Dose-response and temporal ergogenic effects of ginseng supplementation in athletes and active participants: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

This review sought to assess the dose-response, i.e., low (<300 mg/day) and high (>300 mg/day), and temporal effects of ginseng, i.e., immediate, short-term (up to 4 weeks) and long-term (>4 weeks) in comparison to placebo on physical performance [visual analogue scale (VAS) level, vertical jump(VJ), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), peak power output (PPO)] and physiological measures [VO₂ max, creatine kinase(CK), heart rate(HR)], in athletes and active participants. Search in four databases with English language constraints yielded 492 studies. Fourteen studies were shortlisted through PEDro scale by methodological quality evaluation. Ginseng exhibited significant short-term effect at high dosage for VJ improvement (SMD: −8.17, 95% CI: −16.28 to −0.06, p= 0.05). Ginseng had no effect on VAS (SMD: −0.65, 95% CI: −1.35 to 0.06, p= 0.07), RPE (SMD: −1.11, 95% CI: −2.57 to 0.35, p= 0.14), PPO (SMD: −0.70, 95% CI: −1.78 to 0.38, p= 0.20), HR (SMD: −0.54, 95% CI: −2.05 to 0.96, p= 0.48), CK (SMD: 0.33, 95% CI: −0.18 to 0.84, p= 0.21) and VO₂ max (SMD: 0.08, 95% CI: −0.69 to 0.85, p= 0.08).The ginseng supplementation was found to have significant short-term effect at high dose only for VJ in athletic and active participants. Methodologically strong research is warranted to further consolidate these findings.

KEYWORDS:

• Ginseng
• heart rate
• jump performance
• maximum oxygen uptake
• peak power output
• athletes

Abbreviations

WoS- Web of Science

PEDro- Physiotherapy Evidence Database

RCT- Randomized controlled trials

VAS- Visual analogue scale

RPE- Rate of perceived exertion

PPO- Peak power output

HR- Heart rate

CK- Creatine kinase

VJ- Vertical jump

SJ- Squat jump

CMJ- Counter-movement jump

VO₂ max- Maximal oxygen consumption

PROSPERO- International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews

PRISMA- Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses

PICOS- Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome measures and Study design

AHA- American Heart Association

ATP- Adenosine triphosphate

ADP- Adenosine diphosphate

SMD- Standardized mean difference

CI- Confidence interval

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.