The effect of microwave treatment on Korean ginseng was studied by measuring the changes in moisture, crude lipid, crude ash, crude protein, total dietary fiber and saponin contents, as well as changes in density, color and microstructure. Korean ginseng was treated with 100 or 200 watts of microwaves for 1 or 3 hrs, respectively, followed by drying using an oven at 60℃ for 96 hrs. The moisture contents decreased to 13.12~10.77% from an initial 76.26%. The amounts of lipid and ash were reduced in proportion to the time of microwave treatment and level of microwave power. The amount of protein in ginseng after microwave treatment did not significantly change. The amount of total dietary fiber increased after microwave treatment and the color of dried ginseng became dark. The amounts ofginsenoside-Rb1, Rb2+Rb3, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg1, Rg2+Rh1 and Rg3 were reduced after treatment with 100 watts of microwave radiation for 1 and 3. The amounts ofginsenoside-Rb1, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg1, Rg2+Rh1 and Rg3 after treatment with 200 watts of microwave radiation for 1 and 3 hr also reduced. On the other hand, the amounts ofginsenoside-Rb2+Rb3 and Rc after treatment of ginseng with 200 watts of microwave radiation for 1 and 3 hrs were increased.

건강 기능성과 기호성, 간편성을 갖는 건강차를 개발하기 위하여 4년생 인삼엽을 7월과 8월에 각각 채엽하고 이를 재료로 하여 건조법 (DRT), 숙성법(AGT), 열처리법 (HPT)등의 3가지 방법으로 인삼엽차를 제조하고 인삼제품의 품질 지표인 조사포닌 함량과 조성을 조사한 결과는 다음과 같다. 1. 인삼엽차의 조사포닌 함량은 제조 방법 중 HPT 가 18.72 ~ 18.82%로 가장 높았으며 AGT는 18.24 ~ 18.29%, DRT는 17.02 ~ 17.17%순이었고 채엽시기별 함량 차이는 거의 나타나지 않았다. 2. 인삼엽차의 protopanaxadiol(PD), protopanaxatriol (PT)계 사포닌의 함량비 (PD/PT)는 제조 방법 중 DRT가 1.11 ~ 1.13, HPT 1.09 ~ 1.12 이었고, AGT는 0.92 ~ 1.02ft 다소 낮은 결과를 나타내었다. 또한 채엽시기별 함량비는 유사하였다. 4. 인삼엽차의 5분간 열탕침출액의 조사포닌 함량은 7월엽 제품, HPT가 각각 15.88%, 16.88%로 가장 높았고 ginsenoside 함량은 -Re, -Rd, -Rg_1, -Rb_2, -Rc순이었다. 알콜로 8시간 환류 추출한 총 사포닌과 5분간 열탕 침출액 중 조사포닌 함량을 비교한 조사포닌 침출율은 81.74 ~ 84.38%로서 7월엽 제품, HPT가 84.38%로 가장 높았고 ginsenoside 침출율은 다소 낮은 78.00 ~ 88.13%를 나타내었다. 또한 30분간 침출액의 침출율은 88.01 ~ 92.31%로 5분간 침출율보다 7월엽 제품은 10 ~ 135, 8월엽 제품은 약 20% 증가하였고, ginsenoside 침출율은 유사한 경향을 나타내었다.

한국 홍삼과 백삼의 조산성 다당체 성분과 수용성 추출물, 그리고 ginsenoside 성분이 암독소 호르몬-L에 의해 유도된 지방 분해를 저해하는 효과를 검토하고자 본 연구를 수행하였다. 지방분해 빛 식욕억제 인자로 알려진 암독소 호르몬-L은 sarcoma-180을 접종한 mouse의 복수액으로 부터 부분정제하여 사용하였다. 한국 홍삼과 백삼으로부터 정제하여 얻은 조산성 다당체 각 분획의 성분은 10 ㎍/㎖농도 이상에서 암독소 호르몬-L이 유도하는 지방 분해에 억제효과가 있었고, 이들 중 PG_1과 PG_4에서 지방 분해 저해 활성이 가장 높았으며, 이를 더 정제한 결과 PG_4-3분획에서 활성이 가장 높았다. 고려인삼중 백삼과 홍삼의 각 4, 5, 6 년근별로 얻은 수용성 추출물의 암독소 호르몬-L의 지방분해 억제에 미치는 영향을 검토한 결과 억제율은 1, 000 ㎍/㎖ 농도에서 백삼 4, 5 및 6년근이 각각 56.3, 59.7 및 59.4% 였고, 홍삼은 각각 78.6, 79.1 및 82.5%로 백삼보다 홍삼의 억제율이 높았다. 인삼 시료 g 당 총저해활성(unit/g)은 백삼의 경우 100 ㎍/㎖농도에서는 4년근이, 1, 000 ㎍/㎖농도에서는 5년근에서 가장 높았으나, 홍삼의 경우 다같이 6년근에서 가장 높았다. 또한 ginsenoside 성분의 경우 지방 분해 억제율과 총저해활성이 모두 Rb_2에서 가장 높았다

고려인삼(Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) 잎 중의 가용성 invertase를 탈이온수로 추출한 후 황산암모늄 0, 4∼0.6 포화획분에 의하여 조제하였으며 이의 효소화힉적 성질을 검토한 결과는 다음과 같다. 본 효소의 최적 pH와 온도는 pH 6.0과 40℃ 였으며 pH 6.0∼8.0 범위와 40℃ 이하에서 안정하였다. Protease 및 단백질 변성제 처리에 의하여 활성이 현저히 저하되었으며 glycosidase에 의해서는 저해를 받지 않았다. 본 효소는 sucrose와 inulin 등의 β-fructofuranoside 결합을 가진 기질에 특이적으로 작용하여 전형적인 β-fructofuranosidase의 성질을 나타내었다.

Background : Panax ginseng the king of Oriental medicines, has enormous potential against many of the disease symptoms and ailments. Panax quinquefolius is an another important member of Panax family which has similar benefits and medicinal properties. Both the species contains ginsenosides a pharmacologically active component abundant in their roots. In an effort to establish the new ginseng cultivars with improved agronomical characters such as root shape, stress tolerant and higher ginsenoside contents, the reciprocal interspecific hybrids were generated Methods and Results : Four elite cultivars and two new lines of ginseng were chosen to produce interspecies reciprocal hybrids with P. quinquefolius, by pollen dusting on the emasculated flowers. Among the F1 populations, the reciprocal hybrids generated by using new line 0837 both as maternal and paternal parent showed better properties and hybrid vigor. They showed strong root phenotypes with many lateral and fine roots thus having 10% to 20% higher ginsenoside contents compared to the parental populations. Among the major ginsenosides, the pharmacologically active ginsenosides such as Re, Rb1, Rb2 and F1 were enriched and accounted for the 70% of the PPD ginsenosides in 0837/Pq and Pq/0837 crosses, displaying strong dominance. Conclusion : Thus, based on our result we could conclude that P. ginseng line 0837 is the superior variety compared to the already existing lines for performing the interspecific hybrids with promising outcome in their root quality and ginsenoside content.

Background : Rural communities were facing labor difficulties due to old age and increasing number of women in the labor force. These factors have caused decrease in effectivity and productivity of ginseng production. Also, due to repetitive ginseng cultivation, salt accumulation in soil becomes more evident. When too much salt is present, ginseng plants appeared to have red colored roots and this caused the fall down of marketability of ginseng. In this study, we tested the use of wide shade facilities to enhance the growth traits of ginseng. Wide shade facilities can also reduce the working expenses of transfer cultivation and replacement by around 1,500,000 won/10a. In addition, this might also reduce the consequences of continuous cropping, thus obtaining a stable and safe field. Methods and Results : We set up 3 kind of facility as wide shade, supply type wide shade and conventional shade in Ginseng & Medicinal Plant Research Institute, Chungnam Agricultural Research & Extension Services. Wide shade facility used three different types of shade material, black, red, and blue films. Supply type wide shade facility and conventional shade used polyetylene (PE4 + PE2) film. The planting size were 10 ㎝ × 18 ㎝ (9 × 10 plants), planting number: 90 plants/3.2㎡ in wide shade (include supply type wide shade) and 10 ㎝ × 18 ㎝ (8 × 10 plants), planting number: 80 plants/3.2㎡ in conventional shade. Our results showed that temperature was lower (-0.5℃) in wide shade facility than in supply type and conventional shade. conventional shade was lower (-0.5℃) or similar than in supply type shade. We investigated growth of Korean ginseng 3-years-old root for each facility. Results showed that total growth such as root weight, length was higher in supply type facility than in wide shade and conventional shade facility. Root rot was lower in supply type facility. Conclusion : Wide shade facilities was shown in low temperature than in supply type and conventional shade. Supply type was good for root growth and root rot disease. These finding could be used for place fixed cultivation for ginseng using wide shade facility.

Background: This study was carried out to determine the best time for collecting ginseng berries without reducing the ginsenoside- Re content of ginseng roots, which are used as food, medicine, or cosmetic materials. Methods and Results: The test variety of ginseng used in this study was is Chunpung, which was collected from a 4-year-old ginseng field. Ginseng berries were collected at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 days after flowering. The number of berry bunches per 1.62㎡ ranged from 43.4 to 61.4, while the weight of berries per 1.62㎡ was the greatest when they were collected 49 days after flowering. The root fresh weight per 1.62㎡ was increased by 0.21 - 1.00 ㎏ compared with that before the test, but root weight gain was decreased as the berry collection time was delayed. Total ginsenoside content of 4-year-old ginseng was the highest when berries were collected 7 days after flowering, while the ginsenoside-Re contents was the highest when collection was done 14 days after flowering. Conclusions: The most suitable period for ginseng berry collection was proposed to be from 14 to 21 days after flowering, as this is when the content of ginsenoside-Re, which is useful as a medicinal or cosmetic material, is still high and the ginseng root has not yet decreased in weight.

Background : This study aimed to identify the mechanisms of the antinociceptive effects of PG in the fibromyalgia (FM)-like animal model. Methods and Results : To assess the possible effect of PG on FM symptoms, we constructed a FM animal model induced by intermittent cold stress with slight modification. All mice underwent nociceptive assays using electronic von Frey anesthesiometer and Hargreaves equipment. To assess the relation between PG and the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB), western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses were performed. In behavioral analysis, nociception tests showed that the pain threshold was significantly decreased in the FM group compared to control group. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus showed downregulation of BDNF and p-CREB proteins in the FM group compared to control group. PG recovered these changes at behavioral tests and protein level. These results provide evidence that the effects of PG extract in the FM model may be related to its modulating effect on the BDNF signaling pathway in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. Conclusion : Our animal model may be involved in the mechanism by which PG extract is effective as a therapeutic agent for FM.

Background : Both Panax ginseng Meyer and Panax quinquefolius are obligate shade-loving plants whose natural habitats are broadleaved forests of Eastern Asia and North America. Panax species are easily damaged by photoinhibition when they are exposed to high temperatures or insufficient shade. In this study, a cytohistological study of the leaf structures of two of the most well-known Panax species was performed to better understand the physiological processes that limit photosynthesis. Leaves of ginseng plants grown in soil and hydroponic culture were sectioned for analysis. Methods and Results : Leaf structures of both Panax species were observed using a light microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. The mesostructure of both P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius frequently had one layer of noncylindrical palisade cells and three or four layers of spongy parenchymal cells. P. quinquefolius contained a similar number of stomata in the abaxial leaf surface but more tightly appressed enlarged grana stacks than P. ginseng. The adaxial surface of the epidermis in P. quinquefolius showed cuticle ridges with a pattern similar to that of P. ginseng. Conclusion : The anatomical leaf structure of both P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius shows that they are typical shade-loving sciophytes. Slight differences in chloroplast structure suggests that the two different species can be authenticated using transmission electron microscopy images, and light-resistant cultivar breeding can be performed via controlling photosynthesis efficiency.

Background : This study was carried out to distribute superior cultivars to farmers by analyzing growth characteristics of ginseng and effectively set the target for breeding by investigating annual agronomic characteristics of ginseng. Methods and Results : As a plant materials, Chunpoong (CP), Yunpoong (YP), Gopoong(GP), Gumpoong (GU) and Sunun (SU) were transplanted in Eumseong (ES), Geumsan (GS) and Yeoncheon (YC) on March 2013. Cultivation and management were conducted on the basis of the standard guidelines. According to stem and petiole by region, YC represent the largest stem diameter, leaf length and petiole length of cultivars, followed by those in ES and those in GS. Leaf growth of cultivars was overall the best in YC. Although CP had long and narrow leaves in all regions, YP and SU had short and narrow leaves. Root weight of all cultivars was the best in YC, but there was no significant differences by them. Growth of CP, YP and GP was generally good in ES. Growth of cultivars was relatively even in GS, but it was poor compared to cultivars which were cultivated in ES and YC. Conclusion : There were considerable differences in root growth of cultivars. However, this results suggest that CP of 4-year-old is produced stably in some regions because it had a small coefficient of variation.

Background : The authors of this study analyzed the effect of the green manures cultivated in the soil of the preparation field in order to select the green manures suitable for ginseng cultivation and the effect of the green manures on the variation of ginseng growth development, the content of crude saponin and yield ability with the aim to use the results as the primary data for improving the quality of ginseng. Methods and Results: To analyze the effect of the application of green manures on the growth of ginseng, the authors cultivated 4 varieties of green manures and installed blue polyethylene sheet and one-layered black polyethylene net+three-layered blue polyethylene net(OBPNTB) and sun-shading material on the managed soil by re-applying green manures and then cultivated ginseng. The results suggested that the growth of ginseng was excellent in the barley+hairy, barely and rye cultivation plot in the plot treated with OBPNTB rather than the cultivation plot teated with Blue polyethylene sheet(BPS) and two-layered blue & two-layered black polyethylene net(TBTBPN), and the growth of leaf length and stalk diameter was excellent in barely + hairy vetch material. For the underground root weight, the growth was the most excellent(30.19g) in the barley+ hairy vetch cultivation plot treated with OBPNTB. For the underground red discoloration and root rot, the incidence rate was the lowest in the plot treated with BPS in which the water leak in a levee was small than in the test plot treated with sun-shading net. For the ginsenoside content in the cultivation plot treated with TBTBPN, the ginsenoid content was the highest in the rey cultivation plot, and it was the highest in the cultivation plot treated with OBPNTB. Conclusion : The results of study suggested rye among green manures is the most suitable for the growth of ginseng; underground growth was the most prominent in the plot treated with sun-shading net material (black 1 + blue 3) and the underground ginsenoside content was the most prominent in the rye cultivation plot and the plot treated with the sun-shading sheet.

In this study, the clinical safety and toxicology of oral ingestion of supplement capsules containing ginsengradix was investigated in healthy young volunteers. This study was a pilot randomized, double blinded, placebo controlledtrial. The healthy volunteers were divided into 6 groups of 20 each (10males and 10 females). They took the ginseng powderfor 35 days (3g/day) for safety evaluation. There were measured general healthy levels such as hematological, biochemical andelectrocardiographic parameters. After the first week, besides Korean white ginseng the other treatments led to an significantincrease of white blood cells. Korean red ginseng increased UREA (blood urea nitrogen) in healthy volunteers, but it didn’texceed the range of normal values, and in the subsequent process of treatment there is no effect of elevating UREA. After thethree weeks, Korean white ginseng showed relatively low the content of blood glucose and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.After the five weeks, compared with the other treatments, Korean red ginseng increased white blood cells, platelet distributionwidth and average volume of platelet. Korean white ginseng decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. American ginsengdecreased blood creatinine in healthy volunteers. In conclusion, through test the blood routine, urine routine, liver function,renal function, blood glucose, blood lipid and electrocardiogram, the healthy volunteers continuous taking ginsengfor 35 days (3g/day) is safe and reliable, and have no obvious adverse reactions and side effects.

고품질 우량인삼 생산을 위한 해가림자재별 인삼의 생육 상황과 해가림 아래의 미기상 변화를 조사하였고, 각각의 해가림자재에서 생산된 수삼의 유효성분들을 조사 분석한 결과, 6~8월까지의 해가림자재별로 온도는 차광지>차광판> 차광지 순이었고, 투광량도 차광지가 8월에 381.7 μmol/s/m2 로 인삼포내 온도가 가장 높은 원인이었다. 2~3년 인삼의 지상부 생육은 차광망>차광판>차광지 순이었으며, 4년근은 차광판=차광지>차광망 순으로 좋았다. 4년근 인삼의 진세 노사이드 총함량은 차광판>차광지>차광망 순으로 많았으 며, 수삼의 색도는 차광망>차광판>차광지 순으로 높았다

This study describes the efficient method for the discrimination of 'Cheonryang' in Panax ginseng Meyer using a STS primer. A total of 208 STS primers were applied to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification for discriminating Korean ginseng cultivars. Co-dominant polymorphic band patterns were generated with two primers, MFGp 0019, MFGp 0248, and successful identification of 'Cheonryang' was achieved from out of 11 Korean ginseng cultivars. Two different sizes of DNA band patterns were detected with MFGp 0019 primer. Ten Korean ginseng cultivars shared the same size of amplified DNAs (389 bp), but 'Cheonryang' showed a different size. Thus 'Cheonryang' can be efficiently distinguished from the other ten ginseng cultivars by using the MFGp 0019 primer. In the case of MFGp 0248, two different sizes of DNA band patterns were detected in the eleven ginseng cultivars. Same sized amplified DNA bands (307 bp) were shown in five cultivars (Chunpoong, Gopoong, Kumpoong, Cheongsun, Sunhyang) and 254 bp sized DNA bands were identified in the other 6 cultivars (Yunpoong, Sunpoong, Sunun, Sunone, Cheonryang, K-1). In conclusion, the two STS primers, MFGp 0019, and MFGp 0248, provide a rapid and reliable method for the specific identification of 'Cheonryang' cultivar from a large number of samples.