Randomized controlled trial of Siberian ginseng for chronic fatigue

Background. Chronic fatigue greatly affects quality of life and is a common reason for consulting a physician. Since conventional therapy is often of limited help, fatigued patients may use herbal treatments. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of Siberian ginseng. Method. S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological medicine 2004-01, Vol.34 (1), p.51-61
Main Authors: HARTZ, A. J., BENTLER, S., NOYES, R., HOEHNS, J., LOGEMANN, C., SINIFT, S., BUTANI, Y., WANG, W., BRAKE, K., ERNST, M., KAUTZMAN, H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Depression - complications
Depression - psychology
Eleutherococcus
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - complications
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - diagnosis
Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - drug therapy
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Ginseng
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Neuropharmacology
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Phytotherapy - methods
Placebos
Randomized controlled trials
Surveys and Questionnaires
Treatment
Treatment Outcome
USA
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Summary:Background. Chronic fatigue greatly affects quality of life and is a common reason for consulting a physician. Since conventional therapy is often of limited help, fatigued patients may use herbal treatments. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of Siberian ginseng. Method. Subjects were recruited from advertisements in Iowa (82%) and members of chronic fatigue syndrome support groups (18%). Potential subjects were required to have substantial fatigue [ges ]6 months with no identifiable cause. The mean change in a fatigue measure was compared for placebo and Siberian ginseng at 1 and 2 months. Comparisons were for all subjects and for subjects with characteristics previously identified in the literature as important for categorizing chronic fatigue. Results. Ninety-six subjects were randomized to treatment groups, and 76 provided information at 2 months of follow-up. Fatigue among subjects assigned to either placebo or Siberian ginseng was substantially reduced during the study, but differences between treatment groups were not statistically significant in the full sample. Fatigue severity and duration had a statistically significant interaction with response to Siberian ginseng at the P
ISSN:0033-2917
1469-8978
DOI:10.1017/S0033291703008791