A study on mice showed that he intake of Korean red ginseng may reduce both physical and psychological dependencies triggered by drug addiction, notably in the case of morphine.

The research, led by Professor Oh Sei-kwan and his team from the Department of Molecular Medicine at Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, was presented at the Korean Ginseng Society's Autumn Academic Conference held at the Sookmyung Women's University's Centennial Hall Samsung Convention Center in Seoul, Tuesday.

The study involved 40 mice divided into two groups.

The control group received morphine (10mg/kg) only, while the other group consumed a ginseng extract (250mg/kg) followed by a dose of morphine (10mg/kg).

After seven days, the results showed that mice with the ginseng intake exhibited a 50 percent decrease in jumping behavior, a marker for morphine physical dependency, compared to the control group.

During an additional conditioned place preference paradigm test, which measures psychological dependence by noting how long subjects remain in a location they'd typically avoid when addicted, the team saw that the ginseng-consuming group's score was about three times lower than that of the control group.

The research team said the change in the liver glutathione level, responsible for detoxification and severely affected by morphine addiction, which was found to recover in the ginseng-treated group, showing up to 90 percent effectiveness compared to the control.

Key components of ginseng, ginsenosides Rh2, and Rg3, were identified as the agents responsible for the observed effects.

Ginsenoside Rh2 suppressed unique behaviors like teeth chattering, while Rg3 significantly reduced withdrawal symptoms such as body shaking. Furthermore, the ginseng group showed a reduction in oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex's mitochondria, which typically increases with morphine addiction.

"Continuous intake of red ginseng can greatly assist in improving withdrawal symptoms of drug addiction and suppressing dependence," Professor Oh said. "The results underscore the potential of ginseng as a natural remedy for addiction treatment without side effects."