Supplement
Panax Ginseng
Erectile function in mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, Korean red ginseng.
Grade C: human trials exist, but they are small, mixed or not yet repeated. This is not a finding that it does not work. How to read a grade →
Panax ginseng, often sold as Korean red ginseng, has been tested for erection problems. In men with mild to moderate erection problems, a careful review found a gain on a standard questionnaire. The gain was very small, too small for most men to notice. The studies were short and lasted 4 to 12 weeks.
As studied, and the trials
Lee et al. (Cochrane, 2021; PMID PubMed ID: the permanent number the US National Library of Medicine gives a published paper. Each one links to that paper's record on PubMed. 33871063): 9 small placebo-controlled trials; erectile function scores higher than placebo An inactive substitute made to look like the real treatment, so participants cannot tell which one they received. by amounts below the minimal clinically important difference, which the review calls trivial, at low to moderate certainty; self-reported ability to have intercourse improved at low certainty. Hong et al. (2002; PMID 12394711): 45 men, 900 mg three times daily, crossover, positive. Ho et al. (2026; PMID 41696741): herbal-supplement meta-analysis A study that pools the numbers from several trials into one combined estimate., ginseng positive, pooled with other herbs. Small, low-certainty positive trials on a self-reported scale: C, and the self-report ceiling is B in any case.
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- Dose studied
- 800–1,800 mg/day
- Form graded
- Panax ginseng (standardized ginsenosides)
- Evidence behind the C
- PMID 33871063 →PMID 12394711 →PMID 41696741 →
A letter describes the human evidence, not the product, the manufacturer, or the ingredient's worth.
See the full evidence record →Erectile function in mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, Korean red ginseng: a trivial gain on IIEF scores in the Cochrane review.
As studied: dose, form, population and duration for every use
A grade describes the intervention that was tested. Where the product on the shelf differs from it, this says so.
How this letter has changed · latest: October 2026 · Corrected
The ref said the Cochrane review (Lee et al., 2021; PMID 33871063) showed possible benefit; it found a statistically significant Unlikely to be explained by chance alone at the threshold the study set. It says nothing about whether the difference is large enough to matter. but trivial gain on erectile function scales, below the minimal clinically important difference, with only self-reported ability to have intercourse improved at low certainty, and the record now says so. The record named no form, dose or duration; the use row states Korean red ginseng or ginseng berry extract at about 600 to 2,700 mg/day for 4 to 12 weeks, with Hong et al. (2002; PMID 12394711) as the representative trial. Added: the 2026 herbal-supplement meta-analysis (Ho et al., PMID 41696741) and the Cochrane adverse-event finding. The vague endpoint The outcome a trial measures to decide whether the treatment worked, such as heart attacks, blood pressure or a symptom score. and the track field's fatigue, immune and cognitive applications, none graded, are replaced. C unchanged. Applied the written grade definition under the editor's standing instruction of October 2026 (Arnold Sandlow, D.C.).PMID 12394711 PMID 33871063 PMID 41696741
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Commercial disclosure
EBL earns no commission on any supplement it grades. A purchase made through the dispensary link below pays EBL nothing, the practitioner discount goes to you in full. The dispensary is Fullscript, a practitioner dispensary, and many of the professional-grade brands in it are sold mainly through practitioners rather than in health food stores. Grades are assigned by published rubric before any commercial relationship exists and are never influenced by one. Full disclosure.
No dose is published here. This record carries no authored dose, because the cited trials do not converge on a single figure. Each trial cited on this page states the dose it used, and EBL has not turned those into a recommendation.
Standardized extracts were used in the cited trials; product quality varies.
The cited review pools trials and does not report when ginseng doses were taken (PMID 33871063).
Checked against the full published report. What the cited trials did, not a schedule. Every supplement, by trial timing →
Pregnancy. Hormone-sensitive conditions, on the ginsenoside estrogenic activity. Insomnia, on the stimulant effect. In the erectile dysfunction trials, adverse events were little different from placebo at low certainty (Cochrane 2021, PMID 33871063).
Warfarin: American ginseng reduced warfarin's anticoagulant effect in a randomized trial in healthy volunteers, which is a loss of protection rather than a bleeding risk. The evidence is not uniform across ginseng species, and a separate trial of Panax ginseng found no meaningful change. Diabetes medication: additive glucose lowering.
Ginseng and warfarin. American ginseng reduced warfarin's anticoagulant effect in a randomized trial; a separate randomized trial of Panax ginseng found no meaningful change, so the effect is not uniform across species. Yuan et al. (Annals of Internal Medicine, 2004; PMID 15238367): randomized controlled trial People are assigned to the treatment or a comparison by chance, so the groups differ only in what they received. It is the design that can show cause and effect. in healthy participants; American ginseng reduced warfarin's effect. Jiang et al. (British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2004; PMID 15089812): randomized trial of Panax ginseng on warfarin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
For the graded use, the IIEF erectile function domain at baseline and 8 to 12 weeks, the scale the trials used, remembering that the pooled gain sat below the 4-point difference patients notice. Fatigue, immune and cognitive applications carry no letter on this record. Ginsenoside content varies widely; the trials used Korean red ginseng or a standardized berry extract.
Primary evidenceThree papers, each linked to its PubMed record.
Lee et al. (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews A review that searches for every study on a question using a method set in advance, then assesses them together., 2021; PMID 33871063): 9 placebo-controlled trials, 587 men aged 20 to 70 with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, up to 12 weeks; IIEF erectile function domain 3.52 points higher (minimal important difference 4, low certainty) and IIEF-5 2.39 points higher (minimal important difference 5, moderate certainty), which the authors call a trivial effect; self-reported ability to have intercourse more likely (risk ratio 2.55, low certainty); little to no difference in adverse events (low certainty). Hong et al. (J Urol, 2002; PMID 12394711): double-blind crossover, 45 men, Korean red ginseng 900 mg three times daily for 8 weeks; IIEF scores and penile tip rigidity better than placebo. Ho et al. (J Tradit Complement Med, 2026; PMID 41696741): meta-analysis of 14 trials of herbal supplements for erectile dysfunction, 1,227 men; ginseng improved erectile function, pooled with other herbs. Grade C: small, short, mostly single-region trials with a trivial effect on a self-reported scale.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The grade on this page describes the strength of published human trial evidence in the populations studied. It is not a recommendation for any individual and is not medical advice. Starting, stopping or changing any supplement or medication is a decision for your physician.
Who responds: this record's trial reading reports no subgroup that identifies who responds.
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How EBL searched for the trials (1 search)
The search that was run, what it returned, and what was left out and why, so the absence of evidence can be checked as well as its presence.
ginseng[tiab] AND erectile[tiab] AND (randomized controlled trial[pt] OR meta-analysis[pt])Grades move when new trials publish. A free monthly email lists every grade EBL moved, with the reason and the trial behind it: the sign-up is on the Evidence Log →