Efficacy of Korean Red Ginseng in the Treatment of Alopecia Areata

J Ginseng Res. 2012 October; 36(4): 391–395.
doi: 10.5142/jgr.2012.36.4.391
Efficacy of Korean Red Ginseng in the Treatment of Alopecia Areata
Ga Na Oh and Sang Wook Son*

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that can affect any hair-bearing area. AA is known to be caused by immunological disorder but still, the pathogenesis is not fully understood. Many therapeutic modalities have been used to treat alopecia areata, with variable efficacy and safety profiles. Unfortunately, none of these agents is definitely curative or preventive alone. We studied hair growth efficacy and safety of Korean red ginseng (KRG) in AA comparing corticosteroid intra-lesional injection (ILI) alone patient group with ILI with KRG taking patient group using Folliscope 2.5 for 12 wk. Herein, we would like to report the efficacy of KRG in the treatment of AA and recommend KRG as a useful complimentary food for gaining efficacy of treatment for AA.

Full Study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3659613/

how does this translate to regular mpb? I like red ginseng, but only sometimes way too stimulating I do have insomnia problems though.

I agree, I think long term use is potentially too stimulating for AGA (MPB).

Has anyone continued on with ginseng of any variety?

I made another topic about Siberian ginseng (eleuthero) and how it had remarkable pro-testosterone effects for me. I don't know of its safety long-term. Some studies I found showed it increased prostate weight while others showed it decreased it along with studies showing both an increase and decrease in DHT. I worry more about long-term sexual side effects than anything else.

I too found it to be too stimulating in the long run though. The pro-sexual effects were accompanied by some anxiety and insomnia which is unfortunate.

The DHT part is not anything to worry about. I've been trying to crush this myth for years...serum DHT is not anything to worry about (it's inversely correlated)...only 5-alpha reductase is something to bother about.

However, your observations are consistent with mine and others. This includes other forms of Ginseng, such as Panax...that being that it does seem to bring about anxiety at some point. Sort of an angst or similar type of sensation, so it fell by the wayside.

CausticSymmetry wrote:The DHT part is not anything to worry about. I've been trying to crush this myth for years...serum DHT is not anything to worry about (it's inversely correlated)...only 5-alpha reductase is something to bother about.

However, your observations are consistent with mine and others. This includes other forms of Ginseng, such as Panax...that being that it does seem to bring about anxiety at some point. Sort of an angst or similar type of sensation, so it fell by the wayside.

Yes, after awhile on it I felt unsettled all the time. Not a severe panic feeling, just like I could never relax. I found myself doing things to keep myself occupied because it was unpleasant. It dissipated fairly quickly after I stopped.

I've considered trying out Suma root ("brazillian ginseng") as I've seen some people say it holds similar beneficial effects without the added anxiety.