Teitelbaum, Jacob, Goudie, Sarah · Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021 · DOI
This study tested a special form of red ginseng called HRG80 in people with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and post-COVID fatigue. Over one month, 188 patients took daily ginseng supplements and reported their symptoms. About 60% of participants felt better, with improvements in energy, mental clarity, sleep, and stamina.
For ME/CFS patients seeking non-pharmacological interventions, this study provides preliminary evidence that a specific ginseng extract may improve multiple core symptoms including energy and cognitive function. The inclusion of post-viral fatigue patients makes findings potentially relevant to the growing population of long COVID sufferers.
This study does NOT prove that HRG80 Red Ginseng is effective for ME/CFS because it lacks a placebo control group—improvements could result from placebo effect, regression to the mean, or natural variation in symptoms. The open-label design and reliance on patient self-assessment introduce substantial bias. One month is too short to establish durability or long-term safety.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Teitelbaum, Jacob & Goudie, Sarah (2021). An Open-Label, Pilot Trial of HRG80™ Red Ginseng in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Post-Viral Fatigue.. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15010043
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-teitelbaum-2021-open-label,
author = {Teitelbaum, Jacob and Goudie, Sarah},
title = {An Open-Label, Pilot Trial of HRG80™ Red Ginseng in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Post-Viral Fatigue.},
journal = {Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.3390/ph15010043},
note = {PubMed: 35056100},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/teitelbaum-2021-open-label},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/teitelbaum-2021-open-label
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