Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant native to China, South East Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. This spice has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years to fight inflammation and rheumatism. Ginger contains active ingredients, including gingerols, which have anti-inflammatory effects. Its ability to reduce inflammation is especially beneficial for those with either rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Several lab and animal-based studies have found ginger root can reduce the production of several chemical substances that promote joint inflammation. (Powdered ginger is more strong than fresh ginger).

Ginger Pain Relief and Arthritis Treatment

Ginger has been shown to alleviate the pain of arthritis. The discovery of ginger’s inhibitory properties on prostaglandin biosynthesis in the early 1970s has been repeatedly confirmed. Ginger root suppresses prostaglandin synthesis through inhibition of  COX-1 (cyclooxygenase-1) and COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2).  In a 1992 study reported in the journal, “Medical Hypotheses“, all 56 participants who suffered from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other muscular disorders experienced healing in pain and inflammation while taking powdered ginger. In the period of therapy with ginger root, none of the participants reported side effects like they did with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory medications.

In a study of 56 people, ginger root extract was effective in reducing pain and inflammation in three-quarters of the arthritis patients and all of the patients with muscular discomfort. According to a study reported in “Arthritis and Rheumatism“, Nov 2001, ginger root can lessen the pain and suffering of people who have osteoarthritis as well as conventional medications or painkillers. One study shows that taking Zintona EC (a specific ginger extract) 250 mg four times daily reduced arthritis pain in the knee after three months of therapy.

Ginger root is efficacious as a therapy for pain and inflammation, according to a 2005 research reported in Archives of Iranian Medicine.  Scientists found that pain fell approximately 50% for people in the ginger and ibuprofen groups. A study reported n 2006 in the Indian Journal of  Rheumatology found that ginger root was as powerful as the standard medication indomethacin in relieving knee pain. A 2008 study in the British journal “Food and Chemical Toxicology” demonstrated that ginger acts as an anti-inflammatory, along with many other favorable effects. In a 2012 in vitro study, Eurovita Extract 77 (a specialized ginger extract) reduced inflammatory reactions in rheumatoid arthritis synovial cells as effectively as steroids.

In a study, a special ginger root extract combined with glucosamine worked as well as the anti-inflamatory drug diclofenac slow release 100 mg daily plus glucosamine sulfate 1 g daily. In another study of 261 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee, those who took a ginger root extract twice daily had less pain and needed fewer pain-killing drugs than those who received placebo. In other study compared the effects of a highly concentrated ginger root extract to placebo in 247 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee. The ginger extract reduced pain and stiffness in knee joints by 40% over the placebo. “Research shows that ginger affects certain inflammatory processes at a cellular level,” says the study’s lead author, Roy Altman, MD, at the University of California.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale), has a long history of medicinal use in Asia. Several studies showed that ginger effectively reduces nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness, surgery, and morning sickness during pregnancy.  The antiemetic action of ginger root is attributed to its constituents, gingerol and and shogaol their interactions with 5HT-3 receptors.  Ginger has been approved by German Commission E for indigestion and to help prevent motion sickness.

Nausea and Vomiting Treatment

A double-blind placebo-controlled study of 79 Swedish naval cadets demonstrated that 1 grams of ginger root could reduce nausea and vertigo at sea.  A double blind study aboard a ship demonstrated ginger was equally as efficacious as various drugs in controlling seasickness, in a large study of 1489 individuals. In a 2006 report from the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers sized up 5 studies and concluded that taking ginger root is more powerful than placebo for post surgery nausea and vomiting. The effectiveness of  ginger root as an antiemetic agent was compared with placebo and metoclopramide in 60 women who had major gynaecological surgery in a study. There were statistically significantly fewer recorded incidences of nausea in the group that received ginger compared with placebo. The number of incidences of nausea in the groups that received either metoclopramide or ginger were similar.

Ginger for Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy

Clinical trials show that 1g daily of ginger root may reduce nausea and vomiting in pregnant women when used for short periods.  A 2004 study performed at Australia’s University of Adelaide found ginger root reduced nausea related to pregnancy. In a study of 30 pregnant women with severe vomiting, those who took 1 g of ginger root every day for four days provided more relaxation from vomiting than those who took placebo.  A review of 6 study with a total of 675 women, reported in the April 2005 edition of the journal, “Obstetrics and Gynecology”, has showed that ginger root is efficacious in relieving the  severity of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Ginger for Chemotherapy-related Nausea in Cancer Patients

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting is a common adverse effect of cytotoxic therapy. Early research findings that ginger root may reduce the severity and length of time that cancer patients feel nauseous after chemotherapy. In a study, of over 600 cancer patients found that a ginger root extract lessen chemotherapy-induced nausea by 40%. The Phase II/III placebo-controlled, double-blind study included 644 cancer patients who would receive at least 3 chemotherapy. Patients were divided into four arms that received placebos, 0.5 g of ginger, 1 g of ginger, or 1.5 g of ginger along with antiemetics. They took the ginger supplements 3 days prior to chemotherapy and 3 days following therapy. Patients reported nausea levels at different times of day during following their chemotherapy and those who took the lower doses had a 40% decrease.