Ginseng, one of the most widely used traditional herbal medicines and dietary supplements, has historically been recognized as a tonic herb and adaptogen that can enhance the body's tolerance to various adversities. Ginsenosides are a diverse group of steroidal saponins that comprise the major secondary metabolites of ginseng and are responsible for its multiple pharmacological effects. Emerging evidence suggests that hormetic phytochemicals produced by environmentally stressed plants can activate the moderate cellular stress response mechanisms at a subtoxic level in humans, which may enhance tolerance against severe dysfunction or disease. In this review, we initially describe the role of ginsenosides in the chemical defense of plants from the genus Panax suffering from biotic and abiotic stress. Next, we summarize the diverse evolutionarily conserved cellular stress response pathways regulated by ginsenosides and the subsequent stress tolerance against various dysfunctions or diseases. Finally, the structure–activity relationship involved in the effect of ginsenosides is also analyzed. The evidence presented in this review implicates that ginseng as “the King of all herbs” could be regarded as a well‐characterized example of the critical role of cellular stress response mechanisms in understanding the health benefits provided by herbal medicines from an evolutionary and ecological perspective.

中文翻译：

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细胞应激反应机制作为人参皂甙的治疗靶点

人参是最广泛使用的传统草药和膳食补充剂之一，历史上一直被认为是补药和适应原，可以增强人体对各种逆境的耐受性。人参皂苷是一组不同种类的甾体皂苷，包含人参的主要次生代谢产物，并对其多种药理作用负责。越来越多的证据表明，受环境胁迫的植物产生的植物激素植物化学物质可以在人的亚毒性水平上激活中等程度的细胞应激反应机制，这可能会增强其对严重功能障碍或疾病的耐受性。在这次审查中，我们最初描述从人参属的植物的化学防御的作用三七遭受生物和非生物压力。接下来，我们总结了由人参皂甙调节的多种进化保守的细胞应激反应途径，以及随后针对各种功能障碍或疾病的应激耐受性。最后，还分析了与人参皂甙作用有关的构效关系。这篇综述中的证据暗示人参是“所有草药之王”，可以被视为很好的例子，说明细胞应激反应机制在从进化和生态的角度理解草药提供的健康益处方面的关键作用。