Ginseng-notoginseng Containing Supplement for Chronic Fatigue

November 6, 2026 updated by: Tung Leong FONG

Efficacy and Safety of Ginseng-notoginseng Containing Supplement on Chronic Fatigue in Adults: A Randomized Waitlist-controlled Trial

This study aims to find out whether a dietary supplement containing ginseng and notoginseng (GIN-201) can safely reduce persistent fatigue in adults. Chronic fatigue is a lasting feeling of tiredness that rest does not relieve which affects about 10% of adults in Hong Kong and can harm sleep, thinking, and quality of life. Ginseng and notoginseng are traditional Chinese medicine herbs thought to boost energy, and early research suggests they may help with fatigue, but their combined effect has not been tested in people.

The study will recruit 130 adults aged 30 to 75 who report fatigue and poor sleep. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group takes GIN-201 capsules (4 per day) for 6 weeks, while the other group waits 6 weeks before starting the same supplement. Both groups will then be followed for another 6 weeks. Fatigue, sleep, mood, quality of life, and sexual/menopausal symptoms will be measured with standard questionnaires, and blood tests will check for markers of inflammation, stress, aging, and mitochondrial health, as well as for safety.

The main question the study is trying to answer is: Does taking GIN-201 for 6 weeks reduce fatigue more than no treatment, and is it safe? The researchers hypothesize that GIN-201 will reduce fatigue in adults with persistent fatigue. The study will also explore whether changes in blood biomarkers are linked to any benefits, which may help identify who is most likely to respond to the supplement.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
130

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Yunqing Xun
  • Phone Number: +852 5229 5427

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Nigeria
    • Abia State
      • Calabar, Abia State, Nigeria, 540221
        • Specialist Clinical Centre for Teaching and Research, School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
        • Contact:
          • TUNG LEONG FONG
          • Phone Number: +852 5660 4020
          • Email: tlfong@hku.hk

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

30 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ages 30 to 75 years
  • Self-reported fatigue with Chalder Fatigue Scale ≥4
  • Self-reported poor sleep quality with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index >5
  • Able to complete an online validated fatigue survey, 6-week intervention, and all follow-ups

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed with dementia or major psychiatric disorder
  • Sleep apnea requiring CPAP
  • Current participation in other trials
  • Unable to comply with study procedures and give informed consent
  • Known allergy to study product or its excipients
  • Abnormal heart, liver or renal function
  • Not pregnant or planning pregnancy within 6 months
  • Using anticoagulants

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: GIN-201 supplement

Participants receive Ginseng-notoginseng Containing Supplement (GIN-201) in 4 capsules, once per day, for 6 weeks, according to the manufacturer's guidelines, followed by a 6-week follow-up.
Dietary supplement: Ginseng-notoginseng Containing Supplement

GIN-201 is a capsule supplement produced via microbial fermentation technology in a GMP-certified Hong Kong facility, converting ginseng and notoginseng into a highly bioavailable extract; It is reported to support mitochondrial function, DNA repair, NAD+ elevation, and antioxidant defense. Participants take 4 capsules orally once daily for 6 weeks, followed by a 6-week follow-up.
No Intervention: waitlist group

The waiting list control group will wait for 6 weeks after the randomization, and then start to receive GIN-201 in 4 capsules, once per day, for 6 weeks, followed by a 6week follow-up.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Chalder Fatigue Score (CFS)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks

Bimodally scored 0-4 on an 11-item scale; higher scores indicate greater fatigue.
From enrollment to 6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Chalder Fatigue Score (CFS)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

Bimodally scored 0-4 on an 11-item scale; higher scores indicate greater fatigue.
From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks
Fatigue Severity Score (FSS)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

Likert score 1-7 on a 9-item scale; higher scores indicate more severe fatigue.
From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks
PROMIS Short Form Fatigue 7A
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

5-point Likert scale across 7 items; higher scores indicate greater fatigue.
From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks
36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

Range 0-100; higher scores indicate better health status.
From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

Range 0-21; higher scores indicate more severe symptoms.
From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

Range 0-21; higher scores indicate worse sleep quality.
From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks
Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSFI) / Menopause Rating Scale (MRS)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

BMSFI: 11-item in 5 divisions; higher score indicates more satisfied sexual function (men).

MRS: Likert score 0-4 for 11 items; higher indicates severer menopause symptoms (women).
From enrollment to 6 weeks and 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Tung Leong FONG

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 30, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 6, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UW-26-299

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in the primary study publication will be shared, together with a data dictionary. Shared data will include participant characteristics, treatment allocation, Chalder Fatigue Score and other fatigue questionnaire scores, quality-of-life (SF-36), psychological (HADS), sleep (PSQI), and sexual/menopausal symptom (BMSFI/MRS) scores, biomarker results (inflammation, stress, neurotrophic, aging, and mitochondrial health), adherence data, and adverse event data used in the published analyses. Direct identifiers and the participant identification linkage file will not be shared. Access will be provided to qualified researchers following approval of a research proposal and execution of a data use agreement. Sharing will be subject to any required Institutional Review Board (IRB) and institutional approvals and must be consistent with participant consent.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

De-identified individual participant data and the selected supporting documents will be available from publication of the primary study results until five years after study completion.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

De-identified individual participant data underlying the published results, the data dictionary, and the selected supporting documents will be available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Requests should be submitted by email to the principal investigator and include a methodologically sound research proposal and statistical analysis plan. The principal investigator will review requests for scientific merit, feasibility, and consistency with participant consent and institutional requirements. Approved researchers may use the data only for analyses specified in the approved proposal. Access will require a signed data use agreement and any necessary IRB and institutional approvals. Data will be provided through secure transfer.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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