Efficacy of Korean red ginseng in the treatment of alopecia areata

Abstract

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that can affect any hair-bearing area. AA is known to be caused by immunological disorder but still, the pathogenesis is not fully understood. Many therapeutic modalities have been used to treat alopecia areata, with variable efficacy and safety profiles. Unfortunately, none of these agents is definitely curative or preventive alone. We studied hair growth efficacy and safety of Korean red ginseng (KRG) in AA comparing corticosteroid intra-lesional injection (ILI) alone patient group with ILI with KRG taking patient group using Folliscope 2.5 for 12 wk. Herein, we would like to report the efficacy of KRG in the treatment of AA and recommend KRG as a useful complimentary food for gaining efficacy of treatment for AA. © The Korean Society of Ginseng.