Notoginseng's cholesterol evidence comes from one setting: people with diabetic kidney disease in Chinese hospitals, taking a notoginseng preparation on top of their usual medicines. In that setting the pooled results show lower total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides. This guide gives the exact numbers, the kidney findings from the same review, the lipid note in the angina trials, the one trial where lipids did not move, and who all of this covers.
It Lowered Cholesterol in People with Diabetic Kidney Disease
A 2020 review of 24 trials in 1,918 people with diabetic kidney disease compared notoginseng preparations plus conventional medicines with the medicines alone (Tang 2020). Total cholesterol fell by 1.56 mmol/L more in the notoginseng groups, with a likely range of 0.78 to 2.33 mmol/L. In the units used in the United States, 1.56 mmol/L is about 60 mg/dL.
LDL cholesterol, the kind that builds plaque, fell by 0.94 mmol/L (likely range 0.40 to 1.49), about 36 mg/dL. Triglycerides, the fat the blood carries after a meal, fell by 0.56 mmol/L (likely range 0.31 to 0.80), about 50 mg/dL. The review searched for Xuesaitong, Xueshuantong and Lulutong, so the preparations were hospital saponin products in capsules and injections, and the authors asked for better trials.
It Protected the Kidneys in the Same Review
The same 24 trials measured the kidneys. Protein in the urine fell by 0.32 grams per 24 hours, albumin in the urine fell by 26.89 mg on the measure the trials used, and serum creatinine, a waste product that rises as kidneys weaken, fell by 4.52 micromol/L (likely range 0.32 to 8.71) (Tang 2020). Less protein leaking into the urine is the sign doctors watch in diabetic kidney disease. The authors wrote that the preparations appeared to benefit kidney function and lipid metabolism when added to conventional medicines.
The Angina Trials Saw Lipids Move Too
A 2018 review of 17 trials of oral notoginseng saponins in people with unstable angina found fewer and shorter angina attacks and less nitroglycerin use, and the authors listed improved lipids among the results (Duan 2018). The abstract gives no pooled lipid figure, so the size of that change is not known from the summary. Nine of the 17 trials reported on side effects, and the authors called the oral saponins safe so far. The angina record is in notoginseng for heart health.
One Trial Where Lipids Did Not Move
A 2004 double-blind trial of 120 people with blood hyperviscosity syndrome compared Xuesaitong capsules with aspirin for 28 days (Wang 2004). Platelet markers changed, as notoginseng for circulation describes, and triglycerides, total cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol did not change in either group. Four weeks is a short window for lipids, and this trial was built to measure platelets. The lipid result from it is no change.
Who the Cholesterol Result Is For
Every trial in the 2020 review was in people with diabetic kidney disease, on medicines, in Chinese hospitals, taking standardised saponin preparations. No trial has tested notoginseng for cholesterol in healthy people, in people with high cholesterol alone, or with the raw powder sold as a supplement. If you have diabetes with kidney involvement, the pooled result is the one that applies to you, and it was measured on top of your medicines, not in place of them.
How People Take It for Lipids
In the trials the preparation rode alongside the usual medicines for the kidney condition. At home the species comes as raw or steamed powder, capsules and sliced root; steamed root is the traditional nourishing form, raw root the circulation form, and no trial has compared them for cholesterol. Notoginseng dosage lists the doses the oral trials used, and raw vs steamed notoginseng explains the two forms.
What Users Report
People who take notoginseng alongside a statin often report that it is easy to take daily and sits well with their other medicines. Some say their next lipid panel came back better, a change that cannot be separated from the medicines they also take. These are reports, not trial findings.
Safety Notes
Talk with your doctor before taking notoginseng if you take warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel or any blood thinner, and tell them if you take a statin or diabetes medicines. Stop it before surgery. Avoid it in pregnancy and breastfeeding, where there are no trials. In the 2020 review the preparations were taken with conventional medicines across all 24 trials, and in the 2023 stroke trial of 2,966 people serious side effects were 1.0 percent on the saponin capsule and 1.1 percent on placebo (Wu 2023). More in notoginseng side effects.
In 24 trials, notoginseng preparations added to usual medicines lowered total cholesterol by 1.56 mmol/L in people with diabetic kidney disease.
References
- Tang X et al. 2020. Panax notoginseng preparations as adjuvant therapy for diabetic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pharm Biol.
- Duan L et al. 2018. Efficacy and safety of oral Panax notoginseng saponins for unstable angina patients: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Phytomedicine.
- Wang J et al. 2004. Effect of Radix notoginseng saponins on platelet activating molecule expression and aggregation in patients with blood hyperviscosity syndrome. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi.
- Wu L et al. 2023. Efficacy and Safety of Panax notoginseng Saponins in the Treatment of Adults With Ischemic Stroke in China: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open.
Nothing here is medical advice. If you take prescription medication, talk with your doctor before adding notoginseng.
