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Pharmacology of Ginsenosides

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Natural Products

Abstract

Ginseng is also known as “The King of All Herbs.” It not only possesses superior status in the field of traditional Chinese medicine and being extensively used in Chinese communities for thousands of years, it is one of the most popular herbs in the world and accounts for over 800 million US dollar of international market. Many scientific approaches (e.g., bioassays and omics studies) have been used to unlock the mechanisms behind the biological effects of ginseng. Frequently, ginsenosides are being said to be the most pharmacologically active constituents in ginseng. In this chapter, we will cover the basic biochemistry and pharmacology of ginsenosides, as well highlight how ginsenosides work in human body with respect to various pathological conditions, including cancer and age-related disorders. Lastly, we will discuss the possibilities of developing ginsenosides into targeted therapeutic agents to benefit the human society.

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Abbreviations

ER:

Estrogen receptor

GR:

Glucocorticoid receptor

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, SAR, China

    Kar Wah Leung Ph.D.

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  1. Kar Wah Leung Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Kar Wah Leung Ph.D. .

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  1. Botany Department, M.L. Sukhadia University, Durga Nursery Road, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India

    Kishan Gopal Ramawat

  2. Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences, Biological-Active Plant Substances Study, University of Bordeaux, 210 Chemin de Leysotte CS 50008, Villenave d'Ornon, 33882, France

    Jean-Michel Mérillon

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Leung, K.W. (2013). Pharmacology of Ginsenosides. In: Ramawat, K., Mérillon, JM. (eds) Natural Products. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22144-6_151

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