Interactions between various microbes and ginseng botanicals

Three kinds of interactions occur between ginseng botanicals and microorganisms: a) spoilage of the botanical by various fungi (e.g., Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Eurotium species) and bacteria; b) transformation of ginsenosides into more bioactive forms by bacteria such as Intrasporangium sp. GS603, Microbacterium sp. GS514, Caulobacter leidyia, Bifidobacterium sp. Int57, Bifidobacterium sp. SJ32, Fusobacterium sp. and Bacteroides sp., and moulds (e.g., Aspergillus niger, Fusarium sacchari, Paecilomyces bainier sp. 229, Rhizopus stolonifer, Myrothecium verrucaria and Acremonium strictum); and c) inhibition of certain bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), fungi (Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium oxysporum) and viruses by ginseng constituents.