Korean red ginseng relieves stress, fatigue and perhaps long COVID: study

Korean red ginseng improves stress resistance and alleviates fatigue, especially effective in relieving stress among the under-energetic who experience chronic fatigue and have low blood pressure, studies showed on Tuesday,

At the 2022 Spring Ginseng Conference held last week by the Korean Society of Ginseng, a series of studies showed that the regular intake of red ginseng products showed an improvement in stress and fatigue management.

According to a comparative study by a local family medicine specialist Dr. Kim Kyong-chol who observed 50 people taking red ginseng products or 26 other who did not,

The former group of people said they felt their condition improved than before. The study observed people aged between 20 and 70 who have been suffering from chronic fatigue.

Another research by professor Chung Tae-ha at Wonju Severance Christian Hospital and professor Lee Yong-jae at Gangnam Severance Hospital showed that red ginseng not only alleviated fatigue but also improved biological aging indicators among postmenopausal women.

These results are attracting more attention from the medical community as many patients experience increased fatigue as a long term side effect of COVID-19, said medical industry insiders.

Symptoms similar to that of chronic fatigue may appear after recovering from the pandemic, lasting 3 to 9 months, according to the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, research results on the antiviral effects of Korean red ginseng on coronavirus strand HCoV OC43, and the COVID-19 resistance of Goryeo ginseng were also introduced at the conference.

By Lee Seung-ku (seungku99@heraldcorp.com)