Health Benefits
Historically, ginger has a long tradition of being very effective in
alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. In herbal medicine,
ginger is regarded as an excellent
carminative (a substance which promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) and
intestinal spasmolytic
(a substance which relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract). Modern
scientific research has revealed that ginger possesses numerous
therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to
inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct
anti-inflammatory effects.
Gastrointestinal Relief
A clue to ginger's success in eliminating gastrointestinal distress
is offered by recent double-blind studies, which have demonstrated that
ginger is very effective in preventing the symptoms of motion sickness,
especially seasickness. In fact, in one study, ginger was shown to be
far superior to Dramamine, a commonly used over-the-counter and
prescription drug for motion sickness. Ginger reduces all symptoms
associated with motion sickness including dizziness, nausea, vomiting,
and cold sweating.
Safe and Effective Relief of Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy
Ginger's anti-vomiting action has been shown to be very useful in
reducing the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, even the most severe
form,
hyperemesis gravidum, a condition which usually requires
hospitalization. In a double-blind trial, ginger root brought about a
significant reduction in both the severity of nausea and number of
attacks of vomiting in 19 of 27 women in early pregnancy (less than 20
weeks). Unlike antivomiting drugs, which can cause severe birth defects,
ginger is extremely safe, and only a small dose is required.
A review of six double-blind, randomized controlled trials with a total
of 675 participants, published in the April 2005 issue of the journal, Obstetrics and Gynecology,has
confirmed that ginger is effective in relieving the severity of nausea
and vomiting during pregnancy. The review also confirmed the absence of
significant side effects or adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called
gingerols.
These substances are believed to explain why so many people with
osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their
pain levels and improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger
regularly. In two clinical studies involving patients who responded to
conventional drugs and those who didn't, physicians found that 75% of
arthritis patients and 100% of patients with muscular discomfort
experienced relief of pain and/or swelling.
Arthritis-related problems with your aging knees? Regularly spicing
up your meals with fresh ginger may help, suggests a study published in a
recent issue of Osteoarthritis Cartilage. In this twelve month
study, 29 patients with painful arthritis in the knee (6 men and 23
women ranging in age from 42-85 years) participated in a
placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Patients switched
from placebo to ginger or visa versa after 3 months. After six months,
the double-blind code was broken and twenty of the patients who wished
to continue were followed for an additional six months.
By the end of the first six month period, those given ginger were
experiencing significantly less pain on movement and handicap than
those given placebo. Pain on movement decreased from a score of 76.14 at
baseline to 41.00, while handicap decreased from 73.47 to 46.08. In
contrast, those who were switched from ginger to placebo experienced an
increase in pain of movement (up to 82.10) and handicap (up to 80.80)
from baseline. In the final phase of the study when all patients were
getting ginger, pain remained low in those already taking ginger in
phase 2, and decreased again in the group that had been on placebo.
Not only did participants' subjective experiences of pain lessen,
but swelling in their knees, an objective measurement of lessened
inflammation, dropped significantly in those treated with ginger. The
mean target knee circumference in those taking ginger dropped from
43.25cm when the study began to 39.36cm by the 12th week. When this
group was switched to placebo in the second phase of the study, their
knee circumferences increased, while those who had been on placebo but
were now switched to ginger experienced a decrease in knee
circumference. In the final phase, when both groups were given ginger,
mean knee circumference continued to drop, reaching lows of 38.78 and
36.38 in the two groups.
How does ginger work its anti-inflammatory magic? Two other recent studies provide possible reasons.
A study published in the November 2003 issue of Life Sciences
suggests that at least one reason for ginger's beneficial effects is
the free radical protection afforded by one of its active phenolic
constituents, 6-gingerol. In this in vitro (test tube) study,
6-gingerol was shown to significantly inhibit the production of nitric
oxide, a highly reactive nitrogen molecule that quickly forms a very
damaging free radical called peroxynitrite.
Another study appearing in the November 2003 issue of Radiation Research
found that in mice, five days treatment with ginger (10 mg per kilogram
of body weight) prior to exposure to radiation not only prevented an
increase in free radical damage to lipids (fats found in numerous bodily
components from cell membranes to cholesterol), but also greatly
lessened depletion of the animals' stores of glutathione, one of the
body's most important internally produced antioxidants.
A study published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
sheds further light on the mechanisms of action that underlie ginger's
anti-inflammatory effectiveness. In this research, ginger was shown to
suppress the pro-inflammatory compounds (cytokines and chemokines)
produced by synoviocytes (cells comprising the synovial lining of the
joints), chrondrocytes (cells comprising joint cartilage) and leukocytes
(immune cells).
Protection against Colorectal Cancer
Gingerols, the main active components in ginger and the ones
responsible for its distinctive flavor, may also inhibit the growth of
human colorectal cancer cells, suggests research presented at the
Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, a major meeting of cancer
experts that took place in Phoenix, AZ, October 26-30, 2003.
In this study, researchers from the University of Minnesota's
Hormel Institute fed mice specially bred to lack an immune system a half
milligram of (6)-gingerol three times a week before and after injecting
human colorectal cancer cells into their flanks. Control mice received
no (6)-gingerol.
Tumors first appeared 15 days after the mice were injected, but only 4 tumors were found in the group of -gingerol-treated mice compared to 13 in the control mice, plus the tumors in the -gingerol
group were smaller on average. Even by day 38, one mouse in the
(6)-gingerol group still had no measurable tumors. By day 49, all the
control mice had been euthanized since their tumors had grown to one
cubic centimeter (0.06 cubic inch), while tumors in 12 of the
(6)-gingerol treated mice still averaged 0.5 cubic centimeter—half the
maximum tumor size allowed before euthanization.
Research associate professor Ann Bode noted, "These results
strongly suggest that ginger compounds may be effective chemopreventive
and/or chemotherapeutic agents for colorectal carcinomas."
In this first round of experiments, mice were fed ginger before
and after tumor cells were injected. In the next round, researchers will
feed the mice ginger only after their tumors have grown to a certain
size. This will enable them to look at the question of whether a patient
could eat ginger to slow the metastasis of a nonoperable tumor.
Are they optimistic? The actions of the University of Minnesota strongly
suggest they are. The University has already applied for a patent on
the use of (6)-gingerol as an anti-cancer agent and has licensed the
technology to Pediatric Pharmaceuticals (Iselin, N.J.).
Ginger Induces Cell Death in Ovarian Cancer Cells
Lab experiments presented at the 97th Annual Meeting of the American
Association for Cancer, by Dr Rebecca Lui and her colleagues from the
University of Michigan, showed that gingerols, the active phytonutrients
in ginger, kill ovarian cancer cells by inducing apoptosis (programmed
cell death) and autophagocytosis (self-digestion).
Ginger extracts have been shown to have both antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects on cells. To investigate the
latter, Dr Liu examined the effect of a whole ginger extract containing
5% gingerol on a number of different ovarian cancer cell lines.
Exposure to the ginger extract caused cell death in all the ovarian cancer lines studied.
A pro-inflammatory state is thought to be an important
contributing factor in the development of ovarian cancer. In the
presence of ginger, a number of key indicators of inflammation (vascular
endothelial growth factor, interleukin-8 and prostaglandin E2) were
also decreased in the ovarian cancer cells.
Conventional chemotherapeutic agents also suppress these
inflammatory markers, but may cause cancer cells to become resistant to
the action of the drugs. Liu and her colleagues believe that ginger may
be of special benefit for ovarian cancer patients because cancer cells
exposed to ginger do not become resistant to its cancer-destroying
effects.
In the case of ovarian cancer, an ounce of prevention—in the delicious
form of liberal use of ginger—is an especially good idea. Ovarian cancer
is often deadly since symptoms typically do not appear until late in
the disease process, so by the time ovarian cancer is diagnosed, it has
spread beyond the ovaries. More than 50% of women who develop ovarian
cancer are diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease.
Immune Boosting Action
Ginger can not only be warming on a cold day, but can help promote
healthy sweating, which is often helpful during colds and flus. A good
sweat may do a lot more than simply assist detoxification. German
researchers have recently found that sweat contains a potent
germ-fighting agent that may help fight off infections. Investigators
have isolated the gene responsible for the compound and the protein it
produces, which they have named
dermicidin. Dermicidin is
manufactured in the body's sweat glands, secreted into the sweat, and
transported to the skin's surface where it provides protection against
invading microorganisms, including bacteria such as
E. coli and
Staphylococcus aureus (a common cause of skin infections), and fungi, including
Candida albicans.
Ginger is so concentrated with active substances, you don't have
to use very much to receive its beneficial effects. For nausea, ginger
tea made by steeping one or two 1/2-inch slices (one 1/2-inch slice
equals 2/3 of an ounce) of fresh ginger in a cup of hot water will
likely be all you need to settle your stomach. For arthritis, some
people have found relief consuming as little as a 1/4-inch slice of
fresh ginger cooked in food, although in the studies noted above,
patients who consumed more ginger reported quicker and better relief.
Description
The spice ginger is the underground rhizome of the ginger plant, known botanically as
Zingiber officinale. The plant's botanical name is thought to be derived from its Sanskrit name
singabera which means "horn shaped," a physical characteristic that ginger reflects.
The flesh of the ginger rhizome can be yellow, white or red in
color, depending upon the variety. It is covered with a brownish skin
that may either be thick or thin, depending upon whether the plant was
harvested when it was mature or young. The ginger rhizome has a firm,
yet striated texture and a taste that is aromatic, pungent and hot.
History
Native to southeastern Asia, a region whose cuisines still feature
this wonderfully spicy herb, ginger has been renowned for millennia in
many areas throughout the world. Ginger is mentioned in ancient Chinese,
Indian and Middle Eastern writings, and has long been prized for its
aromatic, culinary and medicinal properties. After the ancient Romans
imported ginger from China almost two thousand years ago, its popularity
in Europe remained centered in the Mediterranean region until the
Middle Ages when its use spread throughout other countries. Although it
was a very expensive spice, owing to the fact that it had to be imported
from Asia, it was still in great demand. In an attempt to make it more
available, Spanish explorers introduced ginger to the West Indies,
Mexico and South America, and in the 16th century, these areas began
exporting the precious herb back to Europe.
