Application of Panax ginseng in the Treatment of Chronic Airway Diseases

Chronic airway diseases are a group of diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchial asthma (BA), characterized pathologically by chronic airway inflammation, airway chronic mucus hypersecretion, and airway remodeling. Patients usually present with chronic coughing, expectoration, and dyspnea, and recurrent exacerbation is an important causative factor of increased mortality, along with the important triggers. Currently, existing treatment options cannot meet the clinical needs of chronic airway diseases. Ginseng's great potential for treating chronic airway diseases has been confirmed by various clinical and basic studies, and traditional Chinese medicine compounds composed mainly of ginseng can both improve the symptoms of coughing and expectoration and reduce the number of acute exacerbations. Ginseng and its main biologically active ingredients exhibit the multifaceted mechanisms of effectively improving airway inflammation, mitigating airway mucus secretion, and reducing airway remodeling, which underscores their effectiveness in airway disease treatment. This study was conducted for the further elucidation and extension of the possible value of ginseng in chronic airway diseases. This review summarizes recent studies on the efficacy of ginseng in chronic airway disease treatment, discusses the pharmacological effects of ginseng and ginsenosides, and highlights their roles in the prevention and treatment of chronic airway diseases, airway diseases caused by airway inflammation and high airway mucus secretion, and airway remodeling-induced lung diseases. Finally, this study also predicted future research directions. Findings in this study may lay a robust foundation for investigating ginseng in chronic airway diseases, its underlying mechanisms, and its clinical development and practical application.