The paper aimed to review the influences of ginseng on the metabolism of foreign substances and on the activity of hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme system in mouse or rat liver. It has been known that ginseng components reduces the motality rates and the toxic effects induced by foreign materials. Chronic pretreatment of mouse or rat with ginseng extract fractions or saponin caused the increase in the metabolism of foreign materials and the activity of drug metabolizing enzymes, such as cytochrome $P_{450}$, NADPH cytochrome C reductase and glucuronyl S-transferase in liver. Thus, it may be concluded that decrease in toxic effect of foreign substances by ginseng pretreatment may be partly related to the induction of drug metabolizing enzymes in liver.