Efficacy and safety of Korean red ginseng as adjunctive therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) has been investigated as adjunctive therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but randomized controlled evidence evaluating metabolic efficacy and short-term safety in patients receiving stable oral antidiabetic therapy remains limited. Methods: In this 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 70 adults with well-controlled T2DM receiving stable oral antidiabetic medications were assigned to KRG (2 g/day) or placebo. Outcomes included oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-derived insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon responses, insulin sensitivity indices, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA Results: Compared with placebo, KRG was associated with lower 120-min OGTT insulin (adjusted mean difference -6.992, 95% CI -14.205 to -0.222; p = 0.047) and higher ISI(0-120) (5.400, 0.972 to 9.829; p = 0.018). KRG was also associated with lower oxidized low-density lipoprotein (-5.645, -10.054 to -1.238; p = 0.013), malondialdehyde (-0.571, -1.090 to -0.053; p = 0.031), total cholesterol (-12.633, -24.752 to -0.515; p = 0.041), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-10.171, -18.130 to -2.211; p = 0.013). FPG, 2-h glucose, and HbA1c did not differ significantly between groups. No hypoglycemic events occurred, and renal and hepatic safety markers remained stable. Conclusions: KRG was well tolerated and associated with favorable effects on selected indices of postprandial insulin sensitivity, lipid peroxidation markers, and lipid profile in this well-controlled T2DM population. Its short-term metabolic effects may be more apparent in post-load insulin dynamics than in conventional glycemic markers.