Ginger: herb has long been reputed to have medicinal properties

October 29, 2003

Ginger slows cancer growth in mice: study

MINNEAPOLIS, United States (AFP) - An active compound in the herb ginger appears to inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer cells, US researchers said, citing preliminary experiments in mice.

In a small trial involving 40 mice who were injected with human colorectal cancer cells, the ones given supplements of the compound 6-gingerol showed slower rates of cancer growth, according to a study from the University of Minnesota.

The first tumors appeared 15 days after the beginning of the experiment, and 13 of the control mice had developed measurable tumours by this point.

Among the other 20 mice, who were given human cancer cells but were also fed half a milligram of the ginger compound three times a week, only four had similar-sized tumours by day 15.

By day 38, all of the control mice had measurable tumours. But it was not until 10 days later that all the mice on ginger supplements reached that milestone.

The study protocol called for the animals to be euthanised once the tumour reached a certain size -- about the size of nickel or small coin -- out of concern for the animal's welfare.

All of the control mice reached that point by day 49, whereas 12 of the 20 6-gingerol were still alive on that day.

"The results strongly suggest that ginger compounds may slow the growth of cancers or reduce the size of established tumours," said Ann Bode, an associate professor of research at the University of Minnesota's Hormel Institute in Austin, Minnesota.

Bode presented the findings at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Phoenix, Arizona, Tuesday.

The herb has long been reputed to have medicinal properties: in India, ginger tea is touted as a remedy for the common cold and studies have shown that the herb counteracts motion sickness or nausea as anecdotal evidence suggested it did.

January 14, 2004

not only ginger - read a description on any homoeopathic online forum as Zingiber - but every substance in the world has medicinal properties. This is because everything is the result of consciousness - that of its creator in a particular form.

Since everything is therefore gifted with consciousness and disease the result is of consciousness as well, the secret to healing lies in matching the consciousness of the sick subject to that of the substance used to heal.

Hence sand - known as silicea and used in tissue salt therapy as well as homoeopathy - also has consciousness and relates to someone who needs grit and backbone. Silicea is the glue that hold our cells together, builds our nails, hair and skin. in plants it is the stuff that keeps them upright. hence the idea of backbone and bending, rather than breaking.

Read up on it on the same sort of forum. It will open your eyes to another world.

Vaikunthanath das Kaviraj.