SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Korea Ginseng Association announced that Korean ginseng is registered as a publicly listed functional ingredient for bone health" by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) last July. With this news, development of various health functional foods with ginseng and increased accessibility for ginseng consumption are more likely.

The announcement from MFDS is based on the clinical research with human participants completed by the Rural Development Administration in 2019. The study confirmed that the test group administered with ginseng extracts demonstrated 11.6 times higher osteocalcin (bone structure markers) and 3 times higher increase in calcium concentration than the control group did.

MFDS is a central government agency responsible for promoting the public health by ensuring the safety and performing administrative tasks related to medicines, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, health functional foods, etc. Publicly listed functional ingredients refer to raw materials or properties that are publicly notified by the Minister of MFDS. As long as the specific standards and regulations are met, anyone can develop related products. 

Korean Ginseng has a 1,500 year-old history and is known as one of Koreas most famous agricultural products for its outstanding efficacy and quality. The announcement from MFDS adds another publicly listed functional property for Korean ginseng for the first time in 16 years; now the list includes immune system boost, fatigue recovery, and improved bone health. For a ginseng to be considered as a publicly listed functional ingredient for bone health, it needs to include a total 25 mg of ginsenoside (saponin), including Rg1 and Rb1.

"We now have evidence to believe that accessibility to ginseng will increase and open up opportunities to develop various health functional foods as ginseng is now recognized as a publicly listed functional ingredient. We hope more people can improve their bone health through consuming ginseng", said Mr. Jang, manager of the Korea Ginseng Association. 

The Korea Ginseng association is an incorporated association under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock. It is dedicated to increase the profits of stakeholders in the ginseng industry, to foster healthy growth of the industry, and to globalize Korean ginseng.