The Effect of Ginsenoside 4% on Inflammation, Bacteremia and Clinical Improvement in Community Acquired Pneumonia Patients.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality, despite all advanced diagnostic tools and management. Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is one of the herbs commonly used in Asia. Ginsenoside is a biologically active saponin compound found in Panax ginseng and plays a role as an immunomodulator, antibacterial, and anti-inflammation. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can be used as a bacteremia predictor. Procalcitonin (PCT) level can help to monitor antimicrobial therapy response. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effect of ginseng extract on procalcitonin level, NLR, and the length of clinical improvement in patients with CAP Methods: Of 32 hospitalized CAP patients with a pretest-posttest quasiexperimental study was conducted in Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Surakarta, Indonesia from April to June 2020. Sampling was done by the consecutive sampling technique with ginseng extract with a dose of 2 x 100 mg as the variable. The dependent variables were PCT level, NLR, and the length of clinical improvement. Results: Procalcitonin level and NLR decreased significantly in the treatment group getting p values of <0.001, while in the control group, the p values were 0.14 and 0.27, respectively. There was a significant difference in the length of clinical improvement between control (7.06±0.93) and treatment (5.69±0.95) groups (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Administering ginseng extract as an adjunct therapy for inpatients with CAP can lower procalcitonin level and NLR and accelerate clinical improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]