Estrogen Bioassay of Ginseng Extract and Arginmax®, a Nutritional Supplement for the Enhancement of Female Sexual Function

PURPOSE: To determine whether ArginMax (The Daily Wellness Co., Sunnyvale, CA) or the Panax ginseng extract it contains has any estrogenic activity. ArginMax for Women, a nutritional supplement for optimization of sexual health, contains L-arginine, ginseng, ginkgo, damiana, multivitamins, and minerals. METHODS: A human endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line, Ishikawa, which contains an alkaline phosphatase (AP) enzyme sensitive to estrogen stimulation, was used in a bioassay to determine whether Panax ginseng or ArginMax contained estrogenic components. RESULTS: Neither ArginMax nor Panax ginseng stimulated AP at any of the concentrations tested. CONCLUSIONS: No estrogenic activity was evident in the sample of Panax ginseng extract tested or in a sample of ArginMax containing this extract in combination with other ingredients.