Abstract: Although well known as a pleasant tasting cooking spice, it is not so widely known that ginger has been used for thousands of years, worldwide, for its numerous potent healing benefits. Ginger is an especially wonderful ally because its healing benefits are particular to so many of our daily health concerns. Probably best known as a superb digestive aid and nausea reliever, ginger also helps heal ulcers, supports cardiovascular health, reduces pain and inflammation, and speeds recovery from colds and flu while reducing fevers.
Additionally, the National Cancer Institute has recently identified ginger as one of the top ten foods offering the highest levels of anti-cancer activity. Most importantly, ginger accomplishes all these without the side effects associated with drugs. As is true of all botanicals, growing conditions and quality have enormous impact on the quantity of active compounds found in ginger. Look for the highest-grade organic ginger you can find. In many cases, a blend of fresh and dried ginger is most effective.
To a novice, looking at the world of herbs may be a confusing experience. How, in the face of myriad possibilities, do we select which herbs to incorporate into our lives? Some herbs are specialized in their actions and others offer a broader spectrum of beneficial effects. While there are innumerable choices, the truth is that most people, herbalists included, regularly use only a handful of herbs in their daily lives. Very often ginger is one of these herbs.
Ginger: Superherb!!!
Ginger's benefits and actions are so varied and valuable that research herbalist and author, Paul Schulick, refers to it as a "superherb". With a history of use thousands of years long, ginger is one of our oldest plant allies. From Hippocrates and Confucius to the present century, ginger has been commonly used in many cultures and regions of the world.
Today not only is it our most widely cultivated spice, it is also one of the most widely researched. Norman Farnsworth, Ph. D., senior university scholar of pharmacology and Director of the World Health Organization Centre for Traditional Medicine at the University of Illinois, calls ginger "one of the three most thoroughly investigated plants in the history of the world." As is the case with many herbs, current research and clinical studies validate the traditional or "folk" uses of the plant.
Excellent Digestive Tonic
Ginger is such a wonderful addition in our lives because its healing properties are particular to so many of our common, daily health concerns. Specifically ginger is an excellent digestive tonic, a natural anti-inflammatory, and a protective shield against ulcers, heart disease, colds and flu.
Additionally, many people are familiar with ginger's potent anti-nausea action. Numerous clinical trials have documented ginger's ability to ward off the nausea associated with motion sickness, chemotherapy and pregnancy. These trials have found that ginger is as effective as Dramamine or Compazine without any of their associated negative side effects.
Ginger also contributes enormous tonic benefit to the entire digestive system. Since optimal well-being depends upon healthy digestion, this is truly a valuable contribution. At least four studies from China and Japan demonstrate that ginger regulates peristaltic action--the wave-like movement of the muscles that push food and waste through the digestive system. Ginger further enhances digestive health through encouraging and nurturing the growth of beneficial flora in the intestines while simultaneously inhibiting toxic bacteria. These combined actions make it useful for both constipation and diarrhea.
Research also shows that ginger enhances the digestion of both carbohydrates and protein, and stimulates bile secretion. Although papaya is a better known digestive aid, ginger's action is comparable, and more concentrated. Amazingly, it would take 180 pounds of papaya to equal the effect of just one pound of ginger.
What are Eicosanoids?
Perhaps even more impressive is ginger's positive effect on the eicosanoid cascade. While this name may be unfamiliar to many, its actions are not. There are three types of eicosanoids: prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leuketrienes. These hormone-like substances, produced from the interaction of dietary fat and enzymes, regulate virtually every system in the body. Healthy blood pressure, platelet aggregation or clumping, growth and tissue repair, fat metabolism, bronchoconstriction and dilation, immune response, inflammatory and pain response and mucous secretion are all controlled by the balance of different eicosanoids.
Clearly, one of the keys to good health is maintaining this balance. Medical science and the pharmaceutical industry recognize this and have created many drugs in an attempt to manipulate eicosanoid balance. Unfortunately, while they have successfully created some chemicals that do manipulate one group of the compounds, their side effects and actions on other groups have created serious problems.
Consider for a moment the pain and inflammation from rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, a daily complaint for millions of Americans. Although the drugs of choice for many peoples are NSAIDs (aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen), clinical trials have found that ginger is equally as effective in reducing inflammatory eicosanoids.
Reduction in Pain and Swelling
In these trials, ginger users experienced a reduction in pain and swelling. Unlike NSAIDs, however, ginger accomplished this healing benefit without side effects. When we consider that every year many thousands of people develop NSAID-induced ulcers--and at least 3,000 of these people actually die annually--ginger's powerful anti-inflammatory action becomes even more appealing.
As many people know, aspirin is both an anti-inflammatory and an anti-aggregatory for the blood--it inhibits platelet stickiness or clumping thus reducing the risk of certain types of heart disease. Numerous studies have confirmed that the same is true for ginger, it also inhibits platelet aggregation. Moreover, ginger offers additional synergistic benefits. Studies have also documented that it helps to strengthen the heart muscle and reduce cholesterol.
On the basis of current research, a cardiology clinic in Israel now recommends that all of their patients take 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger daily.
Ginger and Ulcers
Unlike aspirin, which may cause ulcers, ginger actually has a healing effect upon them. For the 37 million American people taking prescription ulcer medication every day, this is good news. Both Cimetidine (a common ulcer medication) and ginger reduce the total volume of gastric juices and possess ulcer-preventative properties.
Again, however, ginger accomplishes this without side effects. Additionally, studies have shown ginger to be effective against NSAID-induced ulcers while other pharmaceutical ulcer medications often are not. Another advantage ginger offers is that it helps to maintain optimal pepsin pH (an enzyme that assists digestion of proteins in the stomach) and pharmaceuticals do not.
A recent report in U.S. News and World Report disclosed that pharmaceutical ulcer medications are some of our most unsuccessful and expensive drugs. Apparently they did not include ginger in their investigation!
For as long as humans have been keeping written medical records, we have been using ginger in tea, baths and compresses for a cold or flu. Centuries of empirical evidence demonstrate that ginger prevents colds and reduces both their severity and length, and modern scientific studies have found that it also helps to lower fevers. It is probably ginger's scientifically documented anti-inflammatory, fever reducing, immune-stimulating, antihistamine and cough-suppressing properties that make it the perfect herbal support during cold and flu season.
Ginger has certainly earned the respect and admiration it has garnered over the centuries. Its safety, efficacy and pleasant taste guarantee that it will retain its honored position in the remedy chests of millions of people. Ginger is available in many forms, extracts, syrups, dried powder and fresh. Each form offers slightly different advantages and effects. Many herbalists agree that, for maximum benefit, a combination of fresh and dried ginger is an excellent choice. It is important to choose products offering the 'whole' extract of ginger. Ginger extract is commonly divided into two parts: the juice and the precipitate, a white gummy paste many companies filter out. Research at the University of California, Davis found that while the precipitate alone does not possess much antioxidant activity, when it is left in the juice, the synergistic effect of the precipitate and juice combined doubles the antioxidant activity of the extract!
Ginger: Choose the Highest Grades
Moreover, when selecting ginger, please be aware that quality matters. There are many grades of ginger available. For best results, choose the highest grades. It is also wise to select ginger products manufactured from the 'blue ring' variety of ginger. Medical research has found this particular variety contains the highest level of digestive enzymes. Finally, ginger is a heavily fumigated crop. If you are using concentrated forms of ginger (extracts, syrups and dried powder), you are also potentially receiving concentrated amounts of these chemicals. For this reason, it is wise to seek out organic sources and products.
Eliza Secrist is a Licensed Certified Nutritionist and Wellness Consultant. The former Director of a Women's Resource Center and the Clinic Manager of a Women's Health Center, she has been teaching and counseling for 10 years.
References available upon request.
Author: New Chapter Vitamins
Last Update:: 0000-00-00
