The Korean Society of Ginseng kicked off its 13th International Ginseng Symposium on Tuesday in Seoul, bringing together experts from around the world who study the health effects of ginseng. This year’s event was held under the theme “Ginseng, a phytoceutical for health.” It runs through Friday.

The event comprised 13 themed sessions, during which hundreds of scholars gave both oral and poster presentations on their studies and findings. The event ends on the third day with a visit to a local ginseng factory.

Some presenters of note were Ewha Womans University Medical School professor Oh Sei-kwan, Soonchunhyang University medi-bio science professor Kwon Hyog-young, Michigan State University physiology professor Narayanan Parameswaran, and professor of nutritional science at the University of Toronto, Vladimir Vuksan.

Oh spoke of his study that showed red ginseng improved memory loss caused by post-traumatic stress disorder and aging. The findings showed red ginseng reduced stress-related infection-causing proteins while increasing anti-inflammatory protein levels, he said.

In a separate presentation, Kwon said he found ginseng helped control sarcopenia, a disease which leads to muscle loss. A substance called Ginsenoside Rd in ginseng decreased inflammatory protein levels, effectively increasing the size of muscle cells, the professor explained.

Parameswaran presented his study on red ginseng’s positive effects on balancing microorganism diversity in the digestive tract, ultimately preventing skeletal loss, while Vuksan showed that ginseng alleviated high blood pressure and diabetes.