**3. Ginseng phytoconstituents**

The classification of ginseng's phytochemistry consists of more than 200 chemical entities from ginseng species. The various groups of phytoconstituents include saponins glycosides, carbohydrates, polyacetylenes, phytosterols, nitrogenous substances, amino acids, peptides, vitamins, volatile oil, minerals, and enzymes.

#### **3.1 Saponins**

Saponins are the bioorganic glycoside having at least one glycosidic linkage at C3 between aglycone and sugar chain. On hydrolysis of saponin, molecule converts to

glycone moiety i.e. glucose, pentose, galactose, maltose, fructose, or methyl pentose and aglycone moiety (sapogenin). The sapogenin can be classified as triterpenoid, steroid, alkaloid glycosides. Ginseng's saponins are usually known as ginsenosides which were named by Japanese workers whereas panxosides were named by Russian workers.

The ginsenosides are considered as the main constituents of ginseng having different pharmacological activities such as anti-fatigue, anti-cancer, anti-aging, anti-oxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-obesity, and many more in ginseng root, berry, leaf, and stem. The basic structure of ginsenosides consists of a steroid nucleus with seventeen carbon atoms arranged in four rings. On the position of the hydroxyl group on carbon-20 shows are stereoisomers where every ginsenoside have at least 2 (carbon-3 and -20) or 3 (carbon-3, −6, and − 20) hydroxyl groups, which are free or bound to monomeric, dimeric, or trimeric sugars. Total gensenosides can be classified as oleanane, dammarane and ocotillol types. Ginsenoside Ro is an oleanane type whereas Gensenoside-Ral-3, G-Rbl-2, and G-Rh2 are dammarane type are subclassified into two types i.e., protopanaxadiols and protopanaxatriols. Pseudoginsenosides F11 and its derivatives such as makonoside-Rs are representative of ocotillol type ginsenosides [6]. Ginsenosides Rb2, Rb3, and Rg1 are showed on root hair, root and leaf whereas ginsenosides Rb3 and Rh1 were present in large amounts, and ginsenosides Rb1 and Rc were found in large amount main roots [4]. **Figure 3** showing various examples of ginsenosides. The pharmacological response of each ginsenoside is dependent on the type, position, and glycone moieties attached by the glycosidic bond at C-3, C-6, and C-20 positions. Among Panax species, more than 100 ginsenosides are isolated. More than 200 ginsenosides have been isolated and identified. The pharmacological effects include anti-electroconvulsive, memory enhancer, cardiac cell protector, coronary vascular dysfunction, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiobesity, anti-foot and mouth disease, antiaging, antiulcer, antifatigue, and many more.

The bioavailability of ginsenosides is very poor. The absorption of ginsenosides in the intestinal mucosa is energy-dependent. The biliary excretion in active transport results in a shortage of its biological half-life and lower systemic exposure level [3, 7–9].

#### **3.2 Carbohydrates**

Among carbohydrates, the polysaccharides have considered highest content in the ginseng, which are classified into two parts according to their monosaccharide's structure i.e. ginseng starch like glucans and ginseng pectin. Neutral and acid polysaccharides are present in ginseng. These polysaccharides attribute pharmacological activity as immunomodulating, antioxidant, anti-depressant anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities by playing a vital role on nervous system disorders through regulation of signaling pathway, immune system and inflammatory response [10]. Two bioactive ginseng polysaccharides named GP50 dHR and GP50eHR showed antidiarrheal effects [11].

#### **3.3 Amino acid**

Organic compounds containing carboxyl and amine groups are known as amino acids. The concentration of amino acid in ginseng is large which is useful in human health that is applied in pharmaceutical and food applications. All the basic, acidic, and neutral amino acid including histidine, lysine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, alanine, glycine, proline, valine, tyrosine, leucine, and threonine plays as the major content of ginseng [12].

*Ginseng: Pharmacological Action and Phytochemistry Prospective DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99646*

**Figure 3.** *Examples of Ginsenosides.*

## **3.4 Polyacetylenes**

The organic polymer with the repeating unit of polymerization of acetylene is known as polyacetylene. The total amount of polyacetylene in ginseng was reported as 0.020–0.073%. The anti-proliferative effect was reported in bioactive panaxynol and panaxydol, major polyacetylene in *Panax ginseng* Meyer roots using MTT assay viability method [13]. Ginsenoyne C is polyacetylene in *Panax Ginseng* showed anti-inflammatory through regulating phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinases signaling [14].

#### **3.5 Volatile oil**

The pharmacological effects, qualities, and chemical content of volatile oil are varied to species to species of ginseng. More than 369 volatile oil compounds are identified in the ginseng species. Heterocycles, aldehydes, fatty acids, sesquiterpenoids, sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, alkane hydrocarbons, and fatty acid

ester. Reported sesquiterpenoid includes bicyclogermacrene, calarene, (E)-βfarnesene, β-phellandrene, α-humulene where sesquiterpene hydrocarbon includes (E)-caryophyllene, aromadendrene, β-farnesene, α- neoclovene, β-neoclovene, bicyclogeracrene, α-panasinsene, β- panasinsene, ginsenol, panasinsenol A, panasinsenol B [15–17].
