Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Eye wrinkles, eye wrinkle roughness, and skin elasticity and hydration were all significantly improved in the 49 participating women who supplemented with 250 mg of red ginseng daily for 24 weeks.
One of the most visible signs of aging is eye wrinkles or “crow’s feet”. Exposure to sunlight causes skin damage and wrinkles around the eye from squinting 1. Overall skin aging is marked by decreased skin elasticity, increased roughness, dark spots and wrinkles 1,2. The main cause is the reduced production of collagen and a decrease in elastin elasticity 1. Recent research has found that supplementing with enzyme-treated red ginseng powder can improve skin elasticity and skin moisture content and decrease eye wrinkles 1.
Panax ginseng has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 5,000 years. Its name means “all cure” and is said to be a wonder of the world 1. Recent studies have found that Panax ginseng is protective against UVB radiation on the skin and can induce type 1 collagen production 1,3,4.
The current study included 98 healthy women between 40-60 years of age who were diagnosed with skin damage (Photodamage score of 2-6). The women were randomly assigned to receive enzyme-treated red ginseng (250 mg BG11001, n=49) or a placebo (n=49). They were told to take their supplement 3 times per day (750 mg total ginseng) for 24 weeks 1.
After treatment, eye wrinkles and eye wrinkle roughness improved in the ginseng group compared to the placebo group. The eye wrinkle improvement was based on the Global Photodamage scale improvement from baseline (ginseng -0.26 +/- 0.60 vs. placebo -0.05 +/- 0.61; p<0.05) 1.
Levels of elasticity also improved in the ginseng group only (Cutometer improvements in gross and net elasticity (baseline 0.89 +/- 0.5 AU to 0.91 +/- 0.4 AU at 24 weeks; p<0.05) 1.
Skin moisture content also improved in the ginseng group only, at the level of the stratum corneum in the dermis (Corneometer improvements of 0.53 +/- 1.81; p<0.05) 1.
In conclusion, 24 weeks of supplementing with enzyme-treated powdered red ginseng improved eye wrinkles, eye wrinkle roughness, skin elasticity and skin moisture content 1. Based on the results, the researchers concluded that enzyme-treated red ginseng powder would be a useful skin care product 1.
Source: Sang-Yong Park, Yu-Kyong Shin, Hee-Taek Kim et al. A single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the efficacy and safety of “enzyme-treated red ginseng powder complex (BG11001)” for antiwrinkle and proelasticity in individuals with healthy skin. J Ginseng Res 40 (2016) 260e268 ©2015, The Korean Society of Ginseng. CC BY-NC-ND license http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jgr.2015.08.006 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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Posted March 10, 2017.
Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.
References:
- Park S-Y, Shin Y-K, Kim H-T, et al. A single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the efficacy and safety of “enzyme-treated red ginseng powder complex (BG11001)” for antiwrinkle and proelasticity in individuals with healthy skin. Journal of Ginseng Research. 2016;40(3):260-268.
- Farage MA, Miller KW, Elsner P, Maibach HI. Characteristics of the aging skin. Advances in wound care. 2013;2(1):5-10.
- Lee H-J, Lee J-Y, Song K-C, et al. Protective effect of processed panax ginseng, sun ginseng on UVB-irradiated human skin keratinocyte and human dermal fibroblast. Journal of ginseng research. 2012;36(1):68-77.
- Lee J, Jung E, Lee J, et al. Panax ginseng induces human Type I collagen synthesis through activation of Smad signaling. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2007;109(1):29-34.
