Although current treatments for
erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra have been effective
for many individuals, the quest for alternative treatments continues in the
research community. Most recently, a study from South Korea suggesting that
ginseng may be useful for treating erectile dysfunction has been making
headlines.
The study, which was a
multi-centre randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, was published in International Journal of Impotence
Research. In total 119 men between the ages of 20 and 70 took part. In
order to be included in the study the participants were required to be married,
exhibit mild to moderate erectile dysfunction and agree to attempt sexual
intercourse at least four times a month during the course of the study. The men
were then divided into two groups, with one group receiving four tablets
containing ginseng extract on a daily basis for eight weeks and another group
receiving four placebo tables on a daily basis for eight weeks. To measure any
improvements in sexual satisfaction, the results from two identical
questionnaires for sexual satisfaction (called IIEF-15) and premature
ejaculation (called PEDT) completed after four and eight weeks of treatment
were compared. The questionnaires measured several aspects of sexual
satisfaction, where erectile dysfunction was a part of the questions included.
In addition to that, the researchers conducted interviews with participants to
gather clinical information before the trial started and after it ended. During
these sessions, the participants’ cholesterol levels and hormonal status (with
regards to testosterone and prolactin levels) were also measured and later
included in the interpretation of the results. The key results indicated that
both groups had a slight improvement in sexual satisfaction and erectile
functioning during the course of the study, but that those who had been taking
ginseng indicated a slightly larger improvement (regarding erectile
functioning) that was statistically significant. This led the researchers to
conclude that ginseng has the potential to improve all domains of sexual
functioning for men.
It is worth commending the design
of the study and how it was executed. In medicinal research randomised
controlled trials are considered gold standard and blinding both participants
and researchers to the treatment eliminates common problems less systematic
studies may have had. The researchers also specified the type and amount of
ginseng extract that individuals had received, which is important in order to
distinguish different ginseng tablets currently out on the market. Moreover,
the IIEF-15 is commonly used in research regarding sexual function and has been
demonstrated to have good reliability and is useful for the statistical
analysis the researchers conducted. This of course makes it easier to compare
the findings with other studies of interest.
However, several aspects of this study warrant scrutiny,
particularly with regards to the conclusion of the findings. The results were
modestly significant at best, which suggests that the study would have to be
replicated in a larger sample where age, ethnicity, marital status and medical
conditions were given more weight. Perhaps most importantly, it appears that
both groups showed improvement during the course of the study, which indicates
that other factors may have played a role and that the difference between using
ginseng and placebo was insufficient to cause a radical shift in marketing it
for erectile dysfunction. It could be argued that this reflects how the various
types of measurement did not adequately capture the social and physical
components that are likely to play a role in such a complex concept as sexual
satisfaction. Despite this, the researchers appeared to ignore the placebo
groups’ improvement, and concluded that improvement in one area (erectile
dysfunction) could translate to ginseng being useful for all problems regarding
sexual dissatisfaction. An unexpected area of concern comes from the funding
this study received from Korean Ministry for Health and Amorepacific, as the
latter produces health and beauty products that contain ginseng. Although no
conflict of interest was reported in the publication, we are somewhat
frustrated to find that the article did not mention the degree of Amoreapacific’s
involvement in the study. This makes it impossible to establish whether there
was a possibility for the research to be biased due to commercial interests.
Having
read the study thoroughly, we feel like its findings ought to be taken with a
grain of salt. Too few studies corroborate the findings, how ginseng would work
is not specified and despite robust methodology the findings are marginal. The
possibility remains that future studies, include larger samples and various
dosages of ginseng, could find something in this field. However, until such
studies have been published and subjected to extensive peer review, we maintain
that ginseng is not effective as a treatment for erectile dysfunction.