The good news is, this stuff seems to be safe
https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/2/2/106/pdf
I did a superficial Google Scholar search and it seems like the only in vivo human studies are the ones mentioned in the Human Clinical Studies heading of the review Squeegee posted.
That is to say:
Efficacy of korean red ginseng in the treatment of alopecia areata
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23717141/
The efficacy of 3% minoxidil vs. combined 3% minoxidil and Korean red ginseng in treating female pattern alopecia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24451023/
Study of the efficacy of Korean red ginseng in the treatment of androgenic alopecia
This last one I can't find the full text of anywhere, not even on Library Genesis. If anyone can get ahold of it somehow, I'd love to read it.
I'm excluding the one study on chemotherapy.
So, the way it stands with this thing, as I see it is this:
- it seems to be safe
- there are studies showing it works in vitro, in animals and that show mechanisms by which it SHOULD work in humans
- the in vivo human studies are such as they are
Given all that, assuming it is affordable, seems like including it in your regimen is a no brainer.
The question is topical or oral and what dose.
I found this:
https://escholarship.org/content/qt7s87z6cc/qt7s87z6cc.pdf
Current recommendations for P. ginseng
consumption by the German Commission E are 1-2
grams per day. Adverse effects may occur when
consuming greater than 3 grams of ginseng per day
and depression and confusion may occur in those
consuming over 15 grams daily [8].
@GroLocks, how did you decide on your dose and how did you decide on topical rather than oral?
UPDATE: New evidence on topical safety
https://escholarship.org/content/qt7s87z6cc/qt7s87z6cc.pdf
Cutaneous adverse effects related to ginseng use
include alopecia, angioedema, bullous eruption,
dermatitis, erythema multiforme, pruritus, Stevens-
Johnson syndrome, unspecific rash, urticaria, and
vasculitis (Box 1), [1-10]. In the two-year follow-up
study by Siegel et al., 25% of individuals developed
cutaneous eruptions that were corroborated by
physical examination [7].