The interaction between ginseng and gut microbiota

Linxian Zhao; Mingxiu Sui; Tongbo Zhang; Kai Zhang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1301468

The interaction between ginseng and gut microbiota

Front Nutr. 2023 Nov 17:10:1301468. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1301468. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Linxian Zhao¹, Mingxiu Sui¹, Tongbo Zhang¹, Kai Zhang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Abstract

The importance of the gut microbiota to human health is attracting increasing attention. It is also involved in ginseng metabolism, mediating the bioactive metabolites of ginsenosides. In response, ginseng, known as the king of herbs, can regulate intestinal flora, including promoting probiotics and restricting the growth of harmful bacteria. Specifically, the interactions between ginseng or ginsenosides and gastrointestinal microbiota are complex. In this review, we summarized the effects of ginseng and ginsenosides on the composition of gut microbiota and discussed the gut microbiota-mediated biotransformation of ginsenosides. In particular, their therapeutic potential and clinical application in related diseases were also summarized.

Keywords: bioactivity; biotransformation; ginseng; ginsenosides; gut microbiota.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was financially supported by Jilin Province Science and Technology Department (No. 202201ZYTS070) and Jilin Province Finance Department (No. 2020SCZT004).