mobile-logo

Ginseng, especially Panax ginseng, has been used in traditional medicine systems for centuries to promote good health and to prevent fatigue and support vitality. These effects have been connected to ginsenosides; the ginsenosides are recognized as the main bioactive ingredients in ginseng because they have been demonstrated to modulate energy metabolism, and reduce oxidative stress, and even increase physical endurance. Realistically, ginsenosides will be corner stoned in herbal supplements targeting fatigue reduction.

Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Ginsenosides for Anti-Fatigue Herbal Supplements

Recall , Sep 05, 2025

Share
Mail-bulk Linkedin X-twitter

Ginseng, especially Panax ginseng, has been used in traditional medicine systems for centuries to promote good health and to prevent fatigue and support vitality. These effects have been connected to ginsenosides; the ginsenosides are recognized as the main bioactive ingredients in ginseng because they have been demonstrated to modulate energy metabolism, and reduce oxidative stress, and even increase physical endurance. Realistically, ginsenosides will be corner stoned in herbal supplements targeting fatigue reduction.

The efficient extraction of ginsenosides that retains structural integrity, and bioactivity is an essential step in the herbal product formulation and herbal product development. Typical extraction methods, whether ethanol or water-based extractions, have inherent limitations such as long extraction times, lower yields, and degradation of heat-sensitive compounds. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) has developed as an emerging technology that overcomes typical extraction limitations and substantially improves ginsenoside yield, selectivity, and quality, while being conducive to scalable herbal ingredient formulation and development for commercial use.  

Ginsenosides and their Classifications

Ginsenosides are bioactive substances found in ginseng and can be put into two broad groups based on their chemical structure:

  • Protopanaxadiol (PPD)
  • Protopanaxatriol (PPT)

Both PPD and PPT ginsenosides have a variety of pharmacological actions, including:

  • An anti-fatigue effect
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Neuroprotection
  • Regulatory immune activity

Their functional roles are more concrete:

  • PPD type ginsenosides (Rb1, Rd): Primarily act on energy metabolism and mitochondrial activity.
  • PPT type ginsenosides (Rg1, Re): Primarily act on cognition and endurance, as well as reducing stress. [2]

Anti-Fatigue effects of ginsenosides

There is evidence to suggest that ginsenosides reduce fatigue through several mechanisms:

  • Promoting energy metabolism
  • Reducing oxidative stress
  • Improved physical and mental performance

For example, ginsenoside Rg1 has been shown to reduce fatigue by activating cellular energy pathways and improving mitochondrial function.

Evidence from preclinical and clinical trials include:

  • Improved swimming endurance and muscle function performance in animal models
  • Improved resilience to fatigue inducing stressors
  • Improved cognitive and physical performance in human trials. [3]

Functional Importance

Ginsenosides are bioactive ingredients critically important in the herbal product development of fatigue relief and sustained energy levels. Their dual function in improving both physical and mental performance makes them prime candidates as standardized herbal supplements and other nutraceutical development. [4]

Anti-Fatigue Herbal Supplements blog

Principles of Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction utilizes high-frequency sound waves to cause cavitation or bubble formation in the solvent extraction medium.  When bubbles collapse, a very localized area of high temperature and shear forces are created. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction offers some clear advantages over more traditional methods of extraction: [5]

The UAE technique provides several key advantages over traditional extraction methods.

  1. Improved Yield: Cavitation encourages solvent penetration into plant materials, leading to a greater extraction capacity and better recovery of bioactive compounds.
  2. Shorter Extraction Time: UAE accelerates mass transfer rates and reduces the time to obtain concentrated ginsenoside extracts.
  3. Maintenance of Heat-Sensitive Compounds: UAE is performed at low to moderate temperatures, reducing the thermal degradation of ginsenosides and other sensitive phytochemicals.
  4. Solvent Reduction and Green Chemistry potential: UAE can be performed with sustainable solvents with minimal solvent use, like deep eutectic mixtures, developing sustainably focused herbal ingredient formulations.

Factors Affecting UAE Efficiency

The efficacy of ultrasonic-assisted extraction is affected by certain essential parameters that must be optimized:

  • Ultrasonic Power: Higher ultrasonic power contributes to increases in the cavitation effect which influences the ability to disrupt plant tissues for more efficient ginsenoside release.
  • Extraction Time: Increased extraction time has been shown to improve extraction efficiency; however, time must be limited to prevent damage to sensitive ginsenosides within the plant material. Extraction time represents an area for optimized effort to maximize recovery but maintaining the integrity of the compounds of interest. [6]
  • Solvent: The polarity and chemistry of the solvent can instantaneously affect ginsenoside solubility and selectivity. Different solvent mixtures like ethanol and/or water and different amounts of methanol and deep eutectic solvents are used depending on the ginsenoside profile desired.
  • Temperature: Moderate temperatures under ultrasonic exposure may increase extraction efficiency, but high temperatures must be avoided to prevent thermal degradation of fragile bioactive compounds. [7]
  • Solid-Liquid Ratio: The proportion between the plant ginseng root material and solvent will influence the diffusion gradients, extraction kinetics, and yield. An optimized solid-liquid ratio will promote mass transfer and quality extracts related to herbal products.

The systematic optimization of all these factors is important to obtain the greatest yield, the greatest reproducibility, and the best quality of ginsenoside-rich extracts to be included in food supplement formulations.

Benefits of UAE Commercially for supplementary extraction

  1. Yield on Extraction: Research showed that compared to traditional ethanol extraction, UAE can increase ginsenoside yield or extraction by almost 31% and compare this with deep eutectic solvents.
  2. Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness: UAE reduces the extraction/processing time giving producers a higher throughput at lower operational costs during large commercial supplement production.
  3. Specific Formulation: Due to selective extraction principles, manufacturers were able to make herbal supplements with specific pharmacologic effects.
  4. Sustainability: When using sustainable solvents, UAE supports green chemistry minimizing environmental damage, reduce risks of using hazardous organic solvents.[8]

Use in Anti-Fatigue Supplements

Ginsenoside-rich extracts from UAE are used in various formats, capsules, tablets, powders and functional beverages with herbal supplements, and standardization will help ensure consistent bioactivity across product batches, which is critical for product efficacy and consumer confidence.

Commercial examples:

Product Name

Formulation Type

Ginsenoside Content

Special Features

Nature’s Way Korean Ginseng

Capsules

1,120 mg per 2-capsule serving

Standard ginseng extract

Terry Naturally HRG80 Red Ginseng

Capsules

80 mg of HRG80 ginsenosides per capsule

High-potency ginsenoside extract

GeumHeuk Korean Black Ginseng

Capsules

1,000 mg per capsule

Focus on rare ginsenosides with enhanced bioactivity

Ginsenoside levels in these herbal products are usually somewhere between 2% and 10%, depending on extraction method and target pharmacology.

Product Example:

Product Name: Korean Black Ginseng

Product Type: Capsule

Product Image:

Source:  Korean black ginseng capsules

Clinical Evidence Supporting Anti-Fatigue Effects

Randomized Controlled Trials

  • Study Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
  • Participants: 90 human subjects with idiopathic chronic fatigue
  • Intervention: 1-2 grams of a 20% ethanol extract of Panax ginseng administered daily for one month [8]

Outcomes:

  • A significant reduction in fatigue severity
  • Improved subjective energy and overall vitality

Black Ginseng Ginsenosides Study

Methods:

  • Exercise performance trials
  • Serum biomarkers
  • Gene expression profiling

Outcomes:

  • Black ginseng ginsenosides, at a higher dose, increased endurance
  • Improved mitochondrial function of muscle cells
  • Increased antioxidant capacity reduced fatigue-related oxidative stress

Overall Takeaway

Ginsenoside-enriched supplements can:

  • Increase energy metabolism
  • Increase fatigue resilience

Support physical and mental performance in fatigued subjects [9]

Conclusion

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) is a highly efficient approach to extracting ginsenosides from Panax ginseng, optimizing yield, maintaining bioactivity, and selectively targeting ginsenosides. When combined with “green” solvents such as deep eutectic mixtures, UAE allows for environmentally sustainable herbal ingredient formulation and development.

The standardization of ginsenoside concentration in commercial herbal-based supplements, coupled with clinical studies of anti-fatigue effectiveness, demonstrates an opportunity in the nutraceutical market. As ginsenosides are becoming more popular, manufacturers using UAE extracts will be able to create high-quality, potent, and reproducible formulations that will meet consumer expectations and guarantee regulatory compliance for herbal product formulation.

Food Research Lab is uniquely positioned to offer R&D on herbal product development including extraction, extraction optimization, formulation standardization and quality control for companies developing effective and sustainable anti-fatigue herbal supplement products.

Food Research Circle Logo
Let’s create something Innovative and Delicious together

Food Research Lab strives for excellence in new Food, Beverage and Nutraceutical Product Research and Development by offering cutting edge scientific analysis and expertise.

New Product Concepts

New Product Concepts
Sample Request

Sample Request
Quote Request

Quote Request
Connect An Expert

Connect an Expert
whatsapp