Korean Red Ginseng: Qualitative and Quantitative Benefits on Helicobacter pylori Infection

An overview of Helicobacter pylori infection The discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), resident in the human stomach, as the causal agent of chronic disease including chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer diseases, and gastric cancer, was revolutionary in gastroenterology. Whereas the mouth and the colon were both known to host a large number of microorganisms, collectively referred to as the microbiome, the stomach was thought to be virtually sterile because its high acidity provides a very harsh environment for pathogens [1]. However, many species of bacteria are known reside in the stomach and that, among them, H. pylori seems to dominate [2]. Moreover, H. pylori was the first bacterium documented to behave as a carcinogen and it has been classified by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Carcinogenesis (IARC) as a class I carcinogen [3-5]. While little doubt exists that H. pylori infection is a major factor in the pathogenesis of gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcer disease, and chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), these diseases seems to originate from a complex interaction among the bacterium, the host, and the gastric environKorean Red Ginseng: Qualitative and Quantitative Benefits on Helicobacter pylori Infection