{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T18:40:55Z","timestamp":1782412855923,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,9]],"date-time":"2025-03-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1741478400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Botalys SA (Ghislenghien, Belgium)"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/objectives: Chronic stress is a pervasive issue affecting individuals worldwide, with profound implications for mental and physical well-being. Panax ginseng, a widely used herbal supplement renowned for its adaptogenic properties, is hypothesized to alleviate some stress effects. This study aims to evaluate the impact of hydroponically grown Red Panax ginseng root powder with a high level of rare ginsenosides supplementation on perceived stress levels, as well as on the emotional and cognitive abilities of moderately stressed participants. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, controlled study was conducted with 149 participants. They were randomly assigned to either the Ginseng supplementation group (N = 72; 200 mg\/day, including 24 mg of ginsenosides) or the Placebo group (N = 77). The intervention lasted for 3 weeks. The perceived stress level was measured at baseline (D0) and at the end of the intervention (D21) using a validated scale (PSS) alongside assessments of emotional (BDI and PANAS) and cognitive abilities (CANTAB subtests). Results: Significantly larger decreases in the PSS and negative affect score (PANAS) were observed following intervention in the Ginseng group compared with the Placebo group. Compared to the Placebo group, participants in the Ginseng group showed faster response latencies during a spatial planning task (OTSC subtest). In addition, there was a marginally larger decrease in the BDI score in the Ginseng group. Conclusions: These results confirm the emotional and cognitive benefits of Red Panax ginseng in moderately stressed adults and pave the way for further exploration of its use as a promising approach to improving psychological well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17060955","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,10]],"date-time":"2025-03-10T12:02:59Z","timestamp":1741608179000},"page":"955","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Effect of Hydroponically Grown Red Panax Ginseng on Perceived Stress Level, Emotional Processing, and Cognitive Functions in Moderately Stressed Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7189-3924","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Val\u00e9rie","family":"Dormal","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"},{"name":"Institute of Neuroscience, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucas","family":"Jonniaux","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marine","family":"Buchet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laurent","family":"Simar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7118-727X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sylvie","family":"Copine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3393-5278","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Louise","family":"Deldicque","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Investigation in Clinical Nutrition, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"},{"name":"Institute of Neuroscience, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1685","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.298.14.1685","article-title":"Psychological Stress and Disease","volume":"298","author":"Cohen","year":"2007","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"IPSOS (2023). Flash Eurobarometer 530 Mental Health, IPSOS."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.5142\/jgr.2012.36.3.225","article-title":"Ginseng in Traditional Herbal Prescriptions","volume":"36","author":"Park","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Ginseng Res."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Todorova, V., Ivanov, K., Delattre, C., Nalbantova, V., Karcheva-Bahchevanska, D., and Ivanova, S. (2021). Plant Adaptogens\u2014History and Future Perspectives. Nutrients, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13082861"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"455","DOI":"10.1007\/s11418-024-01792-4","article-title":"Recent trends in ginseng research","volume":"78","author":"Ito","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Nat. Med."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1085","DOI":"10.1142\/S0192415X23500507","article-title":"Pharmacological Effects of Ginseng: Multiple Constituents Multiple Actions on Humans","volume":"51","author":"Zhou","year":"2023","journal-title":"Am. J. Chin. Med."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"375","DOI":"10.1345\/aph.1A245","article-title":"Effects of Panax Ginseng on Quality of Life","volume":"36","author":"Ellis","year":"2002","journal-title":"Ann. Pharmacother."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jgr.2017.01.010","article-title":"Effects of ginseng on stress-related depression, anxiety, and the hypothalamic\u2013pituitary\u2013adrenal axis","volume":"41","author":"Lee","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Ginseng Res."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yoo, S., Park, B.-I., Kim, D.-H., Lee, S., Lee, S.-H., Shim, W.-S., Seo, Y.K., Kang, K., Lee, K.-T., and Yim, S.-V. (2021). Ginsenoside Absorption Rate and Extent Enhancement of Black Ginseng (CJ EnerG) over Red Ginseng in Healthy Adults. Pharmaceutics, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics13040487"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Abreu Silva, A.L.C. (2022). Pharmacokinetics of Ginsenoside Rb1, Rg3, Rk1, Rg5, F2, and Compound K from Red Ginseng Extract in Healthy Korean Volunteers. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Wiley.","DOI":"10.1155\/2022\/8427519"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"545","DOI":"10.1007\/s13318-016-0387-5","article-title":"Pharmacokinetic Drug Interactions with Panax ginseng","volume":"42","author":"Ramanathan","year":"2017","journal-title":"Eur. J. Drug Metab. Pharmacokinet."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"593","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jgr.2019.05.007","article-title":"Korean Red Ginseng alleviates neuroinflammation and promotes cell survival in the intermittent heat stress-induced rat brain by suppressing oxidative stress via estrogen receptor beta and brain-derived neurotrophic factor upregulation","volume":"44","author":"Iqbal","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Ginseng Res."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"708","DOI":"10.4014\/jmb.1112.12046","article-title":"Effect of Ginsenoside Re on Depression- and Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Cognition Memory Deficit Induced by Repeated Immobilization in Rats","volume":"22","author":"Lee","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Microbiol. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mariage, P.-A., Hovhannisyan, A., and Panossian, A.G. (2020). Efficacy of Panax ginseng Meyer Herbal Preparation HRG80 in Preventing and Mitigating Stress-Induced Failure of Cognitive Functions in Healthy Subjects: A Pilot, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial. Pharmaceuticals, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/ph13040057"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"357","DOI":"10.1177\/0269881105053286","article-title":"Single doses of Panax ginseng (G115) reduce blood glucose levels and improve cognitive performance during sustained mental activity","volume":"19","author":"Reay","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Psychopharmacol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"402","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jgr.2018.03.001","article-title":"Effect of Korean Red Ginseng in individuals exposed to high stress levels: A 6-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial","volume":"43","author":"Baek","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Ginseng Res."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"323","DOI":"10.2165\/00002018-200225050-00003","article-title":"Panax ginseng: A Systematic Review of Adverse Effects and Drug Interactions","volume":"25","author":"Coon","year":"2002","journal-title":"Drug Saf."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"473","DOI":"10.1017\/S1368980000000550","article-title":"Efficacy and safety of ginseng","volume":"3","author":"Kitts","year":"2000","journal-title":"Public Health Nutr."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130","DOI":"10.5897\/AJB2018.16736","article-title":"Enhancement of saponin accumulation in adventitious root culture of Javanese ginseng (Talinum paniculatum Gaertn.) through methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid elicitation","volume":"18","author":"Faizal","year":"2019","journal-title":"Afr. J. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"841","DOI":"10.1007\/s11738-008-0181-3","article-title":"Establishment of adventitious root co-culture of ginseng and Echinacea for the production of secondary metabolites","volume":"30","author":"Wu","year":"2008","journal-title":"Acta Physiol. Plant."},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"425","article-title":"In vitro regeneration and transformation of Blackstonia perfoliata","volume":"48","year":"2004","journal-title":"Biol. Plant."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"385","DOI":"10.2307\/2136404","article-title":"A Global Measure of Perceived Stress","volume":"24","author":"Cohen","year":"1983","journal-title":"J. Health Soc. Behav."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"561","DOI":"10.1001\/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004","article-title":"An Inventory for Measuring Depression","volume":"4","author":"Beck","year":"1961","journal-title":"Arch. Gen. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1063","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.54.6.1063","article-title":"Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales","volume":"54","author":"Watson","year":"1988","journal-title":"J. Personal. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., and Caplan, B. (2011). Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery. Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology, Springer. Available online: http:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.1007\/978-0-387-79948-3_169."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zheng, M., Xu, F., Li, Y., Xi, X., Cui, X., Han, C., and Zhang, X. (2017). Study on Transformation of Ginsenosides in Different Methods. BioMed Res. Int., 2017.","DOI":"10.1155\/2017\/8601027"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e3285","DOI":"10.1002\/smi.3285","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-analytic confirmatory factor analysis of the perceived stress scale (PSS-10 and PSS-14)","volume":"40","year":"2024","journal-title":"Stress Health"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1172","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2007.11.010","article-title":"Metacognition, perceived stress, and negative emotion","volume":"44","author":"Spada","year":"2008","journal-title":"Personal. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1016\/0378-8741(86)90063-2","article-title":"A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study on the effect of a standardized ginseng extract on psychomotor performance in healthy volunteers","volume":"16","author":"Grimaldi","year":"1986","journal-title":"J. Ethnopharmacol."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"92","DOI":"10.12793\/tcp.2019.27.3.92","article-title":"Cognition enhancing effect of panax ginseng in Korean volunteers with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial","volume":"27","author":"Park","year":"2019","journal-title":"Transl. Clin. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"462","DOI":"10.1002\/hup.1138","article-title":"Panax ginseng (G115) improves aspects of working memory performance and subjective ratings of calmness in healthy young adults","volume":"25","author":"Reay","year":"2010","journal-title":"Hum. Psychopharmacol."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2767","DOI":"10.1002\/hup.2767","article-title":"Effects of Korean red ginseng on human gray matter volume and cognitive function: A voxel-based morphometry study","volume":"36","author":"Namgung","year":"2021","journal-title":"Hum. Psychopharmacol."}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/17\/6\/955\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T16:49:44Z","timestamp":1760028584000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/17\/6\/955"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,9]]},"references-count":32,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3]]}},"alternative-id":["nu17060955"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu17060955","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,9]]}}}