Red Root Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a popular herbal plant widely used for its variety of effects in both traditional and research-based medicines. Specific applications relating to poultry include:
Antitumor: Panaxydol, one of the main compounds in Red Root Ginseng was shown to suppress in vivo tumor growth in syngeneic and xenogeneic mouse tumor models.
Protection against oxidative stress: Ginseng stem-leaf saponins significantly inhibited cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress by increasing the organ indices, total antioxidant capacity, and the levels of glutathione, ascorbic acid, and beta-tocopherol, while elevating the activity of total superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, as well as decreasing the protein carbonyl content and malondialdehyde. The chickens were provided between 2.5- 10 mg/kg BW of gingseng stem-leaf saponins added to their drinking water daily, for a seven-day period.
Vaccine enhancement: Orally administering ginseng stem-and-leaf saponins (GSLS) at a dose of 5 mg/kg of BW for 7 days following intramuscular injection with the inactivated Newcastle disease (ND) or Avian influenza (AI) vaccine, caused an increase in the antibody level against ND and AI in the serum of chickens.
