FECAL BOLl COUNT, A NEW CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING THE ANTI-STRESS EFFECT OF GINSENG

Panax ginseng has been reported to protect animals or to help them recover from physical, chemical, or biological stress. The antistress effects of ginseng were evaluated through the measurement of adrenal ascorbic acid, rectal temperature, and plasma level of glucose. lipids and corticosterone. During the treadmill experiments of the antifatigue study, the groups of rats receiving P. ginseng or P. quinquefolius extracts were consistently found to leave fewer fecal boli on the wheel compared with controls. This phenomenon may be due to the reported antistress effects of ginseng. Another possibility could be that the Panax species examined produced anticholinergic effects which in turn inhibited the production of fecal boli. After an anticholinergic study. employing physostigmine and atropine as controls, anticholinergic effect was found not essential for the decrease of fecal boli number left on the wheels during antifatigue studies. The results were consistent with the antistress activity reported previously. Even though the active constituents responsible for the antistress effects of ginseng remained to be determined, the fecal boli counts for stressed rats can be employed as a new protocol for evaluating the antistress effects of ginseng.