Biodistribution and pharmacokinetic evaluation of Korean Red Ginseng components using radioisotopes in a rat model

Metabolism and drug interactions of Korean ginseng based on the pharmacokinetic properties of ginsenosides: Current status and future perspectives

Orally administered ginsenosides, the major active components of ginseng, have been shown to be biotransformed into a number of metabolites by gastric juice, digestive and bacterial enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract and also in the liver. Attention is brought to pharmacokinetic studies of ginseng that need further clarification to better understand the safety and possible active mechanism for clinical application. Experimental results demonstrated that ginsenoside metabolites play an important role in the pharmacokinetic properties such as drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters, thereby can be applied as a metabolic modulator. Very few are known on the possibility of the consistency of detected ginsenosides with real active metabolites if taken the recommended dose of ginseng, but they have been found to act on the pharmacokinetic key factors in any clinical trial, affecting oral bioavailability. Since ginseng is increasingly being taken in a manner more often associated with prescription medicines, ginseng and drug interactions have been also reviewed. Considering the extensive oral administration of ginseng, the aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview and perspectives of recent studies on the pharmacokinetic properties of ginsenosides such as deglycosylation, absorption, metabolizing enzymes and transporters, together with ginsenoside and drug interactions.

The modern scientific mystery of traditional Chinese medicine processing--take some common traditional Chinese medicine as examples

The processing of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique traditional pharmaceutical technology in China, which is the most important feature that distinguishes Chinese medicine from natural medicine and plant medicine. Since the record in Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), till now, the processing of TCM has experienced more than 2000 years of inheritance, innovation, and development, which is a combination of TCM theory and clinical practice, and plays an extremely important position in the field of TCM. In recent years, as a clinical prescription of TCM, Chinese herbal pieces have played a significant role in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 and exhibited their unique value, and therefore they have become the highlight of China's clinical treatment protocol and provided Chinese experience and wisdom for the international community in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic. This paper outlines the research progress in the processing of representative TCM in recent years, reviews the mechanism of the related effects of TCM materials after processing, such as changing the drug efficacy and reducing the toxicity, puts forward the integration and application of a variety of new technologies and methods, so as to reveal the modern scientific mystery of the processing technology of TCM.