Ginseng for Weight Loss: Does It Work?

#1: Suppress appetite to prevent overeating

Daily calorie balance: that’s the ultimate governing “entity” determining whether you’re gaining or losing weight. Eat fewer calories than your body requires, and you’ll lose weight. Sounds simple enough, right? But talk to anyone who’s tried to resist an extra serving of crunchy, crispy fries, tantalizing donuts, or piping hot pizza slices, and you’d fully understand the challenges in curbing one’s daily calorie intake. Your appetite can truly feel like an untamable monster on some days.

Thankfully, that’s where ginseng comes in. As outlined in a 2021 review published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, numerous studies highlight ginseng’s ability to increase the expression of cholecystokinin (CKK) – a hormone that acts as a hunger suppressant. Ultimately, this means that ginseng could potentially modulate your appetite, preventing excessive indulgence and calorie intake, in turn explaining why it works for weight loss.

#2: Decrease body’s fat absorption from foods

More than simply suppressing your appetite, ginseng could also work for weight loss by limiting your digestive systems’ ability to absorb fat from consumed foods. So, most of the ingested fats simply get passed out as “waste materials”. Meaning? You take in fewer calories from fat (which will likely translate to weight loss). But wait. How does ginseng accomplish this impressive fat-blocking feat? Well, the answer lies in its bioactive components known as ginsenosides. More specifically, research shows ginsenosides to significantly suppress pancreatic lipase (note: an enzyme the body uses to break down fats in food) activity. This causes most ingested fats to pass into your feces undigested, decreasing the amount of energy your body takes in.

#3: Alters gut microbiota to promote weight loss

Interestingly, there’s a growing body of evidence highlighting an association between gut microbiota (i.e., the microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts) and obesity development. While scientists are still figuring out the exact mechanisms at play, there’s one thing they know: obese individuals’ gut microbiota appears more efficient in energy extraction from dietary intake – and subsequent fat storage – than lean individuals. Okay, but … so what? It’s not like you could alter your gut microbiota, right? Wrong. You could.

And no prizes for guessing what you could use; yep, it’s none other than ginseng. Look at this 2014 study published in the Journal of Ginseng Research for evidence. Ten overweight, middle-aged Korean women who consumed 4.0 grams of granulated root extracted daily for eight weeks reported significant declines in body weight and BMI. But that’s not even the main point. The finding that made researchers do a double-take was that gut microbiota analysis showed that women with significant weight reduction exhibited a different gut microbiota profile at baseline – hinting that ginseng could alter someone’s

Bottom line? Ginseng works for weight loss

Ginseng can be an indispensable tool in helping you lose weight in a safe, healthy, and effective way. Not quite sure how to incorporate it into your daily

life? No worries, check out this comprehensive guide. And once you have a good idea of how ginseng fits into your daily schedule for your weight loss efforts, do check out what we have to offer here at Grace Mountain (psst: we stock only the best 5-year ginseng!)