KGC’s red ginseng oil may support prostate health

A joint research team for natural product efficacy by the Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC) research institute and Prof. Lee Yoo-hyun from the University of Suwon’s department of food and nutrition said they found red ginseng oil reduces the weight of the prostate by controlling the prostate cells and enzymes.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a disease characterized by abnormal proliferation of the prostate, most common in middle-aged men, tests have shown that red ginseng oil may help to prevent BPH.

Its joint research team divided 50 rats with BPH into five groups using testosterone propionate(TP), and fed the groups red ginseng oil in doses of 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 milligrams per kilogram of the rats’ weight every day for eight weeks. Then, the rats’ prostate weight and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were analyzed.

Results showed that the group that consumed 100 milligrams of red ginseng per kilogram had a significant diminution of prostate weight by about 20 percent compared to that of the control group.

With the PSA, which is used as a predictor of prostate size, the control group was about 64 percent higher than normal levels, but the intake group showed a decline to levels similar to normal.

It was also shown that red ginseng oil not only inhibits hormones that cause BPH, but also substantially improves the growth factor as well.

5α-reductase 1 and 2, which are the two testosterone convertases that causes BPH, showed a noticeable decrease with the consumption of 100 milligrams of red ginseng oil per kilogram. The androgen receptor (AR), associated with the proliferation of prostate cells, also showed an improvement of about 25 percent.

The research team also found that the group treated with red ginseng oil significantly repressed the growth of BPH cell lines by about 15-50 percent compared to the untreated group.

“Red ginseng oil seems to reduce prostate weight and blood PSA by suppressing BPH enzymes and hormones and controlling cell growth,” said Kim Jong-han, head of the KGC natural product research institute material research team. “Consistent intake of red ginseng oil can help maintain prostate health.”

BY PARK YE-EUN [park.yeeun@joongang.co.kr]