From The December 2001 Issue of Nutrition Science News

Notoginseng Cuts Bleeding Time in Half

Modern medicine has no treatment for one common problem—external bleeding, which can range from a simple nosebleed to life-threatening blood loss from trauma. Notoginseng (Panax notoginseng), also known as Himalayan ginseng or pseudoginseng, is not as commonly used in the United States as other ginsengs, but it has been used in China for centuries to stop external bleeding.

Michael White, Pharm.D., of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, tested the effectiveness of notoginseng on external bleeding. He and his colleagues separated the notoginseng components that could be dissolved in water, alcohol, or oil. They cut the tails of 62 rats and applied the three ginseng extracts or wheat flour to the cuts and timed the bleeding. The animals that received no treatment bled for 17.6 minutes. Those given the powdered water-soluble fraction of the notoginseng bled for 11.6 minutes, while those given the alcohol-soluble component bled for 8.4 minutes. The rats treated with the fat-soluble component bled for as long as those given nothing or simply flour. Thus, the alcohol-soluble notoginseng component decreased bleeding time by 52 percent.

The researchers concluded that saponins are the active component in notoginseng because, while they are nearly nonexistent in the fat-soluble component, they comprise more than 10 percent of the water and alcohol extracts. All ginsengs contain saponins or ginsenosides, and notoginseng contains several saponins not found in other ginsengs. The researchers are hope- ful that notoginseng could help people who experience excessive bleeding as a result of taking anticoagulants. It could also be beneficial for cuts and nosebleeds.

—Pharmacotherapy
2001 Jul(70):773-7.