The Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on the Symptoms and Allergic Inflammation in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

Introduction: Korean Red Ginseng has been traditionally used in Korea for health improvement. However, the clinical effect of KRG intake on the symptoms in allergic rhinitis patients remains unknown. Our study was performed to identify the clinical effects of KRG on allergic rhinitis patients and to examine the effect of KRG on allergic inflammatory reaction. Patients and Methods: We evaluated 50 allergic rhinitis. All of the patients were treated for 4 weeks. The patients were divided into three groups according to the medication. Twenty patients were treated with KRG, 20 patients with the placebo and 10 patients with the antihistamine. The patients recorded their symptoms in a daily symptom diary card. The patients checked the peak inspiratory flow (PNIF) rate two times a day, in the morning and evening, during the medication period. Total serum IgE and serum specific IgE for D.P. and D.F. were measured by ImmunoCap method before and after 4 week medication. The Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 were checked in the serum before and after the 4-week treatment using ELISA methods. The eosinophil counts in the nasal smears were checked before and after the 4-week treatment. Results: The KRG group demonstrated a significant improvement of allergic symptoms, except in the smelling difficulty category. PNIF demonstrated no differences between the periods before and after treatment in either the KRG group or the antihistamine treatment group. Both the antihistamine and KRG groups showed a significant decrease in total IgE level at the end of treatment. The serum IL-4 level and eosinophil counts in the nasal smears were significantly decreased both in the antihistamine and the KRG groups. Conclusion: KRG might be a useful treatment modality in allergic rhinitis patients. However, we need to better understand the long-term effects of KRG with further studies.