North American Ginseng, Panax quinquefolium L

Dr. Ed Lui, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He received his education and research training in pharmacy, pharmacology, and toxicology from Dalhousie University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. He is the scientific director of the Ontario Ginseng Innovation and Research Consortium (OGIRC), which was established in 2008 through a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation - Research Excellence Program. This consortium is an Ontario-wide effort encompassing academic, government, and industrial sectors with a five-year budget of $20 million to focus on new technologies for ginseng agriculture and product development. Dr. Lui’s research focuses on how herbal products work to provide scientific evidence for their medicinal use. He has been active in the educational aspects of complementary medicine in undergraduate medical and medical science curricula and provides leadership in establishing the Integrative Health Network in the city of London. He serves as the president of the Canadian Institute of Chinese Medicinal Research and the founding editor of the Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Lui represents the Standard Council of Canada in matters relating to International Standards of quality and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He served on the Expert Advisory Committee on Complementary Medicine of the Therapeutic Product Programme of Health Canada. Internationally, Dr. Lui serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Consortium for Globalization of Chinese Medicine. Daniel C. W. Brown is a principal investigator with the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He was educated (BSc and MSc) at the University of Waterloo, Canada, The University of Calgary (PhD), Canada, and the University of Sheffield (Postdoctoral), UK. He has thirty years of research experience in university and government laboratories in Canada, England, and France. Dr. Brown has been a project leader in a number of plant biotechnology-based programs as well as a consultant for national and international agencies in Asia, Europe, North and South America, and the Caribbean. His area of scientific expertise includes developmental plant physiology, in vitro morphogenesis, gene transfer and gene expression, and plant molecular and genomics studies. He has authored and co-authored over 300 scientific publications, patents, and scientific reports.

North American Ginseng: A Unique Plant, History, and Market. Research Advances. Herbal Resources and Agriculture. Introduction: Natural Habitats, Cultivation, Biotechnology, and Quality. Cultivation of Panax quinquefolius in Ontario: Best Practices and Challenges. In vitro Propagation of Panax quinquefolius L. and Cryopreservation. Bioreactors for Mass Production. Development of Genetic Resources for Improvement. Development of Cultivars and Assembly of the Root Transcriptome. De novo Sequencing and Analysis of Root Transcriptome. RAPD-Based Genetic Analysis and Chemotype Diversity. Summary of Advancements in Cultivating Ginseng. Phytochemistry and Metabolism. Introduction: Bioactive Components of P. quinquefolius. NMR-Based Metabolomic Profiling. Liquid Chromatography=Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics. Polysaccharide Chemistry. Phytochemical Characteristics of Immunobioactive Polysaccharides. Characteristics of Ginseng Cultivation under Mountainous Forest Conditions. Fatty Acid Profiling of Panax Species for Identification and Safety. Relating Phytochemistry to Biological Activity. Biotransformation and Metabolites. Analysis of P. quinquefolius Polysaccharides in Plasma. Summary of the Research into the Bioactive Constituents. Pre-Clinical Evidence. Introduction: The Diverse Therapeutic Activity of Extract Dependent Effects. The Yin and Yang Actions of P. quinquefolius Root Extracts in Modulating the Immune Function of Macrophages. Immunomodulation. Stimulation of the Immune System of Elderly Mice. Infection. Antimicrobial Activity of Ginseng Extract. Protection Against Diabetic Pathologies. Antioxidant Effects and Use in Cataracts. Management of Diabetes. Induction of in vitro Adiponection Expression. Metabolic Syndrome. Protection from Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury and Sepsis. Cardioprotective Effects. Improving Vascular Function. Prevention of Vascular Injury. Influence on Atherosclerosis. MicroRNAs in Ginsenoside-Induced Angiogenesis. Anti-Cancer Effects. The Effects on Colon Cancer. Lack of Toxicity, Genotoxicity, and Carcinogenicity. Pro-Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Polysacchrides of P. quinquefolius. The Potential Effects of an Aqueous Extract in Multiple Sclerosis. Prophylactic Treatment of Parkinson’s. Antidepressant Activity. Adjunctive Therapy in Schizophrenia. Treatment of Schizophrenia. Treatment of Alzheimer’s and Stroke. Treatment and Prevention of Erectile Dysfunction. Skin Cytoprotection Against Photo-Aging. Summary of Therapeutic Activities. Safety and Drug Interactions. Introduction: Safety and Drug Interactions. Potential Herb-Drug Interactions: Effects on CYP3A4 and CYP2CP Allelic Variants. Inhibition of CYP3A4. Ginseng Drug Interactions. Polysacchrides Protect Against Cytotoxicity of Chemotherapeutic Agents. Effects on Reproductive Health. Summary of Safety and Drug Interactions. Advanced Processing. Introduction: Modern Technology for the Delivery of Traditional Medicine. Fine Powder Products. Micronization and Encapsulation. Therapeutic Potential of North American Ginseng-Derived Products. Production of Value-Added Product. Summary of Advanced Processing Methods. Regulatory Issues, Product Quality, and International Standards. Introduction: Standardizing Ginseng and ISO. Product Variability. Regulations (International) and Commercial Applications. Summary of Considerations for Standardization and Regulation.