Ginger

Ginger (Zingiber officinale R.) Rhizome Extract (5% Gingerols) – 60 mg 

What is Ginger Rhizome Extract?

Ginger is a member of a plant family that includes cardamom and turmeric. The rhizome, which is the horizontal stem from which the roots grow, is the main portion of ginger that is consumed. Indians and Chinese are believed to have produced ginger as a tonic root for over 5000 years to treat many ailments, and this plant is now cultivated throughout the humid tropics, with India being the largest producer. 

What does it help with in the body? 

Ginger has been purported to exert a variety of powerful therapeutic and preventive effects and has been used for thousands of years for the treatment of hundreds of ailments from colds to cancer. Ginger as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, anti-nausea compound, and anti-cancer agent as well as the protective effect of ginger against other disease conditions.

Ginger inhibits: 

• Oxidative damage
• Inflammation 
• Nausea / vomiting
• Cancer
• Asthma
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Cardiovascular disease
• Platelet aggregation
• Cholesterol

Ginger root contains a very high level of total antioxidants, surpassed only by pomegranate and some types of berries. Others have shown that ginger compounds effectively inhibit superoxide production (Krishnakantha and Lokesh 1993). Several reports indicate that ginger suppresses lipid peroxidation and protects the levels of reduced glutathione.

What have the studies shown?

Ginger contains gingerol, which has potent medicinal properties. Ginger has a long history of use in various forms of traditional and alternative medicine. It’s been used to aid digestion, reduce nausea, and help fight the flu and common cold, to name a few of its purposes.

Gingerol has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, according to research. For instance, it may help reduce oxidative stress, which results from having too many free radicals in the body.

Can treat morning sickness and other forms of nausea. Ginger may help relieve nausea and vomiting for people undergoing certain types of surgery, and it may also help reduce chemotherapy-related nausea.

Ginger may play a role in weight loss, according to studies in humans and animals. One 2019 review concluded that ginger supplementation significantly reduced body weight, the waist-hip ratio, and the hip ratio in people with overweight or obesity. Ginger’s ability to influence weight loss may be due to certain mechanisms, such as its potential to reduce inflammation.

Traditional medicine has used ginger for centuries to reduce inflammation. And there is some evidence that ginger may help reduce pain from osteoarthritis (OA). Osteoarthritis (OA) involves degeneration of the joints, leading to symptoms such as joint pain and stiffness. In a study of 261 people with OA of the knee, those who took a ginger extract twice daily had less pain and needed fewer pain-killing medications than those who received placebo. It may take several weeks for ginger to work.

Ginger may lower blood sugar and improve heart disease risk factors. Some research suggests ginger may have anti-diabetic properties. In a 2015 study, 41 people with type 2 diabetes took 2 grams of ginger powder per day.

A 2022 review found a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar and HbA1c in people with type 2 diabetes after taking ginger supplements. The review looked at results from 10 trials, in which participants took 1,200–3,000 milligrams (mg) per day for 8–13 weeks. The results did not suggest that ginger supplements affected the lipid profile.

After 12 weeks:

• their fasting blood sugar was 12% lower
• their hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were 10% lower
• their apolipoprotein B/ apolipoprotein A-I ratio was 28% lower
• their malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were 23% lower

Ginger can help treat chronic indigestion, and may help manage indigestion by speeding up the passage of food through the stomach.

Functional dyspepsia is when a person has indigestion — with symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, feeling too full, belching, and nausea — for no clear reason. It often occurs with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In one study, scientists found that consuming a ginger and artichoke preparation before eating a main meal significantly improved the symptoms of indigestion in people with functional dyspepsia, compared with taking a placebo.

Ginger may reduce menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea), and some research suggests that ginger is more effective than acetaminophen/caffeine/ibuprofen (Novafen) in relieving menstrual pain.

Ginger helps lower cholesterol levels. High levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol are linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

In a 2022 review of 26 trials, researchers found that ginger consumption significantly reduced triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, while increasing HDL cholesterol. Even doses less than 1,500 mg per day were effective.

Ginger may help reduce cancer risk, as it may have anticancer properties due to gingerol and various other antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.

There is some evidence that these compounds may help reduce the risk of gastrointestinal cancers, such as colorectal, pancreatic, and liver cancer.

In one study, 20 people with a high risk of colorectal cancer took 2 g of ginger daily for 28 days. At the end of the study, the lining of the participant’s intestines showed fewer cancer-like changes than expected.

Ginger may improve brain function and protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Some research suggests that 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol — compounds in ginger — may help prevent degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation may be key drivers of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline.

What is the safety profile for ginger?

Ginger is recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food additive that is “generally recognized as safe.” Observational studies in humans suggest no evidence of teratogenicity from treatments for early pregnancy nausea that included ginger (Jewell and Young 2003). These results were confirmed in a similar trial showing that administration of ginger beginning at the first trimester of pregnancy did not appear to increase the rates of major malformations above the baseline rate of 1-3% (Portnoi et al. 2003). Overall, these data indicate that ginger consumption appears to be very safe with very limited side effects.

Avoid giving ginger to children under the age of 2.

Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger 

For more information about Ginger Rhizome Extract:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/ 

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/ginger 

Compare to: Pure Encapsulations – Ginger Extract ($59)