E3 PreliminaryPreliminaryPEM unclearObservationalPeer-reviewedMachine draft
An Open-Label, Pilot Trial of HRG80™ Red Ginseng in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Post-Viral Fatigue.
Teitelbaum, Jacob, Goudie, Sarah · Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021 · DOI
Quick Summary
This study tested a special form of red ginseng called HRG80 in people with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and post-COVID fatigue. Over one month, 188 patients took daily ginseng supplements and reported their symptoms. About 60% of participants felt better, with improvements in energy, mental clarity, sleep, and stamina.
Why It Matters
For ME/CFS patients seeking non-pharmacological interventions, this study provides preliminary evidence that a specific ginseng extract may improve multiple core symptoms including energy and cognitive function. The inclusion of post-viral fatigue patients makes findings potentially relevant to the growing population of long COVID sufferers.
Observed Findings
- 60.1% of participants self-reported improvement; 13.3% reported feeling much better
- Composite symptom score increased from 11.9 to 18.8 (p<0.001)
- Energy increased 67% on average; mental clarity improved 48%; stamina increased 72%
- Sleep quality improved 46%; pain decreased 33%
- Benefits were reported in the post-viral fatigue subgroup
Inferred Conclusions
- HRG80 Red Ginseng may be beneficial for energy, cognition, and stamina in CFS/FMS patients
- The supplement's high rare ginsenoside content may underlie observed improvements
- Post-viral fatigue may respond similarly to CFS/FMS to this intervention
Remaining Questions
- Does HRG80 outperform placebo, or were improvements due to placebo effect and expectancy?
- What is the optimal dose, duration of treatment, and durability of benefits beyond one month?
- Which components of HRG80 (specific ginsenosides) drive the observed improvements, and what are the mechanisms?
What This Study Does Not Prove
This study does NOT prove that HRG80 Red Ginseng is effective for ME/CFS because it lacks a placebo control group—improvements could result from placebo effect, regression to the mean, or natural variation in symptoms. The open-label design and reliance on patient self-assessment introduce substantial bias. One month is too short to establish durability or long-term safety.
Tags
Symptom:Cognitive DysfunctionUnrefreshing SleepPainFatigue
Phenotype:Long COVID Overlap
Method Flag:PEM Not DefinedWeak Case DefinitionNo ControlsExploratory OnlyMixed Cohort
Metadata
- DOI
- 10.3390/ph15010043
- PMID
- 35056100
- Review status
- Machine draft
- Evidence level
- Early hypothesis, preprint, editorial, or weak support
- Last updated
- 10 April 2026
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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