Take a sip of ginseng beverage. The bitter taste may annoy you at first, but you’ll be glad to know the drink may help you to reduce stress.

Two South Korean scientists recently came to Jakarta to reveal how Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) — known as the “King of Herbs” — may help you in handling stress, improving your memory and possibly preventing cancer.

Prof. Dr. Dong-Kwon Rhee from Sungkyunkwan University conveyed the results of research that indicate ginseng’s anti-stress effect. One of them is a 2013 research project partly funded by the Korean Society of Ginseng, in which mice were orally administered ginseng and exposed to immobilization stress.

The immobilization stress can induce inflammatory responses in the brain, leading to tissue damage. The research shows that the ginseng administration protects the mice’s brains from such damage.

“The result shows that ginseng suppresses cell death by decreasing production of oxidative compounds and subsequently protecting brains from oxidative damage,” he said in a recent seminar held by the aT Korean Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation in Jakarta.

At the event, several Korean ginseng companies provided samples of their products to be savored by the seminar participants. From ginseng tea and ginseng coffee to ginseng candy and ginseng jelly.

“It tastes quite bitter, like jamu [Indonesian herbal medicine],”a woman said upon chewing ginseng honey jelly.

Back at the seminar, Rhee went on to explain the cancer preventive effect of ginseng based on research on animals. It indicates that the ginseng consumers in the population have less than 0.5 percent risk of cancer, while the cancer risk of those consuming placebos stands at 1 percent.

It is still a stretch to say that ginseng extracts can prevent human from getting cancer. So far, there is evidence that ginseng can help to combat cancer-related fatigue, one of common side effects of chemotherapy.

In 2010, the US’ Mayo Clinic conducted a randomized double-blind study with 290 cancer patients. Among those who took 1,000 or 2,000 milligrams of ginseng a day reported less fatigue and more energy after eight weeks. A study by the American Society of Clinical Oncology also shows similar result.

Whether you want to test the anti-stress or anti-cancer effects of ginseng, or simply want to have a boost of energy, Dong-Kwon suggested Korean red ginseng, 6-year-old Korean ginseng that has been peeled, heated and dried. Red ginseng has the highest anti-cancer agents and active components called ginsenoside.

Ginsenoside shows the potential to treat declining memory functions in aging or Alzheimer’s disease, Prof. Sei-Kwan Oh from Ewha Women’s University quoted several studies.

Courtesy of aT Korean Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation

Take a sip of ginseng beverage. The bitter taste may annoy you at first, but you'€™ll be glad to know the drink may help you to reduce stress.

Two South Korean scientists recently came to Jakarta to reveal how Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) '€” known as the '€œKing of Herbs'€ '€” may help you in handling stress, improving your memory and possibly preventing cancer.

Prof. Dr. Dong-Kwon Rhee from Sungkyunkwan University conveyed the results of research that indicate ginseng'€™s anti-stress effect. One of them is a 2013 research project partly funded by the Korean Society of Ginseng, in which mice were orally administered ginseng and exposed to immobilization stress.

The immobilization stress can induce inflammatory responses in the brain, leading to tissue damage. The research shows that the ginseng administration protects the mice'€™s brains from such damage.

'€œThe result shows that ginseng suppresses cell death by decreasing production of oxidative compounds and subsequently protecting brains from oxidative damage,'€ he said in a recent seminar held by the aT Korean Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation in Jakarta.

At the event, several Korean ginseng companies provided samples of their products to be savored by the seminar participants. From ginseng tea and ginseng coffee to ginseng candy and ginseng jelly.

'€œIt tastes quite bitter, like jamu [Indonesian herbal medicine],'€a woman said upon chewing ginseng honey jelly.

Back at the seminar, Rhee went on to explain the cancer preventive effect of ginseng based on research on animals. It indicates that the ginseng consumers in the population have less than 0.5 percent risk of cancer, while the cancer risk of those consuming placebos stands at 1 percent.

It is still a stretch to say that ginseng extracts can prevent human from getting cancer. So far, there is evidence that ginseng can help to combat cancer-related fatigue, one of common side effects of chemotherapy.

In 2010, the US'€™ Mayo Clinic conducted a randomized double-blind study with 290 cancer patients. Among those who took 1,000 or 2,000 milligrams of ginseng a day reported less fatigue and more energy after eight weeks. A study by the American Society of Clinical Oncology also shows similar result.

Whether you want to test the anti-stress or anti-cancer effects of ginseng, or simply want to have a boost of energy, Dong-Kwon suggested Korean red ginseng, 6-year-old Korean ginseng that has been peeled, heated and dried. Red ginseng has the highest anti-cancer agents and active components called ginsenoside.

Ginsenoside shows the potential to treat declining memory functions in aging or Alzheimer'€™s disease, Prof. Sei-Kwan Oh from Ewha Women'€™s University quoted several studies.