Ginseng intake and gastric cancer risk in the Shanghai Women's Health Study cohort.

Ginseng is a deciduous perennial plant that is cultivated in East Asia and North America, and is commonly used as a herbal medicine in East Asian countries (1). The most commonly used types of ginseng are American ginseng (Panax qinquefolius), and white and red ginseng, which are prepared from Chinese/Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng). Several studies have suggested that ginseng root may prevent the formation of carcinogen-induced tumors in animals (2, 3). A large case-control study (4, 5) and a small cohort study (6) have suggested that ginseng use is associated with a 60% to 70% reduction in gastric cancer risk in Korean populations. No data are available from other populations. Therefore, we used data from a large population-based Chinese cohort study to examine whether ginseng intake is associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer.