What Doctors Don't Tell YouRegularly taking ginseng, particularly red ginseng, may prevent cancer of all varieties, according to Korean research.
In a five year study involving 4,634 people over 40 years old, ginseng users had a slightly smaller risk of developing cancer than non users. Among ginseng preparations, those using fresh extract had a significantly decreased risk of developing gastric cancer.
Nevertheless, these results should be interpreted with caution because they are simply based on participants completing a questionnaire, and are not the result of a prospective, randomised study (Int J Epidem, 1998; 27: 359-64).
Hyla Cass MD
Tom Ferguson MD