You are probably familiar with ginger as a culinary spice. But it's also a widely used medicinal herb as well. The root of the ginger plant is sliced and used fresh in foods, or it can be juiced or dried and ground into powder for medicinal treatments, says Medicinal Herb Info. The U.S. National Library of Medicine says that ginger has been used in Chinese, Indian (Ayerveda), Japanese and other cultures as a healing agent for many centuries. The oleoresin in ginger is the active component that gives the ginger root its medicinal abilities. There has been a lot of recent research on ginger and its potential as a healing agent but before you begin to treat any health conditions with ginger, discuss it with your health-care provider.
Anti-Cancer & Liver Protection Abilities
A recent research study was conducted at The University of Tokyo Department of Biotechnology in Tokyo and published in the September 2010 issue of "Chembiochem." This study reports that ginger has both anticancer and liver protective properties.
Chemotherapy Nausea Relief
One of the more difficult side effects from chemotherapy is the nausea. A recent research study looked at ginger for its potential in helping to reduce the nausea caused by chemotherapy. The study was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi and its results were published in the September 2010 edition of "Pediatric Blood & Cancer." The study concluded that ginger was effective in reducing the severity of nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy.
Lower Cholesterol
Ginger is also beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels. A recent study held at Cairo University Department of Pharmacology in Cairo, Egypt and whose results were published in the August 2010 issue of "Inflammopharmacology" concluded that ginger notably reduced cholesterol levels in the test animal subjects. However, more research needs to be done in human subjects to confirm ginger's success in lowering cholesterol in humans.
Migraine Relief
A treatment consisting of a combination of feverfew and ginger called Gelstat Migraine was studied to find out how effective it was in treating migraine headaches. The study was conducted at the Cinvest, Inc. Headache Care Center in Springfield, Missouri and its findings were published in the September 2005 edition of "Medical Science Monitor." Patients took the preparation by placing it under their tongue as the first symptoms of migraine began. The study concluded that the test subjects' migraines were reduced in both severity and duration.
Relief of Nausea During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, many women suffer from regular bouts of nausea and vomiting, also known as morning sickness. A recent research study looked at the effectiveness of ginger as a treatment for morning sickness. This study was held at Shahid Beheshti Medical science University in Tehran, Iran and its results were published in the March 2009 issue of "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine." The study concluded that ginger is an effective remedy for vomiting and nausea during pregnancy.
Cancer Treatment
A very recent research study was conducted at National University of Singapore and its results were published in the August 2010 edition of the "British Journal of Pharmacology." The study showed that a component of ginger was effective in preventing breast cancer cells from spreading. The conclusion of the research is that ginger shows promise for future anti-metastatic treatments.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
There has also been some recent study of the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger. One study that will appear in the September 2010 issue of "Fitoterapia" was able to isolate and observe the anti-inflammatory effects of ginger and even began to determine some of the reasons the herb is so successful in treating inflammations.
References
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: Ginger
- Medicinal Herb Info: Ginger
- PubMed.gov: Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in ginger (Zingiber officinale).
- PubMed.gov: 6-Shogaol, an active constituent of ginger, inhibits breast cancer cell invasion by reducing matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression via blockade of nuclear factor-kappaB activation.
- PubMed.gov: Effects of ginger capsules on pregnancy, nausea, and vomiting.
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