Bach, H.V., Kim, J., Myung, S.K., & Cho, Y.A. (2016). Efficacy of ginseng supplements on fatigue and physical performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 31, 1879–1886. 

STUDY PURPOSE: To investigate the effectiveness of ginseng supplements for reduction of fatigue and enhancement of physical performance

TYPE OF STUDY: Meta-analysis and systematic review

• FINAL NUMBER STUDIES INCLUDED = 12, 4 on fatigue reduction and 8 for physical performance 
• TOTAL PATIENTS INCLUDED IN REVIEW = 458 for fatigue, 212 for performance
• SAMPLE RANGE ACROSS STUDIES: 19–271
• KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Most studies were of healthy adults. One study on cancer, one on multiple sclerosis, and one on chronic idiopathic fatigue

PHASE OF CARE: Not specified or not applicable

Ginseng supplements were associated with an overall standard mean difference of 0.34  (95% confidence interval [0.16, 0.52]) for fatigue reduction; however, duration of use was only six weeks or less, and doses of less than 1000 mg/day showed no effect. No effect was seen for physical performance.

Ginseng may be helpful for fatigue reduction; however, this analysis included few studies and only one study on individuals with cancer. This analysis provides insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions.

• Limited number of studies included
• Low sample sizes
• Authors stated that numerous randomized, controlled trials were excluded because of insufficient data.

Limited evidence exists to show the efficacy of ginseng supplements overall for fatigue reduction, and evidence here does not show any improvement in physical performance with ginseng.