Effects of Red Panax Ginseng Supplementation on Cognitive Performance and Emotional Well-Being in Young Healthy Adults

Effects of Red Panax Ginseng Supplementation on Cognitive Performance and Emotional Well-Being in Young Healthy Adults, a Randomized Controlled Trial

College students face substantial and persistent mental health challenges that directly affect cognitive performance, stress regulation, and emotional well-being. Neurological functions such as working memory, attention regulation, executive control, and emotional processing are highly sensitive to stressors, leaving young adults vulnerable to daily fluctuations in cognitive efficiency. Recent findings from the Healthy Minds Network (2025) indicate that although rates of moderate to severe depression among college students declined from 44% in 2022 to 37% in 2025, and anxiety symptoms fell from 37% to 32%, levels of psychological flourishing also dropped, falling to 36% despite these improvements.

Ginseng contains bioactive compounds known as ginsenosides that favorably influence brain function and inflammatory cascades. Studies in stressed and moderately stressed adults demonstrated reduced perceived stress, improved emotional processing, enhanced cognitive performance, and beneficial changes to biomarkers with ginseng supplementation. In addition, randomized controlled trials reported improvements in mood regulation, fatigue resistance, and aspects of working memory and attention following short-term ginseng supplementation. This study will examine the effects of daily red panax ginseng supplementation (3000 mg/day; two 1500 mg Red Panax gummies) on cognitive performance and emotional well-being in healthy young adults.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Mental Acuity
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Ginseng; Dietary supplement: Placebo

Detailed Description

College students face substantial and persistent mental health challenges that directly affect cognitive performance, stress regulation, and emotional well-being. Neurological functions such as working memory, attention regulation, executive control, and emotional processing are highly sensitive to stressors, leaving young adults vulnerable to daily fluctuations in cognitive efficiency. Recent findings from the Healthy Minds Network (2025) indicate that although rates of moderate to severe depression among college students declined from 44% in 2022 to 37% in 2025, and anxiety symptoms fell from 37% to 32%, levels of psychological flourishing also dropped, falling to 36% despite these improvements.

Ginseng contains bioactive compounds known as ginsenosides that favorably influence multiple neurobiological pathways such as neurotrophic signaling, neurotransmitter regulation, oxidative balance, and inflammatory cascades. Studies in stressed and moderately stressed adults demonstrated reduced perceived stress, improved emotional processing, enhanced cognitive performance, and modulated biomarkers related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with ginseng supplementation. In addition, randomized controlled trials reported improvements in mood regulation, fatigue resistance, and aspects of working memory and attention following short-term ginseng supplementation. This study will examine the effects of daily red panax ginseng supplementation (3000 mg/day; two 1500 mg Red Panax gummies) on cognitive performance and emotional well-being in healthy young adults.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Carol Johnston; Phone Number: 6024963463; Email: carol.johnston@asu.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy young adults
• 18-30 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• medication/drug use that has not been consistent for the previous 3 months or will be discontinued during the trial
• unresolved chronic medical conditions (e.g., presence of persistent symptomology)
• diagnosed clinical depression
• acute illness
• regular use of cigarettes or marijuana
• pregnant or lactating women
• not fluent in English
• currently competing in sports or unusually high-intensity exercise protocols (e.g., high-intensity exercise greater than 30 minutes most days of the week)
• current use of ginseng or adaptogenic supplements, or allergy to ginseng
• any significant food allergies
• not willing to attend two in-person lab visits in downtown Phoenix and follow study protocol (including abstaining from caffeine in the 12 hours prior to testing)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ginseng	Dietary supplement: Ginseng; This study will test the efficacy of ginseng on health compared to placebo treatment.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; strawberry gummy (2)	Dietary supplement: Placebo; This study will test the efficacy of ginseng on health compared to placebo treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
cognitive performance	Trail Making Test: measures cognitive flexibility; visual attention, and executive function, with interpretation based on completion times (in seconds)	2 hours post ingestion
cognitive performance	Trail Making Test measures cognitive flexibility; visual attention, and executive function, with interpretation based on completion times (in seconds)	2 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
stress	Perceived Stress Scale: higher scores indicate higher stress	2 weeks
mental well being	Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale: higher scores indicating greater positive mental wellbeing	2 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
cognitive performance	Stroop test: measures attention span, reaction time, and ability to resist distractions	2 hours post ingestion
cognitive performance	reaction time test: measured by the elapsed time between stimulus onset and an individual's response	2 hours post ingestion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Arizona State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Carol Johnston, Arizona State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 22, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 10, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 16, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: mental health; ginseng; cognitive performancd
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Psychological Well-Being; Asian ginseng
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00024361

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No