title: Red ginseng for type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Red ginseng (RG, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is one of the widely used herbs for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). However, no systematic review of the effectiveness of RG for type 2 DM is available. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the current evidence for the effectiveness of RG in patients with type 2 DM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic searches of 14 electronic databases were conducted without language restrictions. All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with RG as a treatment for type 2 DM were considered for inclusion. Their methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Their methodological quality was variable. Three of the RCTs compared the effectiveness of RG with placebo. The meta-analysis of these data failed to favor RG over placebo for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) [n =76, weighted mean difference (WMD): -0.43 mmol/L; 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.16 to 0.30, =0.25] and fasting plasma insulin (FPI) (n =76, WMD: -8.43 pmol/L; 95% CI: -19.54 to 2.68, P =0.14) for 12 weeks of treatment. One RCT compared the effects of RG with no treatment. The results did not suggest favorable effects of RG on FPG, hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) or 2-h blood glucose after a meal (PP2h).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evidence for the effectiveness of RG in controlling glucose in type 2 DM is not convincing. Few included studies with various treatment regimens prohibit definitive conclusions. More rigorous studies are needed to clarify the effects of RG on this condition.
authors.affiliation: School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Cheul
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Myeong Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyangsook
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Edzard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017594:Publication Bias; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts