Korean Ginseng Research Institute announces potential COVID-19 vaccine adjuvant effect of Red Ginseng

SEOUL, South Korea –  Korean Ginseng Research Institute, composing of over 130 outstanding researchers driving force behind innovation from KGC(Korea Ginseng Corp.), recently published a summary of research results on ‘the vaccine adjuvant effect of red ginseng’ ^[1] and ‘respiratory damage prevention effect’. It is said that red ginseng acts as a possible vaccine adjuvant by enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine.

The results of the study summarized this time showed that red ginseng increased the effectiveness of the vaccine, so that when red ginseng was taken together, the antiviral effect was enhanced and prevented lung damage caused by various viruses compared to when the vaccine was administered alone. The study results that ingestion of red ginseng at the same time as the vaccination at the time the inoculation of the coronavirus vaccine started can increase the vaccine effect is significant in that it suggests the possibility of speeding up the overcoming of the coronavirus.

In the paper ‘Protective Effect of Korean Red Ginseng Extract on the Infections by H1N1 and H3N2 Influenza Viruses in Mice’ published in 2021 in the ‘Journal of Medicinal Food’, an international academic journal, compared to mice vaccinated only with vaccines, red ginseng concentrate was consumed and vaccine It was confirmed that the survival rate of mice vaccinated with After administering the red ginseng concentrate to mice for 14 days, the vaccine was inoculated, and after the last administration of the red ginseng concentrate, the influenza virus (H1N1, H3N2) was observed. virus titer) and the production of inflammatory substances were found to be reduced.

In the paper ‘Korean Red Ginseng enhances pneumococcal Δ pep27 vaccine efficacy by inhibiting reactive oxygen species production’ published in the ‘Journal of Ginseng Research’ in 2019, the vaccine (Δ pep27) was administered while administering red ginseng concentrate to mice and infection with pneumococcus As a result of observation, red ginseng concentrate increased the antibody formation and survival rate of pneumococcal-infected mice, and reduced the time required for immunization by enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine.

Korean Ginseng Research Institute informed that these research results proved the vaccine adjuvant effect and respiratory damage prevention effect of red ginseng, and plans to continue researching the effect of red ginseng on various viruses through clinical trials.

In Korea, red ginseng has been officially recognized as a health functional food by the ministry of food and drug safety, a national agency that manages the safety of medicines and food. It is the best-selling health functional food in Korea, recognized for its immunity enhancement, fatigue recovery, blood circulation improvement, memory improvement, and antioxidant action. In particular, as interest in immunity increases due to COVID-19, Korean consumers looking for red ginseng are increasing significantly.

Korea’s representative red ginseng company is KGC, famous for its ‘CheongKwanJang’ brand, which accounts for about 70 percent of the total red ginseng market. CheongKwanJang red ginseng is inspected from the soil in which ginseng is planted to produce the highest quality red ginseng, and through 100 percent contract cultivation, the purity of 6-year-old domestic red ginseng is guaranteed. In addition, the company produces products that consumers can consume with confidence by conducting safety inspections on 430 items for a total of 8 years from the stage of planting site selection, soil management, 2 years of cultivation, and six years of cultivation, until the product is shipped.

Last year, KGC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to cooperate in the development of immune boosters to develop ingredients necessary for corona vaccine research using red ginseng.

Immune enhancer is a substance that enhances the immune response caused by an antigen. If it is contained in a vaccine, it can show the same effect even with a small amount of antigen, so it is very important for vaccine development. With this MOU, KGC is expected to supply 12 types of ginsenosides contained in CheongKwanJang red ginseng to help the International Vaccine Institute develop vaccines.

Chief executive officer Kim, Jaesoo from KGC said: “After the spread of the coronavirus, the number of people looking for red ginseng in Korea to improve immunity and manage health has increased significantly.”

Scientific references/links about COVID-19 vaccine adjuvant effect of Ginseng: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1226845320301883

SOURCE Korean Ginseng Research Institute; KGC (Korea Ginseng Corp.)