CARDIOVASCULAR ACTIONS OF PANAX GINSENG IN DOGS

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Abstract
Among Oriental peoples the panacean use of Panax ginseng persists today as it has for centuries. Physicians in some areas of the Near East dispense this substance in powder, pill and tincture form and adhere to beliefs in its curative and “tonic” properties [Schultz (1)]. This widespread popularity and use have prompted a number of studies to determine possible pharmacological foundations for its continued employment. Evidence has been advanced to indicate that ginseng stimulates the central nervous system and respiration [Petkov (2)], stimulates gastric and intestinal motility [Yoon (3)], corrects nutritional disorders [Myerhoff (4)], and blocks the hyperglycemic response to adrenaline [Kondo (5)]. Regarding the actions of ginseng on mean arterial blood pressure, the reports of Kim (6), Petkov (2), Hwang (7) and Park (8) indicate that the primary effect of ginseng is depressor followed by pressor in a variety of intact animals. Since the physiological basis of this response is uncertain, we have attempted, with modern instrumentation, to determine the extent of cardiac and/or vascular participation in the blood pressure response to ginseng administration.

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