1. Baseline characteristics of included studies.

	Description of participants			Participants disposition (randomized/ analyzed/ completed the trial)	Experimental intervention(s) (Dose) (No of participants, randomized /analyzed) Duration of intervention	Comparator(s) (No of participants, randomized /analyzed)	Outcome measures	Study design Trial period (year to year) Setting (Country)	Funding Support for ginseng for experiment
	Inclusion criteria	Age (years) All participants (Experimental/ Comparator) Comorbidity	Baseline IIEF All participants (Experimental/ Comparator)
Choi 1995	‐ ED classified as type I and type IIb by radioisotope AVS‐penogram ‐ED without organic dysfunction	NR (KRG, 42.8 / placebo, 45.2; trazodon, 43.2) NR	IIEF was not used but measured with RAVS‐penogram NR (NR/NR)	90/90/90	KRG (1800 mg) (30/30) 12 weeks	C1: placebo (30/30)	1) AEs 2) Participant's ability to have intercourse reported by participant (or partner) (self‐reported improvement in erection‐not validated questionnaire)	Parallel 1994‐1994 Urology clinic in 1 university hospital (S.Korea)	‐ KT&G ‐ Ginseng seemed to be supported by KT&G but NR
						C2: trazodone (25 mg) (30/30)
Choi 1999	‐ penile rigidity under 70% on the audio visual sexual stimulation test under psychogenic ED ‐ mild or moderate organic ED ‐ ED from unknown cause or without organic dysfunction	NR (KRG: Korea, 43.4, China, 39.1, Singapore, 50.2 / placebo: Korea, 45.2, China, 42.9, Singapore, 43.9) diabetes (7), hypertension (7), hypercholesterolemia (9)	IIEF was not used but measured with RAVS‐penogram NR (NR/NR)	70/64/64	KRG (1800 mg) (40/37) 12 weeks	Placebo (30/27)	1) AEs 2) Participant's ability to have intercourse reported by participant (or partner) (self‐reported improvement in erection‐not validated questionnaire)	Parallel NR Urology clinics in 2 university hospitals and andrology clinic in 1 local hospital (S.Korea, China and Singapore)	‐ NR ‐ Ginseng was supported by KT&G
Choi 2001	‐ over 20 years old ‐ clinical ED without definite organic cause	45.7 (46.1/45.4) no comorbidities	13.02 (19.82./14.40) in IIEF‐EF (moderate or mild to moderate ED)	50/47/47	KRG (1800 mg) (25/24) 8 weeks	Placebo (25/23)	1) EF (IIEF‐15) 2) AEs	Parallel NR Urology clinic in 1 university hospital (S.Korea)	‐ NR ‐ Ginseng seemed to be supported by KT&G but NR
Choi 2003	‐ over 20 years old ‐ clinical ED without definite organic cause	44.5 (45.1/44.4) NR	IIEF was measured but not reported NR (NR/NR)	30/28/28	KRG (1800 mg) (20/19) 4 weeks	Placebo (10/9)	1) AEs 2) Participant's ability to have intercourse reported by participant (or partner) (GAQ score)	Parallel NR Urology clinic in 1 university hospital (S.Korea)	‐ KT&G ‐Ginseng seemed to be supported by KT&G but NR
de Andrade 2007	‐ 34 to 67 years old ‐ IIEF‐5 scores between 13 and 21 (mild or mild to moderate ED)	NR (52.6/54.3) diabetes (10), hypertension (22), cardiovascular disease (5)	NR (16.4/17.0) (mild or mild to moderate ED)	60/60/60	KRG (3000 mg) (30/30) 12 weeks	Placebo (30/30)	1) EF (IIEF‐5) 2) AEs 3) Participant's ability to have intercourse reported by participant (or partner) (GAQ)	Parallel 2004‐2004 Urology clinic in 1 university hospital (Brazil)	‐ NR ‐ NR
Ham 2009	‐ over 11 points of IIEF scores ‐ ED for more than 3 months	NR (53.2/50.8) diabetes (15), hypertension (17)	NR (17.2/17.7) (moderate or mild to moderate ED) IIEF‐EF	73/69/69	KRG plus ginsenoside (800 mg) (37/35) 8 weeks	Placebo (36/34)	1) EF (IIEF‐15) 2) AEs	Parallel 2007‐2007 Urology clinic in 2 university hospitals (S.Korea)	‐ BT Gin Inc, MoHK ‐ Ginseng was supported by BT Gin
Hong 2002	‐ED without definite organic cause	54 (NR/NR) diabetes (8), hypertension (15), abnormal total serum cholesterol (5), cerebrovascular disease (3), pulmonary disease (5), liver disease (1), BPH (5), history of surgery for rectal cancer (6)	8.93 (8.93/8.93 ) (moderate) IIEF‐5	45/90/90	KRG (2700 mg) (22/45) 8 weeks	Placebo (23/45)	1) EF (IIEF‐5 and IIEF‐15) 2) AEs 3) Participant's ability to have intercourse reported by participant (or partner)(GAQ)	Cross‐over NR Urology clinic in 1 university hospital (S.Korea)	‐ NR ‐ Ginseng was supported by KT&G
Kim 1999	‐ mild vasculogenic impotence (absence of full rigidity on the pharmacologic erection test ‐ peak systolic velocity in the cavernous arteries of 20 to 35 cm/sec)	NR (45.6/44.8) NR	NR (25.7/26.3) measured with Watts Q	26/21/21	KRG (2700 mg) (13/11) 12 weeks	Placebo (13/10)	1) EF (Modified Watts Q)	Parallel NR Andrology clinic in 1 university hospital (S.Korea)	KT&G ‐Ginseng was supported by KT&G
Kim 2009	‐ under 51 points in the total IIEF score ‐ no allergy to ginseng ‐ no acute illness	NR (57.5/ 60.2) diabetes mellitus (19), hypertension (15), hyperlipidaemia (16)	NR (11.89/11.38) (moderate) in IIEF‐EF	143/86/86	TCMG (2000mg) (75/65) 8 weeks	Placebo (68/21)	1) EF (IIEF‐5 and IIEF‐15)	Parallel NR Outpatient department in 1 university hospital (S.Korea)	Kyunghee Univ. Two authors were affiliated with MG production institute
AEs: adverse events; AVS: audio‐visual stimulation; C: comparator; ED: erectile dysfunction; EF: erectile function; GAQ: Global Assessment Questionairre; I: intervention; IIEF: International Index of Erectile Function; KRG: Korean red ginseng; MoHK: Ministry of Health, South Korea; NR: not reported; RAVS: radioisotope audio‐visual stimulation; SD: standard deviation; TCMG: Tissue‐cultured mountain ginseng; Watts Q:Watts Sexual Function Questionnaire. Note: ‐ No studies did the follow‐up for outcomes. ‐ The severity of ED with IIEF‐15 was classified into five categories: no ED (EF score 26 to 30), mild (EF score 22 to 25), mild to moderate (EF score 17 to 21), moderate (EF score 11 to 16), and severe (EF score 6 to 10). ‐ The possible scores for the IIEF‐5 range from 5 to 25, and ED was classified into five categories based on the scores: severe (5‐7), moderate (8‐11), mild to moderate (12‐16), mild (17‐21), and no ED (22‐25).