Ginger is an incredibly valuable and versatile herb. New research is starting to show why.

Killing Pain

Ginger is useful for killing pain. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb that safely improves period pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis of six controlled studies of ginger and painful periods found that, in all six of them, ginger was better than placebo and as effective as drugs.1

When it comes to migraine pain, ginger is as effective, but safer, than drugs.2

Several studies have shown that ginger relieves arthritis. A systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that ginger reduces pain significantly better than placebo for rheumatoid or osteoarthritis and similarly to the NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) diclofenac while, again, being safer.3 When people with rheumatoid arthritis added ginger to a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug that fights rheumatoid arthritis by suppressing the immune system, the ginger significantly improved disease activity scores and markers of both inflammation and immunity.4

Powerful Anti-inflammatory

That ginger is an effective anti-inflammatory has recently been demonstrated. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 controlled studies showed that ginger significantly lowers inflammatory cytokines. Specifically, ginger significantly reduces C-reactive protein, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. High sensitivity C-reactive protein is a more sensitive test that can detect even slight increases of CRP that are within the normal range.5

Important New Study: Ginger & Autoimmune Disease

A new study has further validated ginger as an anti-inflammatory, introduced an explanation as to why it is so effective, and added an important new consequence: ginger could have widely applicable promise for autoimmune diseases.

A variety of autoimmune diseases may be driven by a common factor. Through a process called NETosis, neutrophils, a type of white blood cell involved in immunity, propel inflammation and blood clotting. That destructive process can contribute to several autoimmune diseases, like lupus, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), arthritis, and even to COVID-19. NETosis can also lead to autoantibody formation.

But when healthy people were given 100 mg of ginger extract, standardized for 20 mg of gingerols, for seven days, there was a decrease in NETosis and in the NET levels that result.

This study suggests that ginger could prevent inflammation, blood clotting and autoantibody formation, making it a potentially valuable and versatile herb for several autoimmune diseases.6

What Else Can Ginger Do? Lots!

Recently, a systematic review of 109 controlled studies revealed the versatility of this well studied herb.7

Nausea & Digestion

Starting with the best-known use of ginger, the systematic review found 14 studies on the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, including the severe form known as hyperemesis gravidarum. Every one of the studies found ginger to be better than a placebo and as good as or better than a drug: every one of them! And it did it safely.

Several studies prove ginger’s superiority over placebo. Several also prove its superiority over drugs. At least five studies have shown that ginger is as good or better than drugs for relieving nausea and vomiting or for reducing frequency of vomiting, while being safer.8

One study that compared the low dose of .5g of ginger to the drug dimenhydrinate found that ginger was as effective with significantly fewer side effects. While 77.64 percent of the drug group experienced drowsiness, only 5.88 percent of the ginger group did.9 Another drug comparison study compared ginger to metoclopramide. This double-blind study found that both treatments were better than placebo, but that there was no statistical difference in the effectiveness of the herb and the drug.10

Ginger is so effective for the nausea of pregnancy that it even helps in the small percentage of pregnancies (.2-5 percent) in which the nausea goes beyond regular morning sickness to a severe form called hyperemesis gravidarum.11 This form of morning sickness is so severe that it often requires hospitalization.

But ginger can help more than just nausea when it comes to digestive health. A convincing six out of seven studies of gastric emptying proved that ginger enhances digestion. Gastric emptying is the speed at which your stomach empties its contents. The test is usually given to people with frequent nausea, vomiting, heartburn, abdominal pain or feeling of fullness, meaning ginger could help all these people.

Diabetes

At least three studies found that ginger benefits diabetics by significantly lowering all fasting blood sugar, HbA1c (the most important marker of long-term diabetes and blood sugar control), insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance. Diabetics also saw their LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, inflammation and antioxidant activity improve. Though not included in the systematic review, ginger has also been shown in double-blind research to help the gestational diabetes of pregnancy.12

Weight Loss

Ginger also helps obese women to lose weight while improving insulin resistance and sensitivity. For cardiovascular risk factors related to obesity, ginger lowers body fat, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol and insulin resistance.

Respiratory Diseases

When patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were given ginger, they had to spend less time on mechanical ventilation and less time in intensive care. Asthmatics also experience benefit with ginger. Breast Feeding

One study also found that ginger significantly increases breast milk compared to a placebo.

Still More Uses of Ginger

Hay Fever

Not included in the systematic review is a recent double-blind study that found that ginger works better for hay fever than the drug loratadine. Total nasal symptom scores improved as well on both but ginger alone helped nasal pressure and airflow during breathing. Ginger was also better because it was safer.13

Heart & Head

Taking ginger daily reduces your risk of coronary heart disease.14

It also makes you smarter. Double-blind research shows that when people between the ages of 50 and 60 take ginger for two months, memory, attention and other cognitive functions significantly improve.15

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Two grams a day of ginger taken by people with NAFLD significantly improves the liver enzyme ALT, liver function, accumulation of fat in the liver cells, inflammation and insulin resistance.16

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Recent research shows that ginger improves disability and quality of life in people with MS.17 It can also improve the common constipation as well as nausea, bloating and heartburn in people with MS.18

COVID-19

Ginger has also been studied for COVID-19. The combination of 2 g of ginger with the herb ashwagandha is significantly better than conventional treatment for eliminating symptoms, testing negative, viral clearance and speed of recovery.19VR

Sources:

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2 Phytother Res 2014;28:412-5.

3 Nutr J 2015;14:50.

4 Gene 2019;698:179-185.

5 Cytokine. 2020 Nov;135:155224.

6 JCI Insight. Sept 22, 2023;doi:10.1172/jci.insight.172011.

7 Nutrients 2020;12(1):157.

8 Nutrients 2020;12(1): 157.

9 J Med Assoc Thai 2007;90(9):1703-9.

10 Pak J Biol Sci 2011;14(16):817-20.

11 Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1990.

12 BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20:116.

13 BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):119.

14 Nutrition 2017;36:79-84.

15 Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:383062.

16 Hepat Mon 2016;16(1):e34897.

17 Food Funct. 2023 April 24;14(8):3701-3711.

18 BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023;23:383.

19 Complement Ther Med. 2023 Sep;76:102966.

Linda Woolven is a master herbalist, acupuncturist and solution-focused counsellor with a virtual practice in Toronto, ON, Canada. Woolven and Ted Snider are the authors of several books on natural health. You can see their books at www.thenaturalpathnewsletter.com. They are also the authors of the natural health newsletter The Natural Path. The Natural Path is a natural health newsletter specifically designed to help health food stores increase their sales by educating their customers. The Natural Path contains no advertising and never mentions a brand name. Retailers can provide The Natural Path Newsletter to their customers. For more information, contact Snider at [email protected] or (416) 782-8211.