Combination therapy has proven to be a popular treatment strategy for tighter diabetes control. Since the preliminary evidence is suggestive of complementary actions of American (AG) and Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) in improving glycemia, this project was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of AG and KRG in combination. Following a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel design in a population with diabetes at two centres, the combined use of AG and KRG for 12 weeks was safe, but did not significantly affect glycemic control, blood lipids or blood pressure. However, there was a trend toward lower glycated hemoglobin by 0.7% (p=0.1) and office systolic blood pressure by 5 mm Hg (p=0.052) compared to placebo. These findings encourage further investigation of the mechanism and roles of AG, KRG and their effective components. They also highlight limitations in ginseng research and the need to impose strict regulations to facilitate its standardization.

Combination therapy has proven to be a popular treatment strategy for tighter diabetes control. Since the preliminary evidence is suggestive of complementary actions of American (AG) and Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) in improving glycemia, this project was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of AG and KRG in combination. Following a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel design in a population with diabetes at two centres, the combined use of AG and KRG for 12 weeks was safe, but did not significantly affect glycemic control, blood lipids or blood pressure. However, there was a trend toward lower glycated hemoglobin by 0.7% (p=0.1) and office systolic blood pressure by 5 mm Hg (p=0.052) compared to placebo. These findings encourage further investigation of the mechanism and roles of AG, KRG and their effective components. They also highlight limitations in ginseng research and the need to impose strict regulations to facilitate its standardization.