Ginger has been shown to have a range of medicinal benefits. It has been found to be more effective than drugs at treating motion sickness and nausea. Ginger is useful in alleviating gastrointestinal distress, including nausea of pregnancy (powder). Recent studies have found that Ginger lowers blood cholesterol and reduces blood clotting. The pungent compound, gingerol, has been found to have a structure similar to the well-known anticoagulant aspirin, which may explain the similar effect that the two compounds have on prostaglandins.
Ginger has been shown to have significant effects against inflammation and platelet aggregation, important in cardiovascular health and arthritic conditions. Some researchers speculate that certain constituents of ginger might inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX), important in pain relief. Ginger has been shown to relieve pain, improve joint mobility, decrease swelling and morning stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis. Ginger is also a very effective antibiotic agent and strong antioxidant.
Ginger also has an antipyretic (reduces fever) and antitussive (reduces cough) effect and is a peripheral circulatory stimulant. Ginger constituents such as shogaols and galanolactone seem to act on serotonin receptors. Galanolactone seems to act primarily on 5-HT3 receptors in the small bowel, receptors affected by some prescription antiemetics such as ondansetron (Zofran). There is preliminary evidence that ginger may also have hypoglycemic, hypotensive or hypertensive, and hypocholesterolemic effects.
May be beneficial in epilepsy, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, morning sickness, osteoarthritis, vertigo, atherosclerosis, gastro intestinal disorders, hayfever, HIV support, low back pain, migraine headaches and rheumatoid arthritis.
Published Clinical Studiesclin
Evaluation of nitric oxide scavenging activity of certain spices in vitro: a preliminary study.1
Baliga MS, Jagetia GC, Rao SK, Babu K.
Department of Radiobiology Kasturba Medical College, Manipal-576 119, Karnataka, India.
The plant extracts of some commonly used spices were examined for their possible regulatory effect on nitric oxide (NO) levels using sodium nitroprusside as a NO donor in vitro. Most of the extracts tested demonstrated direct scavenging of NO and exhibited significant activity and the potency of scavenging activity was in the following order: Foeniculum vulgare (aqueous) > Citrus limettiodes > Murraya koenigii (seed, aqueous) > Murraya koenigii (leaf, aqueous) > Curcuma aromatica (aqueous) > Murraya koenigii (leaf, dichloromethane:methanol) > Mentha arvensis (chloroform) > Mentha arvensis (aqueous) > Curcuma longa > Gingko biloba > Foeniculum vulgare (dichloromethane:methanol) > Zingiber officinale (aqueous) > Curcuma aromatica (ethanolic) > Murraya koenigii (seed, dichloromethane:methanol). All the evaluated extracts exhibited a dose-dependent NO scavenging activity. The aqueous extract of Foeniculum vulgare showed a greatest NO scavenging effect of 79.75% at 62.5 microg/mL as compared to the positive control, Gingko biloba where 36.22% scavenging was observed at similar concentration. The present results suggest that these spices might be potent and novel therapeutic agents for scavenging of NO and the regulation of pathological conditions caused by excessive generation of NO and its oxidation product, peroxynitrite.
Publication Types:
PMID: 13678266 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Effective anti-platelet and COX-1 enzyme inhibitors from pungent constituents of ginger.2
Nurtjahja-Tjendraputra E, Ammit AJ, Roufogalis BD, Tran VH, Duke CC.
Herbal Medicines Research and Education Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
BACKGROUND: Based on recent studies, pungent constituents of ginger (Zingiber officinale) and related substances represent a potential new class of anti-platelet agents. The ability of 20 pungent constituents of ginger and related substances to inhibit arachidonic acid (AA) induced platelet activation in human whole blood was studied. METHODS: Anti-platelet activity of the compounds was measured in vitro by the Chrono Log whole blood platelet aggregometer. Molecular hydrophobicity (log P) was measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. COX-1 (ovine) inhibitory effect of [8]-paradol and analogues 1 and 5 was carried out using a COX-1 inhibitor assay kit. RESULTS: [8]-Gingerol, [8]-shogaol, [8]-paradol and gingerol analogues (1 and 5) exhibited anti-platelet activities with IC(50) values ranging from 3 to 7 microM, whilst under similar conditions the IC(50) value for aspirin was 20+/-11 microM. The COX-1 inhibitory activity of [8]-paradol (IC(50)=4+/-1 microM) was more potent than the gingerol analogues (1 and 5) (IC(50) approximately 20 microM). CONCLUSION: The above findings show that gingerol compounds and their derivatives are more potent anti-platelet agents than aspirin under the conditions described in this study. [8]-Paradol, a natural constituent of ginger, was found to be the most potent COX-1 inhibitor and anti platelet aggregation agent. The mechanism underlying AA-induced platelet aggregation inhibition may be related to attenuation of COX-1/Tx synthase enzymatic activity. Lastly, important features of phenolic compounds for inhibition of AA-induced platelet aggregation and COX-1 activity were revealed in this study.
PMID: 14693173 [PubMed - in process]
3
Dietary ginger constituents, galanals A and B, are potent apoptosis inducers in Human T lymphoma Jurkat cells.
Miyoshi N, Nakamura Y, Ueda Y, Abe M, Ozawa Y, Uchida K, Osawa T.
Laboratory of Food and Biodynamics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
The effects of the constituents isolated from ginger species including curcumin, 6-gingerol and labdane-type diterpene compounds on cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in the cultured human T lymphoma Jurkat cells were studied. Among the tested compounds, galanals A and B, isolated from the flower buds of a Japanese ginger, myoga (Zingiber mioga Roscoe), showed the most potent cytotoxic effect. Exposure of Jurkat human T-cell leukemia cells to galanals resulted in the induction of apoptotic cell death characterized by DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation. The mitochondrial damage pathway was suggested to be involved in galanal-induced apoptosis because the treatment of cells with galanals induced mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsim) alteration and cytochrome c release. The anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein was downregulated by the galanal treatment together with enhancement of the Bax expression. In conclusion, the results from this study provide biological evidence that ginger-specific constituents other than curcuminoids are potential anticancer agents.
PMID: 12969783 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Bioassay-guided isolation and identification of antifungal compounds from ginger.4
Ficker C, Smith ML, Akpagana K, Gbeassor M, Zhang J, Durst T, Assabgui R, Arnason JT.
Ottawa-Carleton Institutes of Biology and Chemistry, Carleton University and University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada.
A bioassay-guided isolation of antifungal compounds from an African land race of ginger, Zingiber officinale Roscoe, led to the identification of [6], [8] and [10]-gingerols and [6]-gingerdiol as the main antifungal principles. The compounds were active against 13 human pathogens at concentrations of <1 mg/mL. The gingerol content of the African land race was at least 3 x higher than that of typical commercial cultivars of ginger. Therefore, ginger extracts standardized on the basis of the identified compounds, could be considered as antifungal agents for practical therapy. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PMID: 13680820 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
5
Influence of ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale Rosc) on survival, glutathione and lipid peroxidation in mice after whole-body exposure to gamma radiation.
Jagetia GC, Baliga MS, Venkatesh P, Ulloor JN.
Department of Radiobiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal 576 119, India. gc.jagetia@kmc.manipal.edu
The radioprotective effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of ginger rhizome, Zingiber officinale (ZOE), was studied. Mice were given 10 mg/kg ZOE intraperitoneally once daily for five consecutive days before exposure to 6-12 Gy of gamma radiation and were monitored daily up to 30 days postirradiation for the development of symptoms of radiation sickness and mortality. Pretreatment of mice with ZOE reduced the severity of radiation sickness and the mortality at all doses. The ZOE treatment protected mice from GI syndrome as well as bone marrow syndrome. The dose reduction factor for ZOE was found to be 1.15. The optimum protective dose of 10 mg/kg ZOE was 1/50 of the LD50 (500 mg/kg). Irradiation of the animals resulted in a dose-dependent elevation in the lipid peroxidation and depletion of GSH on day 31 postirradiation; both effects were lessened by pretreatment with ZOE. ZOE also had a dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans.
PMID: 14565823 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
6
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and the gingerols inhibit the growth of Cag A+ strains of Helicobacter pylori.
Mahady GB, Pendland SL, Yun GS, Lu ZZ, Stoia A.
Department of Pharmacy Practice, UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 S. Wood St, MC 877, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. mahady@uic.edu
BACKGROUND: Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) has been used traditionally for the treatment of gastrointestinal ailments such as motion sickness, dyspepsia and hyperemesis gravidarum, and is also reported to have chemopreventative activity in animal models. The gingerols are a group of structurally related polyphenolic compounds isolated from ginger and known to be the active constituents. Since Helicobacter pylori (HP) is the primary etiological agent associated with dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease and the development of gastric and colon cancer, the anti-HP effects of ginger and its constituents were tested in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A methanol extract of the dried powdered ginger rhizome, fractions of the extract and the isolated constituents, 6-,8-,10-gingerol and 6-shogoal, were tested against 19 strains of HP, including 5 CagA+ strains. RESULTS: The methanol extract of ginger rhizome inhibited the growth of all 19 strains in vitro with a minimum inhibitory concentration range of 6.25-50 micrograms/ml. One fraction of the crude extract, containing the gingerols, was active and inhibited the growth of all HP strains with an MIC range of 0.78 to 12.5 micrograms/ml and with significant activity against the CagA+ strains. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that ginger root extracts containing the gingerols inhibit the growth of H. pylori CagA+ strains in vitro and this activity may contribute to its chemopreventative effects.
PMID: 14666666 [PubMed - in process]
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.7
Quinla JD, Hill DA.
Family Practice Residency Program, Naval Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida 32214, USA. jdquinlan@yahoo.com
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, commonly known as "morning sickness," affects approximately 80 percent of pregnant women. Although several theories have been proposed, the exact cause remains unclear. Recent research has implicated Helicobacter pylori as one possible cause. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is generally a mild, self-limited condition that may be controlled with conservative measures. A small percentage of pregnant women have a more profound course, with the most severe form being hyperemesis gravidarum. Unlike morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum may have negative implications for maternal and fetal health. Physicians should carefully evaluate patients with nonresolving or worsening symptoms to rule out the most common pregnancy-related and nonpregnancy-related causes of severe vomiting. Once pathologic causes have been ruled out, treatment is individualized. Initial treatment should be conservative and should involve dietary changes, emotional support, and perhaps alternative therapy such as ginger or acupressure. Women with more complicated nausea and vomiting of pregnancy also may need pharmacologic therapy. Several medications, including pyridoxine and doxylamine, have been shown to be safe and effective treatments. Pregnant women who have severe vomiting may require hospitalization, orally or intravenously administered corticosteroid therapy, and total parenteral nutrition.
Publication Types:
PMID: 12887118 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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