Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Oct;39(4):384-91.
doi: 10.1016/j.jgr.2015.04.009. Epub 2015 May 11.

Characterization of Korean Red Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer): History, preparation method, and chemical composition

Sang Myung Lee  1 , Bong-Seok Bae  2 , Hee-Weon Park  2 , Nam-Geun Ahn  2 , Byung-Gu Cho  2 , Yong-Lae Cho  2 , Yi-Seong Kwak  2
Affiliations
Review

Characterization of Korean Red Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer): History, preparation method, and chemical composition

Sang Myung Lee et al. J Ginseng Res. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

It has been reported that Korean Red Ginseng has been manufactured for 1,123 y as described in the GoRyeoDoGyeong record. The Korean Red Ginseng manufactured by the traditional preparation method has its own chemical component characteristics. The ginsenoside content of the red ginseng is shown as Rg1: 3.3 mg/g, Re: 2.0 mg/g, Rb1: 5.8 mg/g, Rc:1.7 mg/g, Rb2: 2.3 mg/g, and Rd: 0.4 mg/g, respectively. It is known that Korean ginseng generally consists of the main root and the lateral or fine roots at a ratio of about 75:25. Therefore, the red ginseng extract is prepared by using this same ratio of the main root and lateral or fine roots and processed by the historical traditional medicine prescription. The red ginseng extract is prepared through a water extraction (90(°)C for 14-16 h) and concentration process (until its final concentration is 70-73 Brix at 50-60(°)C). The ginsenoside contents of the red ginseng extract are shown as Rg1: 1.3 mg/g, Re: 1.3 mg/g, Rb1: 6.4 mg/g, Rc:2.5 mg/g, Rb2: 2.3 mg/g, and Rd: 0.9 mg/g, respectively. Arginine-fructose-glucose (AFG) is a specific amino-sugar that can be produced by chemical reaction of the process when the fresh ginseng is converted to red ginseng. The content of AFG is 1.0-1.5% in red ginseng. Acidic polysaccharide, which has been known as an immune activator, is at levels of 4.5-7.5% in red ginseng. Therefore, we recommended that the chemical profiles of Korean Red Ginseng made through the defined traditional method should be well preserved and it has had its own chemical characteristics since its traditional development.

Keywords: Red ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer); chemical components; historical document; preparation methods.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
SohoDang miscellany. (A) Detailed records about red ginseng were written by Taekyoung Kim (1850–1927) and Samjung-Yolam. (B) A bulletin of ginseng policy, 1908, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, The Greater Korean Empire.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Manufacturing process of red ginseng from fresh ginseng.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Manufacturing process of red ginseng extracts from red ginseng.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The conversion mechanism of ginsenosides during red ginseng process. (A) Protopanaxatriol ginsenosides. (B) Protopanaxdiol ginsenosides.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Formation of Arg-Fru-Glc (AFG) from maltose and arginine by Maillard reaction.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Chemical structures of representative polyacetylene from Panax ginseng.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Brekhman I.I., Dardymov I.V. New substances of plant origin which increase nonspecific resistance. Annu Rev Pharmacol. 1969;9:419–430. - PubMed
    1. Kim Y.J., Lee O.R., Lee S.Y., Kim K.T., Yang D.C. Isolation and characterization of the glutathione s-transferase gen from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. J Ginseng Res. 2012;36:449–460. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu C.X., Xio P.G. Recent advances on ginseng research in China. J Ethnopharmacol. 1992;35:27–38. - PubMed
    1. Wang J., Li S.S., Fan Y.Y., Chen Y., Liu D., Cheng H.R., Gao X.G., Zhou Y.F. Anti-fatigue activity of the water-soluble polysaccharides isolated from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010;130:421–423. - PubMed
    1. Babiker L.B., Gadkariem E.A., Alashban R.M., Aljohar H.I. Investigation of stability of Korean ginseng in herbal drug product. Am J Appl Sci. 2014;11:160–170.