Following are a few articles about the incredible healing and pain relieving potency Ginger, Turmeric and relatives have. The following research evidently confirms what has been practiced in Thailand for Centuries. At Patcharapat Spa we have been successfully using these and other Thai curative medicinal Hebs (Luk Pra Kop = Thai Herbal composition) to treat and heal various issues. We only use fresh sourced Thai Herbs for Luk Pra Kop Herbal compositions. For more information about them please see our testimonial page and tripadvisor ratings. |

Ginger is well known in many Cultures to treat a multitude of Health conditions from Cold to Cancer. Do a search on the net and you will find 100's of sites describing it's incredible and diverse healing powers. However most under valued, unknown is the use and application for treat Pain, Inflammation, range of motion issues. Millions today are suffering from a variety of pain full conditions due to injuries, repetitive motion and now more often because of long hours working on the Computer.
Yet Ginger is only one Herb out of a family of 500, Turmeric is another top inflammatory Pain Healer that is as well used to treat a multitude of other Diseases. In Thailand Herbs of the Ginger Family have been incorporated into a Herbal Compress called Luk Pra Kop these Herbs work in a variety of ways to treat, relief, reverse and heal various ailments from Muscles, ligaments Nerve and are effective regardless of the official disease name.
Nothing within the modern-day pharmaceutical armamentarium comes even remotely close to Ginger, and Turmeric's 6,000 year track record of safe use in Ayurvedic medicine.
Turmeric studies
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/science-confirms-turmeric-effective-14-drugs
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/topic/18768/focus/5167/page
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72
http://bembu.com/ginger-benefits
http://thenerdyfarmwife.com/14-way-use-ground-ginger/
By Case Adams, ND
RealNatural.org
Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) is one of the most versatile food-spice-herbs known. Ginger is a fundamental herbal treatment among among Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Traditional Thai Medicine, Japanese Kampo Medicine and various others.
Finally, researchers are getting wind that ginger can treat numerous ailments – as purported in these traditional medicines thousands of years ago.
In fact, in the past five years, a number of human clinical studies have shown some of ginger’s amazing properties to treat and prevent various disease conditions—just as predicted by the ancient medicines.
‘Universal Medicine’ in Ayurveda In Ayurveda—the oldest medical practice still in use—ginger is the most recommended botanical medicine. As such, ginger is referred to as vishwabhesaj—meaning “universal medicine”—by Ayurvedic physicians.
An accumulation of studies and chemical analyses in 2000 determined that ginger has at least 477 active constituents. Each of these constituents can stimulate a slightly different physiological mechanism in the body—often moderating the mechanisms of other constituents. This is one of the secrets, by the way, of traditional herbs. Their constituents buffer and balance each other.
Anti-inflammatory effects Many of ginger’s active constituents have anti-inflammatory and/or pain-reducing effects. Research has illustrated that ginger inhibits COX and LOX enzymes in a balanced manner. This allows for a gradual reduction of inflammation and pain without the negative GI side effects that accompany NSAIDs. Ginger also stimulates circulation, inhibits various infections, and strengthens the liver.
Ginger has therefore been used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory ailments, fevers, nausea, colds, flu, hepatitis, liver disease, headaches and many digestive ailments to name a few. Herbalists classify ginger as analgesic, tonic, expectorant, carminative, antiemetic, stimulant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial.
Earlier studies have shown that ginger is an effective remedy for reducing pain associated with arthritis.
Yet as opposed to NSAIDS, ginger does not come with the typical gastrointestinal side effects—notably heartburn and ulcers.
In fact, whole ginger is clinically proven to reduce nausea, stomachache, ulcers and many other gastrointestinal problems.
Here is a review of the last five years of research on ginger by universities and medical centers around the world, sorted by condition:
Osteoarthritis A 2013 study found that ginger applied topically onto the skin can significantly reduce pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis. This study from Australia’s Edith Cowan University studied 20 mostly elderly adults with osteoarthritis.
Another study from Thailand’s Thammasat University found that Plygersic gel – made of ginger (Zingiber officinale) and a ginger relative—plai (Zingiber cassumunar)—significantly reduced knee pain, mobility and quality of life among 50 patients tested.
Another study of 440 people with osteoarthritis were tested with an Ayurvedic combination of ginger plus Tinospora cordifolia, Emblica officinalis and Boswellia serrata. Those given the Ayurvedic combination had pain relief that closely matched the relief of the pharmaceutical drug celebrex (celecoxib). Celecoxib has been plagued with complaints of cardiovascular and other side effects.
A study from Russia’s Central Gastroenterology Scientific Research Institute tested ginger against the NSAID diclofenac with 43 patients with osteoarthritis. The researchers gave 22 patients 340 milligrams of ginger extract for four weeks. The ginger group had similar pain and inflammation reduction as the diclofenac but with less side effects—notably less heartburn symptoms.
Learn more natural solutions to arthritis
For six weeks, researchers from Iran’s Farateb Research Institute treated 92 osteoarthritis patients with either a salicylate ointment or a ginger ointment. After six weeks of topical application twice a day, the ginger ointment significantly reduced pain and morning stiffness, and increased mobility among the patients.
Chemotherapy nausea Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center found, in a study of 576 cancer patients, that ½ gram, one gram and 1.5 grams per day of powdered ginger significantly reduced nausea among patients receiving chemotherapy.
Another study from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences found that ginger root given to chemotherapy patients significantly reduced nausea among bone cancer patients.
Colon Cancer A study from Atlanta’s Emory University found that ginger may reduce colon cancer proliferation. The researchers tested 20 people with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. They gave them two grams of ginger or a placebo for 28 days, and found the ginger group had lower expression of signs of cancer among the intestinal walls.
In a similar study from the University of Michigan Medical School, researchers confirmed that ginger reduced cancer cell expression among intestinal cells as they tested 20 high-cancer risk people—again with two grams per day.
In another study, University of Michigan Medical School researchers studied ginger with 30 patients for 28 days. They found that ginger significantly reduced inflammation markers PGE2, and 12-HETE.
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A study from a Taiwan’s College of Medicine at Kaohsiung Medical University found that fresh ginger is an effective treatment against human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This study tested ginger with infected lung and liver cells.
A study from Iran’s hahid Beheshti University of Medical Science found that ginger improved breathing and oxygenation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Athletic performance and muscle pain Another study found that ginger was effective in increasing athletic performance. The study of 49 women used three grams of ginger powder per day or a placebo. The ginger group had significantly less inflammation and better recovery rates, and reduced muscle pain.
A study from Georgia College and State University studied 34 people and 40 people for 11 days, giving part of each group either raw ginger or heat-treated ginger powder during muscle testing that produced pain. The researchers found that both the raw and the processed ginger reduced muscle pain among the subjects 24 hours later.
Antibiotic A study from King Saud University and India’s Rangasamy College found that ginger successfully inhibited infective species of bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli bacteria.
Difficult menstruation In this study of 70 female university students with difficult menses, subjects were given either ginger (powdered in capsules) or a placebo for three days at the beginning of menstruation. Among the group taking the ginger there was significantly less pain, and 83% reported improved nausea symptoms compared to 47% among the placebo group.
A similar conclusion was found in a study from India’s Holy Spirit Institute of Nursing Education. In this study 75 nursing students were given either one gram of ginger powder twice a day during the first three days of menstruation or progressive muscle relaxation. The researchers found that those given the ginger had significantly less pain and other symptoms of dysmenorrheal than did those receiving the progressive muscle relaxation.
Researchers from the Department of Midwifery at Shahed University tested 102 women with difficult menstruation. They gave the women either a placebo or 1,500 milligrams of powdered ginger in capsules per day for five days during the beginning of menstruation. They found that the ginger group had significantly less pain and other symptoms.
IBS symptoms Forty IBS patients were given either a placebo or Ginger along with Mentha longifolia (Horse mint) and Cyperus rotundus (Java grass or nut grass). After eight weeks, those in the IBS group reported significant improvement in IBS symptoms.
Post-Op Nausea New York Methodist Hospital researchers gave 239 women either ginger or a placebo prior to being given anesthesia for a C-section surgery. Those given the ginger had reduced intraoperative nausea during the C-section. Other symptoms were unaffected.
Glucose sensitivity Researchers from Iran’s Tabriz University of Medical Sciences studied 64 patients with type 2 diabetes. For two months they gave them either two grams per day of powdered ginger or a placebo. The ginger group had significantly lower insulin levels, and improvements in insulin sensitivity. The ginger group also had lower LDL-c levels and triglyceride levels compared with the placebo group.
Weight loss Columbia University researchers found that overweight men given ginger with breakfast burned more calories (thermogenesis), reduced hunger and had a greater sense of fullness.
Migraines Researchers from the Kansas Headache Care Center tested a combination of ginger and feverfew with 60 patients. The patients were treated with a placebo or the combination during a total of 221 migraine attacks. The patients were given the ginger/feverfew combination sublingually.
On average, 63% of those given the combination were pain-free in two hours, compared with 32% of those given conventional drug medication and 16% of those given the placebo.
Digestion A study from Taiwan’s Chang Gung University College of Medicine studied 11 patients with heartburn and found that three capsules of ginger powder containing 300 milligrams each significantly hastened digestion by measuring the rate of emptying of the stomach. The patients were given a meal an hour after the ginger supplement.
Increased gastric emptying was also found by Shahid Beheshti University researchers who studied 32 patients who were hospitalized with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
It should be noted that ginger’s gastrointestinal effects are most prevalent in its whole/raw form. During pulverization, dehydration and extraction, some of ginger’s 477 constituents may be lost.
Here are a few ways to take raw ginger:
REFERENCES:
Therkleson T. Topical Ginger Treatment With a Compress or Patch for Osteoarthritis Symptoms. J Holist Nurs. 2013 Dec 4.
Jenabi E. The effect of ginger for relieving of primary dysmenorrhoea. J Pak Med Assoc. 2013 Jan;63(1):8-10.
Sahib AS. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome using a selected herbal combination of Iraqi folk medicines. J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Jul 30;148(3):1008-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.05.034.
Halder A. Effect of progressive muscle relaxation versus intake of ginger powder on dysmenorrhoea amongst the nursing students in Pune. Nurs J India. 2012 Jul-Aug;103(4):152-6.
Kalava A, Darji SJ, Kalstein A, Yarmush JM, SchianodiCola J, Weinberg J. Efficacy of ginger on intraoperative and postoperative nausea and vomiting in elective cesarean section patients. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2013 Jul;169(2):184-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2013.02.014.
Mahluji S, Attari VE, Mobasseri M, Payahoo L, Ostadrahimi A, Golzari SE. Effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on plasma glucose level, HbA1c and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2013 Sep;64(6):682-6. doi: 10.3109/09637486.2013.775223.
Niempoog S, Siriarchavatana P, Kajsongkram T. The efficacy of Plygersic gel for use in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. J Med Assoc Thai. 2012Oct;95 Suppl 10:S113-9.
Chopra A, Saluja M, Tillu G, Sarmukkaddam S, Venugopalan A, Narsimulu G, Handa R, Sumantran V, Raut A, Bichile L, Joshi K, Patwardhan B. Ayurvedic medicine offers a good alternative to glucosamine and celecoxib in the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, controlled equivalence drug trial. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2013 Aug;52(8):1408-17. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kes414. Epub 2013 Jan 30.
Citronberg J, Bostick R, Ahearn T, Turgeon DK, Ruffin MT, Djuric Z, Sen A, Brenner DE, Zick SM. Effects of ginger supplementation on cell-cycle biomarkers in the normal-appearing colonic mucosa of patients at increased risk forcolorectal cancer: results from a pilot, randomized, and controlled trial. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Apr;6(4):271-81. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-12-0327.
Jiang Y, Turgeon DK, Wright BD, Sidahmed E, Ruffin MT, Brenner DE, Sen A, Zick SM. Effect of ginger root on cyclooxygenase-1 and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase expression in colonic mucosa of humans at normal and increased risk for colorectal cancer. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2013 Sep;22(5):455-60. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0b013e32835c829b.
Chang JS, Wang KC, Yeh CF, Shieh DE, Chiang LC. Fresh ginger (Zingiber officinale) has anti-viral activity against human respiratory syncytial virus in human respiratory tract cell lines. J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Jan 9;145(1):146-51.
Vahdat Shariatpanahi Z, Mokhtari M, Taleban FA, Alavi F, Salehi Surmaghi MH, Mehrabi Y, Shahbazi S. Effect of enteral feeding with ginger extract in acute respiratory distress syndrome. J Crit Care. 2013 Apr;28(2):217.e1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2012.04.017. Epub 2012 Aug 9.
Drozdov VN, Kim VA, Tkachenko EV, Varvanina GG. Influence of a specific ginger combination on gastropathy conditions in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. J Altern Complement Med. 2012 Jun;18(6):583-8. doi: 10.1089/acm.2011.0202.
Rahnama P, Montazeri A, Huseini HF, Kianbakht S, Naseri M. Effect of Zingiber officinale R. rhizomes (ginger) on pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea: a placebo randomized trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Jul 10;12:92. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-92.
Mashhadi NS, Ghiasvand R, Hariri M, Askari G, Feizi A, Darvishi L, Hajishafiee M, Barani A. Effect of ginger and cinnamon intake on oxidative stress and exercise performance and body composition in Iranian female athletes. Int J Prev Med. 2013 Apr;4(Suppl 1):S31-5.
Mansour MS, Ni YM, Roberts AL, Kelleman M, Roychoudhury A, St-Onge MP. Ginger consumption enhances the thermic effect of food and promotes feelings of satiety without affecting metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight men: a pilot study. Metabolism. 2012 Oct;61(10):1347-52. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2012.03.016.
Zahmatkash M, Vafaeenasab MR. Comparing analgesic effects of a topical herbal mixed medicine with salicylate in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Pak J Biol Sci. 2011 Jul 1;14(13):715-9.
Zick SM, Turgeon DK, Vareed SK, Ruffin MT, Litzinger AJ, Wright BD, Alrawi S, Normolle DP, Djuric Z, Brenner DE. Phase II study of the effects of ginger root extract on eicosanoids in colon mucosa in people at normal risk for colorectal cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Nov;4(11):1929-37. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-11-0224.
Ryan JL, Heckler CE, Roscoe JA, Dakhil SR, Kirshner J, Flynn PJ, Hickok JT, Morrow GR. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces acute chemotherapy-induced nausea: a URCC CCOP study of 576 patients. Support Care Cancer. 2012 Jul;20(7):1479-89. doi: 10.1007/s00520-011-1236-3.
Cady RK, Goldstein J, Nett R, Mitchell R, Beach ME, Browning R. A double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study of sublingual feverfew and ginger (LipiGesic™ M) in the treatment of migraine. Headache. 2011 Jul-Aug;51(7):1078-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.01910.x.
Hu ML, Rayner CK, Wu KL, Chuah SK, Tai WC, Chou YP, Chiu YC, Chiu KW, Hu TH. Effect of ginger on gastric motility and symptoms of functional dyspepsia. World J Gastroenterol. 2011 Jan 7;17(1):105-10. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v17.i1.105.
Pillai AK, Sharma KK, Gupta YK, Bakhshi S. Anti-emetic effect of ginger powder versus placebo as an add-on therapy in children and young adults receiving high emetogenic chemotherapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2011 Feb;56(2):234-8. doi: 10.1002/pbc.22778.
Black CD, Herring MP, Hurley DJ, O’Connor PJ. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise. J Pain. 2010 Sep;11(9):894-903. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2009.12.013.
Shariatpanahi ZV, Taleban FA, Mokhtari M, Shahbazi S. Ginger extract reduces delayed gastric emptying and nosocomial pneumonia in adult respiratory distress syndrome patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit. J Crit Care. 2010 Dec;25(4):647-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2009.12.008.
Yet Ginger is only one Herb out of a family of 500, Turmeric is another top inflammatory Pain Healer that is as well used to treat a multitude of other Diseases. In Thailand Herbs of the Ginger Family have been incorporated into a Herbal Compress called Luk Pra Kop these Herbs work in a variety of ways to treat, relief, reverse and heal various ailments from Muscles, ligaments Nerve and are effective regardless of the official disease name.
Nothing within the modern-day pharmaceutical armamentarium comes even remotely close to Ginger, and Turmeric's 6,000 year track record of safe use in Ayurvedic medicine.
Turmeric studies
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/science-confirms-turmeric-effective-14-drugs
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/topic/18768/focus/5167/page
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72
http://bembu.com/ginger-benefits
http://thenerdyfarmwife.com/14-way-use-ground-ginger/
By Case Adams, ND
RealNatural.org
Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) is one of the most versatile food-spice-herbs known. Ginger is a fundamental herbal treatment among among Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Traditional Thai Medicine, Japanese Kampo Medicine and various others.
Finally, researchers are getting wind that ginger can treat numerous ailments – as purported in these traditional medicines thousands of years ago.
In fact, in the past five years, a number of human clinical studies have shown some of ginger’s amazing properties to treat and prevent various disease conditions—just as predicted by the ancient medicines.
‘Universal Medicine’ in Ayurveda In Ayurveda—the oldest medical practice still in use—ginger is the most recommended botanical medicine. As such, ginger is referred to as vishwabhesaj—meaning “universal medicine”—by Ayurvedic physicians.
An accumulation of studies and chemical analyses in 2000 determined that ginger has at least 477 active constituents. Each of these constituents can stimulate a slightly different physiological mechanism in the body—often moderating the mechanisms of other constituents. This is one of the secrets, by the way, of traditional herbs. Their constituents buffer and balance each other.
Anti-inflammatory effects Many of ginger’s active constituents have anti-inflammatory and/or pain-reducing effects. Research has illustrated that ginger inhibits COX and LOX enzymes in a balanced manner. This allows for a gradual reduction of inflammation and pain without the negative GI side effects that accompany NSAIDs. Ginger also stimulates circulation, inhibits various infections, and strengthens the liver.
Ginger has therefore been used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, respiratory ailments, fevers, nausea, colds, flu, hepatitis, liver disease, headaches and many digestive ailments to name a few. Herbalists classify ginger as analgesic, tonic, expectorant, carminative, antiemetic, stimulant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial.
Earlier studies have shown that ginger is an effective remedy for reducing pain associated with arthritis.
Yet as opposed to NSAIDS, ginger does not come with the typical gastrointestinal side effects—notably heartburn and ulcers.
In fact, whole ginger is clinically proven to reduce nausea, stomachache, ulcers and many other gastrointestinal problems.
Here is a review of the last five years of research on ginger by universities and medical centers around the world, sorted by condition:
Osteoarthritis A 2013 study found that ginger applied topically onto the skin can significantly reduce pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis. This study from Australia’s Edith Cowan University studied 20 mostly elderly adults with osteoarthritis.
Another study from Thailand’s Thammasat University found that Plygersic gel – made of ginger (Zingiber officinale) and a ginger relative—plai (Zingiber cassumunar)—significantly reduced knee pain, mobility and quality of life among 50 patients tested.
Another study of 440 people with osteoarthritis were tested with an Ayurvedic combination of ginger plus Tinospora cordifolia, Emblica officinalis and Boswellia serrata. Those given the Ayurvedic combination had pain relief that closely matched the relief of the pharmaceutical drug celebrex (celecoxib). Celecoxib has been plagued with complaints of cardiovascular and other side effects.
A study from Russia’s Central Gastroenterology Scientific Research Institute tested ginger against the NSAID diclofenac with 43 patients with osteoarthritis. The researchers gave 22 patients 340 milligrams of ginger extract for four weeks. The ginger group had similar pain and inflammation reduction as the diclofenac but with less side effects—notably less heartburn symptoms.
Learn more natural solutions to arthritis
For six weeks, researchers from Iran’s Farateb Research Institute treated 92 osteoarthritis patients with either a salicylate ointment or a ginger ointment. After six weeks of topical application twice a day, the ginger ointment significantly reduced pain and morning stiffness, and increased mobility among the patients.
Chemotherapy nausea Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center found, in a study of 576 cancer patients, that ½ gram, one gram and 1.5 grams per day of powdered ginger significantly reduced nausea among patients receiving chemotherapy.
Another study from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences found that ginger root given to chemotherapy patients significantly reduced nausea among bone cancer patients.
Colon Cancer A study from Atlanta’s Emory University found that ginger may reduce colon cancer proliferation. The researchers tested 20 people with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. They gave them two grams of ginger or a placebo for 28 days, and found the ginger group had lower expression of signs of cancer among the intestinal walls.
In a similar study from the University of Michigan Medical School, researchers confirmed that ginger reduced cancer cell expression among intestinal cells as they tested 20 high-cancer risk people—again with two grams per day.
In another study, University of Michigan Medical School researchers studied ginger with 30 patients for 28 days. They found that ginger significantly reduced inflammation markers PGE2, and 12-HETE.
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A study from a Taiwan’s College of Medicine at Kaohsiung Medical University found that fresh ginger is an effective treatment against human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This study tested ginger with infected lung and liver cells.
A study from Iran’s hahid Beheshti University of Medical Science found that ginger improved breathing and oxygenation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Athletic performance and muscle pain Another study found that ginger was effective in increasing athletic performance. The study of 49 women used three grams of ginger powder per day or a placebo. The ginger group had significantly less inflammation and better recovery rates, and reduced muscle pain.
A study from Georgia College and State University studied 34 people and 40 people for 11 days, giving part of each group either raw ginger or heat-treated ginger powder during muscle testing that produced pain. The researchers found that both the raw and the processed ginger reduced muscle pain among the subjects 24 hours later.
Antibiotic A study from King Saud University and India’s Rangasamy College found that ginger successfully inhibited infective species of bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli bacteria.
Difficult menstruation In this study of 70 female university students with difficult menses, subjects were given either ginger (powdered in capsules) or a placebo for three days at the beginning of menstruation. Among the group taking the ginger there was significantly less pain, and 83% reported improved nausea symptoms compared to 47% among the placebo group.
A similar conclusion was found in a study from India’s Holy Spirit Institute of Nursing Education. In this study 75 nursing students were given either one gram of ginger powder twice a day during the first three days of menstruation or progressive muscle relaxation. The researchers found that those given the ginger had significantly less pain and other symptoms of dysmenorrheal than did those receiving the progressive muscle relaxation.
Researchers from the Department of Midwifery at Shahed University tested 102 women with difficult menstruation. They gave the women either a placebo or 1,500 milligrams of powdered ginger in capsules per day for five days during the beginning of menstruation. They found that the ginger group had significantly less pain and other symptoms.
IBS symptoms Forty IBS patients were given either a placebo or Ginger along with Mentha longifolia (Horse mint) and Cyperus rotundus (Java grass or nut grass). After eight weeks, those in the IBS group reported significant improvement in IBS symptoms.
Post-Op Nausea New York Methodist Hospital researchers gave 239 women either ginger or a placebo prior to being given anesthesia for a C-section surgery. Those given the ginger had reduced intraoperative nausea during the C-section. Other symptoms were unaffected.
Glucose sensitivity Researchers from Iran’s Tabriz University of Medical Sciences studied 64 patients with type 2 diabetes. For two months they gave them either two grams per day of powdered ginger or a placebo. The ginger group had significantly lower insulin levels, and improvements in insulin sensitivity. The ginger group also had lower LDL-c levels and triglyceride levels compared with the placebo group.
Weight loss Columbia University researchers found that overweight men given ginger with breakfast burned more calories (thermogenesis), reduced hunger and had a greater sense of fullness.
Migraines Researchers from the Kansas Headache Care Center tested a combination of ginger and feverfew with 60 patients. The patients were treated with a placebo or the combination during a total of 221 migraine attacks. The patients were given the ginger/feverfew combination sublingually.
On average, 63% of those given the combination were pain-free in two hours, compared with 32% of those given conventional drug medication and 16% of those given the placebo.
Digestion A study from Taiwan’s Chang Gung University College of Medicine studied 11 patients with heartburn and found that three capsules of ginger powder containing 300 milligrams each significantly hastened digestion by measuring the rate of emptying of the stomach. The patients were given a meal an hour after the ginger supplement.
Increased gastric emptying was also found by Shahid Beheshti University researchers who studied 32 patients who were hospitalized with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
It should be noted that ginger’s gastrointestinal effects are most prevalent in its whole/raw form. During pulverization, dehydration and extraction, some of ginger’s 477 constituents may be lost.
Here are a few ways to take raw ginger:
- Grate directly into salads and other fresh dishes (potato peeler works great too)
- Top food dishes after cooked with grated ginger
- Put a chunk of root directly into blender when making fruit smoothie
- Peel and take a small bite and chew
- Grate into hot tea after steeping is completed
REFERENCES:
Therkleson T. Topical Ginger Treatment With a Compress or Patch for Osteoarthritis Symptoms. J Holist Nurs. 2013 Dec 4.
Jenabi E. The effect of ginger for relieving of primary dysmenorrhoea. J Pak Med Assoc. 2013 Jan;63(1):8-10.
Sahib AS. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome using a selected herbal combination of Iraqi folk medicines. J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Jul 30;148(3):1008-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2013.05.034.
Halder A. Effect of progressive muscle relaxation versus intake of ginger powder on dysmenorrhoea amongst the nursing students in Pune. Nurs J India. 2012 Jul-Aug;103(4):152-6.
Kalava A, Darji SJ, Kalstein A, Yarmush JM, SchianodiCola J, Weinberg J. Efficacy of ginger on intraoperative and postoperative nausea and vomiting in elective cesarean section patients. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2013 Jul;169(2):184-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2013.02.014.
Mahluji S, Attari VE, Mobasseri M, Payahoo L, Ostadrahimi A, Golzari SE. Effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on plasma glucose level, HbA1c and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2013 Sep;64(6):682-6. doi: 10.3109/09637486.2013.775223.
Niempoog S, Siriarchavatana P, Kajsongkram T. The efficacy of Plygersic gel for use in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. J Med Assoc Thai. 2012Oct;95 Suppl 10:S113-9.
Chopra A, Saluja M, Tillu G, Sarmukkaddam S, Venugopalan A, Narsimulu G, Handa R, Sumantran V, Raut A, Bichile L, Joshi K, Patwardhan B. Ayurvedic medicine offers a good alternative to glucosamine and celecoxib in the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, controlled equivalence drug trial. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2013 Aug;52(8):1408-17. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kes414. Epub 2013 Jan 30.
Citronberg J, Bostick R, Ahearn T, Turgeon DK, Ruffin MT, Djuric Z, Sen A, Brenner DE, Zick SM. Effects of ginger supplementation on cell-cycle biomarkers in the normal-appearing colonic mucosa of patients at increased risk forcolorectal cancer: results from a pilot, randomized, and controlled trial. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Apr;6(4):271-81. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-12-0327.
Jiang Y, Turgeon DK, Wright BD, Sidahmed E, Ruffin MT, Brenner DE, Sen A, Zick SM. Effect of ginger root on cyclooxygenase-1 and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase expression in colonic mucosa of humans at normal and increased risk for colorectal cancer. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2013 Sep;22(5):455-60. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0b013e32835c829b.
Chang JS, Wang KC, Yeh CF, Shieh DE, Chiang LC. Fresh ginger (Zingiber officinale) has anti-viral activity against human respiratory syncytial virus in human respiratory tract cell lines. J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Jan 9;145(1):146-51.
Vahdat Shariatpanahi Z, Mokhtari M, Taleban FA, Alavi F, Salehi Surmaghi MH, Mehrabi Y, Shahbazi S. Effect of enteral feeding with ginger extract in acute respiratory distress syndrome. J Crit Care. 2013 Apr;28(2):217.e1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2012.04.017. Epub 2012 Aug 9.
Drozdov VN, Kim VA, Tkachenko EV, Varvanina GG. Influence of a specific ginger combination on gastropathy conditions in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. J Altern Complement Med. 2012 Jun;18(6):583-8. doi: 10.1089/acm.2011.0202.
Rahnama P, Montazeri A, Huseini HF, Kianbakht S, Naseri M. Effect of Zingiber officinale R. rhizomes (ginger) on pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea: a placebo randomized trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Jul 10;12:92. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-92.
Mashhadi NS, Ghiasvand R, Hariri M, Askari G, Feizi A, Darvishi L, Hajishafiee M, Barani A. Effect of ginger and cinnamon intake on oxidative stress and exercise performance and body composition in Iranian female athletes. Int J Prev Med. 2013 Apr;4(Suppl 1):S31-5.
Mansour MS, Ni YM, Roberts AL, Kelleman M, Roychoudhury A, St-Onge MP. Ginger consumption enhances the thermic effect of food and promotes feelings of satiety without affecting metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight men: a pilot study. Metabolism. 2012 Oct;61(10):1347-52. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2012.03.016.
Zahmatkash M, Vafaeenasab MR. Comparing analgesic effects of a topical herbal mixed medicine with salicylate in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Pak J Biol Sci. 2011 Jul 1;14(13):715-9.
Zick SM, Turgeon DK, Vareed SK, Ruffin MT, Litzinger AJ, Wright BD, Alrawi S, Normolle DP, Djuric Z, Brenner DE. Phase II study of the effects of ginger root extract on eicosanoids in colon mucosa in people at normal risk for colorectal cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2011 Nov;4(11):1929-37. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-11-0224.
Ryan JL, Heckler CE, Roscoe JA, Dakhil SR, Kirshner J, Flynn PJ, Hickok JT, Morrow GR. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces acute chemotherapy-induced nausea: a URCC CCOP study of 576 patients. Support Care Cancer. 2012 Jul;20(7):1479-89. doi: 10.1007/s00520-011-1236-3.
Cady RK, Goldstein J, Nett R, Mitchell R, Beach ME, Browning R. A double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study of sublingual feverfew and ginger (LipiGesic™ M) in the treatment of migraine. Headache. 2011 Jul-Aug;51(7):1078-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.01910.x.
Hu ML, Rayner CK, Wu KL, Chuah SK, Tai WC, Chou YP, Chiu YC, Chiu KW, Hu TH. Effect of ginger on gastric motility and symptoms of functional dyspepsia. World J Gastroenterol. 2011 Jan 7;17(1):105-10. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v17.i1.105.
Pillai AK, Sharma KK, Gupta YK, Bakhshi S. Anti-emetic effect of ginger powder versus placebo as an add-on therapy in children and young adults receiving high emetogenic chemotherapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2011 Feb;56(2):234-8. doi: 10.1002/pbc.22778.
Black CD, Herring MP, Hurley DJ, O’Connor PJ. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise. J Pain. 2010 Sep;11(9):894-903. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2009.12.013.
Shariatpanahi ZV, Taleban FA, Mokhtari M, Shahbazi S. Ginger extract reduces delayed gastric emptying and nosocomial pneumonia in adult respiratory distress syndrome patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit. J Crit Care. 2010 Dec;25(4):647-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2009.12.008.
Health Impact News Editor Comments:
When our family lived on a mountain in the Philippines for several years, there was one man from our community who walked down the mountain every week on market day who was quite well recognized by everyone. That’s because he was over 100 years old!
One day we stopped to talk to him, and I asked him what he felt his secret was to reaching 104 years of age. He replied: “I drink salabat every day.” Salabat is the name the Filipinos give for fresh ginger tea. I am sure there were many other contributing factors to this man’s longevity (coconut oil more than likely was his cooking oil like everyone else in our community), but in his mind ginger tea was at the top!
There is almost always a pot of ginger sitting on top of our stove….
by DAVE MIHALOVIC
Prevent Disease
Along side turmeric, ginger is one of the world’s most potent disease-fighting spices. It has been widely regarded for centuries as a natural remedy for a variety of ailments. The use of ginger is numero uno when it comes to curing common cold and cough. It is also superior to pharmaceutical drugs in defeating cancer, motion sickness and inflammation.
Astoundingly, ginger is even more effective than many cancer drugs at shrinking tumors. Commonly consumed across the world in small doses among food and beverage products, the medicinal properties of ginger far surpass even advanced pharmaceutical inventions.
CancerWhole ginger extract was shown to exert significant growth-inhibiting and death-inductory effects in a spectrum of prostate cancer cells. Over 17 other studies have also reached similar conclusions on ginger’s anticancer benefits, with the spice being shown by peer-reviewed research to positively impact beyond 101 diseases.
The subject of one study based out of Georgia State University, whole ginger extract was revealed to shrink prostate tumor size by a whopping 56% in mice. The anticancer properties were observed in addition to ginger’s role in reducing inflammation as well as being a rich source of life-enhancing antioxidants. But what about cancer drugs? Could this simple spice really topple the advanced pharmaceuticals that are often touted as the ‘only option’ for cancer patients by medical doctors?
It turns out that cancer drugs are not only severely ineffective at permanently shrinking tumors, but they actually make tumors larger and kill the patient more quickly. More specifically, the tumors have been found to ‘metasize’, meaning they come back bigger and more stronger than their original size. What’s more, the ‘metasizing’ was found to be very aggressive. According to scientists Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, the premium priced drugs were little more than death sentences for many patients.
“Whatever manipulations we’re doing to tumors can inadvertently do something to increase the tumor numbers to become more metastatic, which is what kills patients at the end of the day,” said study author Dr. Raghu Kalluri.
InflammationGinger is one of the best pain killers in the world having analgesic properties like the popular ibuprofen, only better. It contains a quartet, gingerols, paradols, shogaols, and zingerone which are active ingredients to reduce pain. Ginger reduces pain-causing prostaglandin levels in the body. A study by researchers found that when people who were suffering from muscular pain were given ginger, they all experienced improvement. The recommended dosage of ginger is between 500 and 1,000 milligrams per day. Drink ginger tea or place shavings in your foods. Either way will get you relief from that recurring pain.
During the past 25 years, many laboratories have provided scientific support for the long-held belief that ginger contains constituents with antiinflammatory properties. The original discovery of ginger’s inhibitory effects on prostaglandin biosynthesis in the early 1970s has been repeatedly confirmed. This discovery identified ginger as an herbal medicinal product that shares pharmacological properties with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but without the side effects.
Ginger suppresses prostaglandin synthesis through inhibition of specific enzymes. An important extension of this early work was the observation that ginger also suppresses inflammatory biosynthesis by inhibiting inflammatory proteins. This pharmacological property distinguishes ginger from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
This discovery preceded the observation that dual inhibitors of these enzymes and inflammatory proteins may have a better therapeutic profile and have fewer side effects than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
The characterization of the pharmacological properties of ginger entered a new phase with the discovery that ginger extract inhibits the induction of several genes involved in the inflammatory response.
These include genes encoding cytokines, chemokines, and the inducible enzymes. This discovery provided the first evidence that ginger modulates biochemical pathways activated in chronic inflammation.
Motion SicknessA study in the journal Lancet involved 36 people highly susceptible to motion sickness. The researchers had the subjects take either two capsules of powdered ginger, an antinausea medication or a placebo, and then, 20 minutes later, spin on a motorized chair for up to six minutes. Taking ginger delayed the onset of sickness about twice as long as taking the medication. The study also found that half the subjects who took ginger lasted the full six minutes, compared with none of those given the placebo or the medication.
A study by Danish scientists looked at 80 naval cadets prone to seasickness and found that those given one gram of ginger powder suffered less in a four-hour period then those given medication.
Researchers have demonstrated that ginger beats dimenhydrate, the main ingredient in motion sickness drugs such as Dramamine, for controlling symptoms of seasickness and motion sickness. Ginger stimulates saliva flow and digestive activity, settles the stomach, relieves vomiting, eases pain from gas and diarrhea, and is effective as an anti-nausea remedy.
Why Is Ginger So Important? “Ginger is very popularly used in Ayurveda for its benefits in digestion and respiratory disorders. It is a wonderful carminative, ant flatulent, stimulant and expectorant,” said Ayurvedic consultant Dr. Jaishree Bhattacharjee. She adds, “Ginger has many useful minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc and few others.”
Zingerone, shogaols, gingerols, and volatile oils give ginger its distinct aroma and flavour, as well as its medical properties. The amount of these therapeutic compounds in ginger is determined by geography, time of harvest, and processing methods.
- See more at: http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/ginger-beats-drugs-in-defeating-cancer-motion-sickness-and-inflammation/#sthash.aJaP17jE.dpuf
Amazing Ginger Detox Bath:
Get Rid of radiation, heavy metals and other health harming poisons
April 4, 2015
Ginger is one spice that I recommend keeping on hand in your kitchen at all times. Not only is it a wonderful addition to your cooking (especially paired with garlic) but it also has enough medicinal properties to fill several books.
Fresh ginger root keeps well in your freezer. If you find yourself nauseous or with an upset stomach, mince up a small amount (about the size of your fingernail) and swallow it. You’ll be amazed at the relief it provides. Yet this is only the beginning…
Therapeutic Benefits of Ginger Noted for Thousands of Years The medicinal uses of ginger have been known for at least 2,000 years in cultures all around the world. Although it originated in Asia, ginger is valued in India, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean, among other regions.
The most commonly used medicinal part of the plant is the rhizome, the root-like stem that grows underground. It’s a rich source of antioxidants including gingerols, shogaols, zingerones, and more. Ginger actually has broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-parasitic properties, to name just several of its more than 40 pharmacological actions.1
Amazing Ginger Sweat Bath This might sound odd but soaking in ginger has some amazing effects on the body from detox to anti-inflammatory properties ginger baths are good on a regular basis or when you have a flu or cold. But beware you will sweat profusely.
Ginger Detox Bath Ingredients
- 1 c. Epsom salts
- 1 c. Baking Soda
- 3 Tbsp. ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp. freshly ground ginger use a muslin tea bag or tea ball (optional)
- A few drops of Ginger essential oil or other scent preference (optional)
1. Fill the tub with hot water.
2. Add Epsom Salts, ginger, baking soda and essential oils
3. Soak for up to 30 minutes
Please remember that the ginger bath will make you sweat profusely for at least an hour afterwards, so wear a bathrobe or sweat clothes. Make sure you drink plenty of water after the bath.
If you have sensitive skin or are allergy-prone, test ginger on your skin for irritation before the bath.
Ginger Has Anti-Inflammatory Properties That May Rival Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) For instance, ginger (like many natural plant compounds) is anti-inflammatory, which makes it a valuable tool for pain relief. In 2001, research showed that ginger oil helped reduce knee pain in people with osteoarthritis.2
In 2013, a study also found that women athletes taking three grams of ginger or cinnamon daily (that’s less than one teaspoon) had a significant decrease in muscle soreness.3 Ginger has even been found to be as effective as ibuprofen in relieving pain from menstrual cramps in women.4
The pain-relieving potential of ginger appears to be far-reaching. Along with help for muscle and joint pain, ginger has been found to reduce the severity of migraine headaches as well as the migraine medication Sumatriptan – with fewer side effects.5
Another recent study, which was presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference, found that adding ginger compounds to isoproterenol, a type of asthma medication called a beta-agonist, enhanced its bronchodilating effects. Because ginger enhances bronchodilation, it may provide a much safer alternative, or at least complement, to current asthma medications on the market.
Ginger Shows Promise as a Cancer and Diabetes Fighter Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties no doubt make it beneficial for many chronic inflammatory diseases including cancer. Indeed, research published in the British Journal of Nutrition6 has demonstrated the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of ginger, suggesting it may be effective in the management of prostate cancer.
Other research shows it has anti-tumor activity that may help defeat difficult-to-treat types of cancer, including lung, ovarian, colon, breast, skin, and pancreatic.7 Furthermore, because ginger helps prevent the toxic effects of many substances (including cancer drugs), it may be useful to take in addition to conventional cancer treatments.8
As for diabetes, ginger appears to be useful both preventively and therapeutically via effects on insulin release and action, and improved carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.
According to one comprehensive review, a clinical trial that was performed found that after consuming three grams of dry ginger powder for 30 days, diabetic participants had a significant reduction in blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol.9 It’s thought that ginger has a positive effect on diabetes because it:
- Inhibits enzymes in carbohydrate metabolism
- Increases insulin release and sensitivity
- Improves lipid profiles
The Power of Ginger for Nausea, Motion Sickness, and Digestive Upset No article about ginger would be complete without highlighting its wonderful use for digestive upsets. In my book, it is one of the best natural remedies if you struggle with motion sickness or nausea (from pregnancy or chemotherapy, for example), ginger should be a staple in your diet. Research shows:
- Taking one gram of ginger daily may help reduce nausea and vomiting in pregnant women, and ginger has been shown to work better than a placebo in relieving morning sickness10
- Daily ginger supplementation reduces the severity of chemotherapy-induced nausea11
- Ginger may help reduce vomiting and other symptoms of motion sickness12
Caution: If you take anti-coagulants, consult your doctor before using ginger.
Source Dr Mercola