GINSENG SUPPLEMENTATION DOES NOT ENHANCE HEALTHY-YOUNG ADULTS PEAK AEROBIC EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

Objective: To determine the short term effects (21 days) of 200 mg (7% standardized) Panax ginseng supplementation vs. placebo on peak aerob ic exercise performance in healthy young adults, with unrestricted die ts. Methods: Twenty men and eight women (age=23.2+/-3.2 years, height= 175.8+/-8.6 cm; weight=75.2+/-15.3 kg) were randomly assigned to eithe r a Panax ginseng or placebo group for a period of 3 weeks in a double blind design. Prior to and following treatment the subjects performed a symptom limited graded exercise test on a Schwinn Airdyne ergometer . The data were analyzed using an analysis of variance. Results: No si gnificant treatment effect was observed for the dependent variables of VO2, exercise time, workload, plasma lactate and hematocrit at peak l evels, or for heart rate and rate of perceived exertion at 150 watts, 200 watts and peak. Conclusions: The results of this study do not supp ort an ergogenic effect on peak aerobic exercise performance following a 3-week supplementation period of 200 mg 7% Panax ginseng in healthy young adults with moderate exercise capacities and unrestricted diets .