JBRA assisted reproduction · 2026

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 60 women explored whether a standardized extract of Vitex agnus-castus (also called chasteberry or chaste tree) changes oxidative stress, blood fats, insulin resistance and visible symptoms in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a common hormonal condition marked by irregular periods, excess androgens and often insulin resistance. Oxidative stress, an imbalance between damaging free radicals and the body's antioxidant defenses, is described by the authors as feeding a cycle with insulin resistance that worsens PCOS and raises long-term diabetes and heart risk. The women, aged 18 to 45 and treated at a hospital in Arak, Iran, were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of either Vitex tablets (5.8 mg of extract a day) or identical placebo tablets, 30 per group. All kept taking their usual metformin and birth-control pill. Blood tests measured antioxidant and oxidant markers, glucose, insulin, cholesterol and liver enzymes. Ultrasound measured ovary size, the Ferriman-Gallwey score rated excess hair growth, and menstrual frequency compared observed periods with expected ones. Compared with placebo, the Vitex group had higher total antioxidant capacity (0.60 to 1.10 mM versus no change, p < 0.001) and lower total oxidant status, a damage marker (MDA) and an oxidative stress index (all p < 0.001). Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) fell from 6.40 to 0.98 versus 6.72 to 1.33 with placebo (p < 0.05), HDL cholesterol rose from 50 to 60 mg/dL (p < 0.001), LDL fell, and the hirsutism score dropped from 10.7 to 7.8 while rising on placebo (p < 0.001). Menstrual frequency rose to 0.955 of expected periods versus 0.844 (p = 0.046). Triglycerides, catalase and right ovary volume did not change significantly, weight and body mass index were unchanged, all 60 women completed the study, and no adverse events were reported. The authors view Vitex as a promising complement to standard care and note limits: 12 weeks, one center, convenience sampling, self-reported adherence and no hormone measurements such as LH, FSH or SHBG. Participants stayed on metformin and oral contraceptives, some table values are reported with unusually large effect sizes that look inconsistent with the text, and the authors call for longer, larger trials with several doses and mechanistic endpoints.

Diabetes care · 2011

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial with 15 adults explored whether oral ginseng or a purified ginseng compound, ginsenoside Re, improves how the body handles blood sugar. Ginseng is a popular herbal product promoted for diabetes, and earlier work in cells and rodents, mostly using injected ginseng, suggested that ginsenoside Re raises insulin sensitivity, meaning how well tissues take up glucose in response to insulin. Participants were overweight or obese adults with impaired glucose tolerance or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, chosen because their metabolism was thought most likely to improve. The volunteers, 14 women and 1 man averaging 46 years old, took placebo capsules, Korean red ginseng extract (3 g a day for two weeks, then 8 g a day) or ginsenoside Re (250 mg a day, then 500 mg a day) for four weeks, with five people per group. Before and after, researchers used a frequent-sampling glucose tolerance test and the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, a research method that holds blood sugar steady while insulin is infused, together with tracer sugars, to measure insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function (how well insulin-making cells respond). Nothing improved. The disposition index, a beta-cell function score, was unchanged in the placebo group (5.8 to 5.8 x 10^-3, P = 0.99), the ginseng group (7.7 to 6.0, P = 0.29) and the ginsenoside Re group (7.4 to 5.9, P = 0.50). Insulin sensitivity on the clamp also did not shift significantly: placebo 165% to 185% (P = 0.34), ginseng 171% to 137% (P = 0.88), ginsenoside Re 117% to 134% (P = 0.44). Body weight, fasting glucose, HbA1c and cholesterol stayed the same, and no adverse events were reported. Blood tests could not detect ginsenosides Re, Rb1 or Rb2 after dosing, so the compounds did not appear to reach the bloodstream in measurable amounts. Liver glucose output and fat breakdown, tracked with labeled glucose and glycerol, also responded the same way before and after treatment in every group. The authors interpret the results as evidence that these oral ginseng products do not improve glucose control, likely because absorption is poor, and they note that injected ginseng helped in animal studies. Limits include only 15 participants, a four-week duration, a single ginseng product, and the possibility that other ginseng components or other commercial products behave differently from those tested here.

Nutrients · 2021

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 85 postmenopausal women with osteopenia explored whether Panax ginseng extract (GE) improves bone metabolism and knee symptoms. Osteopenia is lower-than-normal bone density that can progress to osteoporosis, and after menopause falling estrogen leads women to lose roughly 20 to 30% of spongy bone. Cell and animal research suggests that ginseng's ginsenosides, especially ginsenoside Re, stimulate bone-building cells (osteoblasts) and slow bone-dissolving cells (osteoclasts), but controlled human trials were scarce. Women in Korea older than 40 and past menopause with low bone density scores were randomly assigned to placebo, 1 g of GE a day or 3 g of GE a day for 12 weeks, with 30 per group at the start. The extract was a freeze-dried hot-water ginseng extract in capsules; placebo capsules held cellulose and looked and smelled the same. Researchers measured bone-formation markers such as osteocalcin (a protein made by osteoblasts), a bone-resorption marker in urine called deoxypyridinoline, blood calcium and the 24-item WOMAC questionnaire of knee pain, stiffness and function. Only the 3 g dose showed clear effects. Osteocalcin rose, the ratio of resorption to formation (DPD/OC) fell, and blood calcium and the osteocalcin-to-CTX ratio increased significantly (p < 0.05, meaning unlikely to be chance), results that held after adjusting for physical activity, which had risen in the placebo group. Urinary DPD and several other bone markers (CTX, NTX, BsALP, P1NP) did not differ among groups. On the WOMAC, knee pain that disturbed sleep and afternoon joint stiffness improved more at 3 g, although the three-group difference in total WOMAC score was not significant. Sixteen mild to moderate adverse events, mostly colds, occurred equally across groups, and laboratory tests stayed normal. Compliance was about 90 to 95% in all arms. The authors consider the 3 g dose beneficial and safe, but they say 12 weeks is short and the study cannot show a definitive effect on bone. It measured blood and urine markers rather than bone density or fractures, and the numeric results sit in tables not available here. Longer trials of more than a year with larger groups are proposed, and the 1 g dose showed no clear benefit.