Guest guest Posted May 16, 2004 Report Share Posted May 16, 2004 http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0820/n225/18230840/print.jhtml This story was printed from LookSmart's FindArticles where you can search and read 3.5 million articles from over 700 publications. http://www.findarticles.com The Healing Power of Ginger. (includes bibliography)(The Herbalist) Vegetarian Times, May, 1996, by Paul Schulick WHAT DO YOU THINK OF when someone mentions ginger? Most people probably associate it with gingerbread, a warming tea or Asian cooking. This spicy herb, however, is much more than a flavorful addition to food; it's a treasure chest of healing power. I think of it as a superherb, a title I don't bestow lightly. Ginger deserves this accolade because it is a plant that has been proven to be safe and effective through the experience of millions of people and scores of clinical studies; it alleviates dozens of specific ailments; and it generally supports overall vitality and well-being. Norman Farnsworth, Ph.D., senior university scholar of pharmacognosy and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine at the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Pharmacy, calls ginger " one of the three most thoroughly investigated plants in the history of the world. " (The other two are garlic and ginseng. I empathize with the skeptic every time I begin to list the benefits of ginger, but scientific research backs its use as an extraordinary, digestive tonic, an anti-inflammatory agent and a shield against ulcers, colds and flu, and heart disease. Here's a look at these healing properties. GIVING PAUSE TO NAUSEA Ginger possesses an and-nausea effect, that is probably unrivaled in the plant kingdom. Of all its properties, this has been ginger's ticket to mainstream recognition. Ginger's benefits in this area are wide ranging: It has been found to ward off nausea associated with motion sickness, chemotheraphy, gyncological surgery and pregnancy. The best-known study on ginger and motion sickness was published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. For this study, subjects susceptible to motion sickness were placed in rotating chairs. The researchers found that taking 940 milligrams (mg.) of powdered ginger 20 to 25 minutes before the experiment countered nausea more effectively than taking 100 mg. of Dramamine, a popular over-the-counter motion-sickness drug. Ginger's ability to help relieve the nausea associated with chemotherapy has been the subject of three studies over the past nine years, all with positive findings. The most notable was a double-blind study conducted at the University of Alabama in which 2 0 leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy found that adding ginger to their regular dose of the antinausea drug Compazine reduced their symptoms more effectively than the drug alone. Like chemotherapy, recovery from surgery also can cause nausea. In a British study, 60 women recovering from a variety of gynecological surgeries--including laparoscopy and hysterectomy--found that 1 gram (g.) of powdered ginger alone provided as much relief as the anti-nausea drug metoclopramide, which has such potentially serious side effects as depression and involuntary muscle contractions. Ginger also can assuage morning sickness. In a Danish study, 70 percent of women reported that when they took 250 mg. of ginger capsules four times a day, they felt significantly less nauseated than when they took a placebo. If you're pregnant, you should be aware that because ginger historically has been used to stimulate menstruation, there is some concern in scientific circles that it has the potential to cause miscarriage. However, the amount of powdered herb that would be used to stimulate menstruation is much greater than that used to ease nausea--5 g. or more, compared to 1 g. or so. Furthermore, there never has been a recorded incident of ginger causing miscarriage. While it's best to be cautious, I feel very comfortable recommending a limited amount of ginger during pregnancy. HOW AN HERBALIST SPELLS RELIEF One of the tenets of holistic medicine is that good digestion is key to better health. Natural-healing texts dating as far back as ancient China and India have applauded ginger as the herb of choice for healthy digestion, and modem science offers every justification for such acclaim. Included under ginger's expansive umbrella as a digestive tonic are its abilities to enhance fat and protein digestion, and increase the growth of beneficial intestinal flora. At least four studies from China and Japan have demonstrated that ginger regulates peristalsis, the wave-like movement of muscles in the digestive tract that pushes food and waste through the digestive system. This effect enables ginger to ease both diarrhea and constipation, whether these are the result of illness or eating habits. This may also be why ginger is so effective at easing gas pains; though there have been no specific studies on ginger's anti-gas effect, centuries of empirical evidence dearly back its use. Research shows that ginger also enhances the metabolism of both fat and protein, helping the body make better use of these macronutrients. Scientists at the University of Minnesota compared an enzyme in ginger called zingibain with papain, a papaya enzyme well-known for its ability to digest protein, and found that their actions were comparable. Amazingly, though, it would take 180 pounds of papaya to equal the effect of just one pound of ginger. Ginger also helps us produce more of the friendly bacteria that inhabit our intestines. These bacteria supply several B vitamins, folic acid and vitamin K, as well as keep in check potentially harmful bacteria that also inhabits the gut, such as E. coli and candida. A Norwegian study found that ginger multiplied the growth of one lactobacillus species (a friendly variety) by almost five times. Ginger may also be used as a remedy for food poisoning, because while the herb encourages friendly flora, it also has been found to destroy five potentially virulent strains of bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. AN HERB WITH HEART Ginger's benefitto the circulatory system was one of those serendipitous research discoveries. In 1980, a medical researcher at Cornell Medical School was conducting tests on his own platelets, a component in blood that plays a major role in dotting. The researcher observed that his blood acted as if he had been taking a daily dose of aspirin, a preventive measure that reduces the tendency of platelets to stick together and cause blood clots. However, he wasn't in the habit of taking aspirin; after a bit of detective work, he concluded that a ginger-rich marmalade he had eaten the night before was the key. He proceeded to isolate ginger's constituents and was able to confirm their " anti-stick " action on blood platelets from three other researchers. He concluded that ginger possesses a structure and biochemical action similar to aspirin and published his findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. Since the Cornell research, at least 20 studies have elaborated on in ginger's potential benefit to the circulatory system. Research from Japan has focused on ginger's profound antioxidant properties. One study found ginger to be one of nature's most potent sources of antioxidants, containing at least 12 constituents that are each more powerful than vitamin E, which has been shown to prevent heart disease. One major constituent of ginger surpassed vitamin E's antioxidant potential by 40 times. But most of the circulatory-system research on ginger has centered not on antioxidants, but on compounds called eicosanoids (pronounced eye-ko'-si-noids). The body obtains eicosanoids from dietary fat and breaks them down into various compounds, including different types 6f prostaglandins, some of which can increase platelet stickiness and cause inflammation. Proper balance of prostaglandins is now widely recognized as being a key not only to healthy circulation, but also to checking the inflammatory processes common to migraine headaches and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. A combination of test-tube studies and human studies in India, Japan and Denmark have demonstrated that at least five elements in ginger can beneficially affect the eicosanoids responsible for blood stickiness and chronic inflammatory conditions. A leader in this research is Krishna Srivastava, Ph.D., of Odense University in Denmark. After publishing four studies on ginger's effect on eicosanoids, he conducted two clinical trials with a total of 63 patients suffering from muscle pain, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The studies found that an average of 5 g. of fresh ginger or 1 g. of powdered ginger taken daily afforded " marked relief " from pain for 55 percent of the osteoarthritis patients and 74 percent of the rheumatoid patients, with the notable benefit of no side effects. (Some patients took more ginger on their own, as much as 4 g. of powder; Srivastava found that the more ginger, the greater the relief.) For many of these patients, this was their first break from pain in years. HAS TAGAMET MET ITS MATCH? Ulcers affect 25 million men and 12 million women in the United States each year. In five different rat studies conducted in Japan, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, researchers isolated at least six potent anti-ulcer constituents in ginger that could protect digestive tissue against ulcers caused by stress, alcohol and aspirin. In one Brazilian study, researchers found that Tagamet, a popular drug used to treat ulcers, did work better on severe lesions than did the herb. However, they observed what may be important differences in the way ginger and Tagamet affect stomach acidity. Ginger caused little change in normal pH values while Tagamet significantly raised pH, making the stomach more alkaline and potentially interfering with the activity of pepsin, an important protein-digesting enzyme that requires an acidic environment. This in turn could result in greater susceptibility to infections and compromise the body's ability to use protein, B 1 2 and iron. These effects haven't yet been confirmed by research, and ginger's anti-ulcer effects haven't been studied in humans. But consider that Tagamet's side effects include diarrhea, nausea and liver damage ailments that ginger actually treats--and that according to U.S. News and World Report, patients who use Tagamet and similar drugs experience a 90 percent ulcer recurrence rate, costing the average consumer approximately $10,000 over a 15-year period. I've had at least a dozen people ten me that they've cured their ulcers with ginger; dearly, this herb's ulcer-beating potential merits more research. COLD COMFORT Since the beginning of written medical records, ginger has been used in tea, baths and chest compresses as one our most important allies during a cold or flu. Centuries of empirical evidence show that it prevents colds and reduces their length and severity, and scientific research has found that it reduces fevers. A combination of scientifically verified anti-inflammatory, fever-lowering, immunity-stimulating, antihistamine and cough-suppressant properties appear to give it its power. Japanese research showed ginger juice to have an immunity-stimulating potency similar to the active principle in shiitake mushroom, an approved anti-cancer drug in Japan. In another study, ginger's cough-suppressing properties were deemed equal to codeine. WHAT'S THE DOSAGE? Ginger is an herb with no known toxicity, so for general health and well-being, I encourage people to eat as much fresh ginger as they like (see exceptions below). Ginger is spicy, and some people may experience a burning sensation in their mouth or stomach; this isn't harmful but if it causes discomfort, start with a small amount and gradually increase it. The part of ginger that is used is the rhizome (often mistakenly called the root), which is available in the produce section of your grocery store. I also suggest a daily dose of at least 2 g. (I teaspoon) of dried, powdered ginger, either in food or supplements, because dried ginger offers a different emphasis in benefits. Generally, research suggests that powdered ginger has more potent anti-inflammatory properties than fresh, while fresh is a more powerful liver protector and anti-parasitic. Paradoxically, although some ginger can benefit the following conditions, its use should also be limited if you are on any type of heart medication (because ginger may undesirably increase the effects of the drugs); plan to undergo surgery (due to the anti-clotting factor); or are pregnant. Under these circumstances, it is prudent to not exceed a daily intake of 1 g. of powder and 6 g. (equal to about 1 teaspoon) of fresh ginger. The dosages for the conditions discussed in this article are as follows: * Motion sickness: Take 1/2 g. of powdered ginger or 1/2 teaspoon of fresh every 15 minutes for an hour before you travel; continue this. dosage during the trip if you have any signs of illness. * Nausea from chemotherapy or surgery: A week before chemotherapy, take 2 g. powdered ginger daily. If you're already undergoing chemo, your digestive tract will be sensitive, so start with just 250 mg. of powdered ginger daily, gradually increasing to a level that is comfortable and effective. * Digestion: As a digestive tonic, you can take 1 g. of powdered ginger before or after a meal. You can also make a digestive tea. Simmer about 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger in a cup of water for 15 minutes, then strain. * Ulcers, heart disease and inflammatory ailments: For these serious conditions, it is best to seek the counsel of a trained herbalist or a medical practitioner schooled in the use of botanicals. Dramatic benefits can require high doses; research found that the greatest relief of arthritis pain, for example, occurred with a daily intake of up to 7 g. of powdered ginger and 5 0 g. of fresh rhizome. * Colds and flu: Take 1/2 g. to 1 g. per hour of powdered ginger in capsules for two to three days. RELATED ARTICLE: Further Reading * Anaesthesia, August 1990 * Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry, 1992, vol. 1 * European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, January 1991 * Fitoterapia, 1992, vol. 63. * Health Sciences Journal, 1987, vol. 47( * Journal of Communicable Diseases, September 1985 * Journal of Food Science, 1993, vol. 58 * The Lancet, Mar. 20, 1982 * Medical Hypothesis, May 1989 and December 1992. * Microbial Associations, Interactions and Food Processing, 1984 * New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 303(13) * Pharmacobiodynamics, November 1984--P.S. COPYRIGHT 1996 Vegetarian Times, Inc. All rights reserved. in association with The Gale Group and LookSmart. COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group _________________ JoAnn Guest mrsjoguest DietaryTipsForHBP http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest The complete " Whole Body " Health line consists of the " AIM GARDEN TRIO " Ask About Health Professional Support Series: AIM Barleygreen " Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future " http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER We have made every effort to ensure that the information included in these pages is accurate. However, we make no guarantees nor can we assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process discussed. SBC - Internet access at a great low price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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