EFFECTS OF GINSENG ON THE BLOOD-CHEMISTRY PROFILE OF DEXAMETHASONE-TREATED MALE-RATS

Ginseng, a panacea in the Orient, has been widely investigated in the last two decades and found to possess a wide range of pharmacological activities including anti-fatigue properties, a transient regulatory a ction on metabolism and blood pressure, and an increase in the hypotha lamo-pituitary-adrenocortical activities. However, a panoramic clinica l chemistry study including adrenal and thyroid functions has never be en done before. Two experiments with the same design but different con centrations of dexamethasone were performed in this study. The results obtained from the two experiments indicated that ginseng administrati on at this regime did not influence the blood chemistry profiles in no rmal rats, but significantly decreased AST and ALT levels from those i n dexamethasone-treated ones. It implies that ginseng has a liver-prot ective effect. Meanwhile, ginseng therapy restores the adrenal and thy roid functions of rats inhibited by dexamethasone treatment.