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- Title
Ginseng as a Key Immune Response Modulator in Chinese Medicine: From Antipandemic History to COVID-19 Management.
- Authors
Liu, Yanyi; Xia, Kun; Liu, Shixu; Wang, Wei; Li, Guangxi
- Abstract
The cytokine storm plays an indispensable role in the severe and critical illness and death of the COVID-19 vulnerable population. Thus, suppressing the cytokine storm is of great significance. Ginseng is a traditional Chinese herb originally used for improving physiological conditions and ameliorating disease. Common throughout the history of ancient Chinese medicine is utilizing ginseng as a major ingredient to successfully fight various pandemics, and the most famous decoction is Renshen Baidu powder. In recent years, ginseng has been observed to provide preventive and therapeutic benefits in the treatment of various conditions by suppressing hyper-inflammation, inhibiting virus intrusion, and balancing the host's immunity. This paper summarizes the ancient Chinese medicine books' recordings of, the clinical practice of, and the laboratory exploration of ginseng for the treatment of pandemics and COVID-19. Ginseng and its active ingredients were found to downregulate inflammatory cytokines, upregulate anti-inflammatory cytokines, stimulate the secretion of the antiviral cytokine IFN- γ , prevent viral entry and replication, and improve viral clearance. Furthermore, ginseng modulates both natural and acquired immunity during viral infection. Collectively, we propose that ginseng can act as a key immune response modulator against the cytokine storm of COVID-19. This paper may provide a new approach to discover specific medications using ginseng to combat COVID-19.
- Subjects
INFLAMMATION prevention; CYTOKINES; COVID-19; ANTIVIRAL agents; CYTOKINE release syndrome; AT-risk people; IMMUNITY; RESEARCH funding; GINSENG; CHINESE medicine
- Publication
American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2023, Vol 51, Issue 1, p19
- ISSN
0192-415X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1142/S0192415X23500027