Research

Hormonal

Ginseng supplementation (Panax ginseng or Siberian ginseng) improves cognitive performance, anaerobic performance, and endurance capacity in untrained or moderately trained individuals, primarily through antioxidant properties and central nervous system stimulation.

If you are not a highly trained athlete, Ginseng (specifically Panax ginseng with standardized ginsenosides) may help boost your mental focus and short-burst physical performance. Stick to doses around 200mg daily. If you have high blood pressure, take blood thinners, or are a highly trained athlete, Ginseng likely won't help and may cause side effects like insomnia or heart rate issues.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Small amount ≤ 200 mg/day of Panax ginseng (root powder or root extract with standardized Ginsenoside content), allows greater improvements in cognitive performance and anaerobic performance in untrained young or older subjects [8, 9].
Maha Sellami et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2018

Why this rating

The paper is a review citing multiple studies with heterogeneous results (some positive, some null), indicating moderate quality evidence dependent on training status.

Source

Herbal medicine for sports: a review

Maha Sellami et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2018

DOI 10.1186/s12970-018-0218-y

narrative_reviewCited 174×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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