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The world widely uses ginger as a spice and considers it the most well-studied medicinal plant.
In laboratory conditions, researchers have discovered that ginger can cure numerous diseases. However, in practice, utilizing ginger’s medicinal benefits is not always straightforward.
What is ginger?
Zingiber officinale Roscoe, also known as pharmaceutical or medicinal ginger, belongs to the ginger family and is an herbaceous plant native to South Asia. Ginger rhizomes can survive for several years, while stems bearing bright flowers grow anew each year. The rhizome, commonly referred to as ginger, serves both culinary and medical purposes.
A traditional Chinese medicine handbook dating back to 400 BCE first described the medicinal use of ginger. For centuries, people have used ginger to improve digestion, alleviate heartburn and bloating, relieve nausea, and treat diarrhea and constipation.
Furthermore, ginger has been prescribed for a wide range of conditions, such as colds, asthma, arthritis, muscle and toothaches, hypertension, migraines, and many other ailments. The plant’s long and successful history of medicinal use has prompted scientists to conduct serious research on its properties.
How can ginger be useful?
Ginger root contains approximately 400 bioactive compounds, although only 14 of them are potentially useful for medicinal purposes. The primary therapeutic component is gingerol, a phenolic compound responsible for ginger’s pungent flavor.
Alongside gingerol, the root also contains antioxidants such as quercetin, kaempferol, green tea catechins, and rutin. Additionally, the presence of curcumin gives ginger a yellowish hue and links it to turmeric.
The concentration of these therapeutic components in ginger root varies depending on the conditions of cultivation, harvesting, and processing.
In vitro experiments and animal studies have identified several possible mechanisms through which the healing effects of ginger’s beneficial compounds occur. The root’s bioactive compounds have been shown to:
- Constrict blood vessels
- Possess anti-inflammatory and antiemetic effects
- Reduce cholesterol production and enhance glucose uptake by cells
In addition, laboratory studies have demonstrated ginger’s potential as an antioxidant and anti-tumor agent.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that these laboratory studies do not provide sufficient evidence to recommend any particular remedy. For a medication or plant to be considered an effective drug, it must demonstrate efficacy in clinical settings.
What do clinical studies say about ginger?
In recent years, numerous clinical trials have been conducted to assess the efficacy of ginger for treatment. The results of these trials have been compiled in several large meta-analyses and one “umbrella” review.
A meta-analysis is a research technique that combines data from various clinical trials to derive conclusions regarding the effectiveness of a drug or biological supplement.
An “umbrella” review, also referred to as a review of reviews, collates data not from individual clinical trials, but from meta-analyses. As a result, the conclusions of an “umbrella” review are considered the most trustworthy.
To date, published meta-analyses and reviews of ginger root trials have classified all clinical studies into three primary groups.
Impact of ginger on the gastrointestinal tract
In clinical settings, ginger has been shown to be particularly effective as an antiemetic agent for pregnant women. Extracts have been found to reduce episodes of nausea during pregnancy by 7.5 times. The use of supplements has demonstrated comparable effectiveness to medications such as metoclopramide.
Positive results have also been observed in studies investigating the ability of ginger to alleviate nausea associated with motion sickness, chemotherapy, and post-surgery. However, the statistical significance of these findings is lower than in trials examining nausea during pregnancy.
Studies exploring the potential benefits of ginger for improving digestion and gastric emptying have produced promising results. However, additional research is necessary to confirm these benefits.
On the other hand, clinical trials have yet to establish the efficacy of ginger supplements for the treatment of liver fibrosis and irritable bowel syndrome.
- ✅ Proven: Relieves morning sickness during pregnancy.
- ❓ Partially proven: Partially reduces nausea during motion sickness, chemotherapy, and after surgery, and accelerates digestion.
- ⛔ Not proven: There is no evidence to support the effectiveness of this treatment on liver fibrosis and irritable bowel syndrome.
Pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of ginger
Ginger supplements have been shown to effectively relieve menstrual pain in practically all conducted clinical trials. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, were found to have comparable results. One study was an exception, which showed that physical activity and stretching yielded better results than supplements.
Studies have evaluated the pain-relieving effect of ginger on volunteers suffering from headaches, muscle pain, and postoperative pain. Some experiments showed that ginger alleviated pain, while others did not yield any positive results.
Numerous clinical studies have examined the effect of ginger on the condition of patients with knee osteoarthritis. The majority of trials yielded positive results: patients experienced reduced pain, increased joint mobility, and a decrease in inflammatory markers in the blood. However, some studies did not provide any statistically significant evidence of the benefits of ginger.
Therefore, the usefulness of ginger supplements for treating osteoarthritis requires additional evidence, as the results of studies are currently considered mixed.
- ✅ Proven: Reduction of pain during menstruation.
- ❓ Partially proven: Relief of headaches and muscle pain, positive effect on knee osteoarthritis.
Treatment with ginger of metabolic syndrome and obesity
The combination of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity is known as metabolic syndrome, which greatly increases the risk of vascular disease, stroke, and ischemic heart disease.
Laboratory experiments have shown that ginger is useful for treating metabolic syndrome. As a result, clinical trials are actively testing ginger extract.
During these studies, scientists track various indicators that change with metabolic syndrome, including fluctuations in blood pressure, lipid levels, and inflammatory markers, as well as fasting blood glucose levels, insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin, which shows the average amount of glucose in the blood over several months.
The results of studies on the effectiveness of ginger supplements in treating metabolic syndrome are contradictory. While some studies have shown significant improvements in volunteers with metabolic syndrome, others have demonstrated almost no effect.
At present, scientists believe that ginger may be useful for treating metabolic syndrome and preventing its complications. However, additional clinical studies are needed to prove this. A clear supplement regimen needs to be developed as well, as the current lack of a standardized approach may be contributing to the conflicting trial data.
Similarly, the evidence for the effect of ginger on weight loss is inconclusive. While some studies have shown a slight effect of ginger on weight loss, body fat percentage, and waist circumference, there is no clear evidence to support the notion that ginger can aid in weight loss.
There is currently no evidence to support the idea that ginger extracts are beneficial in suppressing appetite, prolonging the feeling of fullness, or accelerating fat burning.
- ❓ Partially proven: Improvement of biochemical indicators, reduction of body fat percentage.
- ⛔ Not proven: Appetite suppression, acceleration of fat burning.
How do official medical organizations evaluate the benefits and safety of ginger?
Clinical studies conducted with high doses of ginger extracts have confirmed its safety. Although some trials have reported mild side effects in volunteers, such as heartburn, nausea, and slight discomfort in the abdomen, no serious complications have been recorded.
Based on these clinical studies, official medical organizations consider ginger supplements to be “generally safe.” However, they do not allow its extracts to be used as the primary method of treatment or as a substitute for medications prescribed by a doctor.
The European Medicines Agency recommends using ginger for therapeutic purposes only for nausea associated with motion sickness and for mild digestive problems such as a feeling of stomach fullness or bloating.
Ginger extract can be used as an adjunctive treatment for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and osteoarthritis with a doctor’s permission. However, individuals with an allergy to ginger should not use it.
How to consume ginger
Ginger can be used in various forms according to personal taste, such as as a spice, seasoning, infusion for herbal tea, in fresh, dried, and pickled form. There are no restrictions on the dietary use of ginger, and it can be consumed by children and pregnant women. However, when ginger is used as a spice, the amount of bioactive compounds that enter the body is minimal, and therefore it will not affect health. For therapeutic purposes, only supplements with extracts of ginger rhizome are used.
However, there is no established dosing regimen for the intake of ginger rhizome extracts, and different dosages have been used in clinical studies for the same diseases. Additionally, there are no established standards for the production of extracts. Therefore, supplements should be used either as prescribed by a doctor or as recommended by the manufacturer.
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