en Neurology Neurology Original Article Original Article <span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Background</span></i></b><i><span style="color:blue">:</span></i> The effects of ginseng on fatigue have been proven in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), which have several similar manifestations to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of ginseng on fatigue in NMOSD patients.</span><br> <span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Methods:</span></i></b> In this double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial, 64 patients were recruited and were allocated into two study groups (ginseng or placebo) via block randomization. The participants received either 250-mg ginseng or placebo twice daily for a 3-month period. Also, the measurement of outcome was performed using the valid and reliable Persian version of fatigue severity scale (FSS) questionnaire, which was filled by patients once after enrollment in the study and once at the end of the study post-intervention.<span style="font-size:10.0pt"></span></span><br> <span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Results:</span></i></b> In total, 58 patients finished the study with no major side effects. There were no significant differences in demographic, clinical, as well as FSS between two study groups (p>0.05). Ginseng supplementation significantly reduced fatigue (40.21&plusmn;13.51 vs. 28.97&plusmn;14.18; p˂0.01), while patients in the placebo group showed significantly higher fatigue score after 3 months post-intervention (35.03&plusmn;13.51 vs. 38.79&plusmn;12.27; P: 0.02). The extent of changes in the fatigue score in the ginseng group was significantly greater than in the placebo group (p ˂0.01).<span style="font-size:10.0pt"></span></span><br> <span style="line-height:14pt"><b><i><span style="color:blue">Conclusion</span></i></b><i><span style="color:blue">:</span></i> This study revealed positive effects of ginseng on reducing fatigue in NMOSD patients with no major side effects. In this regard, further studies are warranted to evaluate and clarify the effects of ginseng on fatigue in NMOSD.<span style="font-size:10.0pt"></span></span></span></span><br> &nbsp; Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, Fatigue, Ginseng 147 153 http://caspjim.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-646-14&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Sara Aslzadeh saraaslzadeh@gmail.com 100319475328460046566 100319475328460046566 No Shaghayegh Shahmirzaei shahmirzaei.sh@gmail.com 100319475328460046567 100319475328460046567 No Mohammad Ali Sahraian sahraian1350@yahoo.com 100319475328460046568 100319475328460046568 No Razieh Sadat Kazemi Mozdabadi kazemi.r07@gmail.com 100319475328460046569 100319475328460046569 No Hossein Rezaei Aliabadi hosseinrezaei611@gmail.com 100319475328460046570 100319475328460046570 No Mohammad Reza Gheini 100319475328460046571 100319475328460046571 No Nasim Rezaeimanesh REZAEIMANESHNASIM@GMAIL.COM 100319475328460046572 100319475328460046572 No Sharareh Eskandarieh sh_eskandarieh@yahoo.com 100319475328460046573 100319475328460046573 No Fazeleh Majidi f-majidi@alumnus.tums.ac.ir 100319475328460046574 100319475328460046574 No Abdorreza Naser Moghadasi abdorrezamoghadasi@gmail.com 100319475328460046575 100319475328460046575 Yes Multiple Sclerosis Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran