Ginseng extract halts diabetes in mice
By Nathan Seppa
While the root of the ginseng plant has been used for more than 2,000 years in Asian medicine, the ginseng berry has seldom served as a remedy. A study now finds that extracts from the berry of Panax ginseng can counter obesity and insulin resistance in mice.
In insulin-resistant mice and people, cells fail to use the hormone efficiently as a signal to process sugars and starches. The condition is the hallmark of type II, or adult-onset, diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease.