looking at American ginseng as a potential therapy for cancer-related fatigues and would like to further evaluate its benefits on larger scale.

Find more details from the full report.

[In photo: American ginseng; Credit: iStockphoto/Mike Liu via Science Daily)