health advice for healthy living

Other common name(s): ginger root

Scientific/medical name(s): Zingiber officinale

Description

Ginger is a plant native to Southeast Asia that is also grown in the United States, China, India, and various tropical regions. The root is usually the part of the plant used in herbal remedies.

Overview

Ginger has a long history as a pungent spice for cooking and as an herbal remedy for upset stomach, motion sickness, and loss of appetite. Some controlled studies in humans show ginger reduces nausea and vomiting from some causes. Most clinical studies of ginger have tested the use of this herb for nausea associated with pregnancy or following surgery. Very little is known about its effectiveness in relieving nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy.

There are a number of conventional medicines for the nausea and vomiting of chemotherapy. Available scientific evidence does not support claims that ginger can add to the effectiveness of these medicines. However, some people with cancer find that the taste or smell of beverages and foods containing ginger helps soothe their nausea.

Ginger may interfere with blood clotting and should only be used by cancer patients after talking about it with their doctors. This concern applies mostly to people whose clotting function is already weakened by their cancer or its treatment, or to people having surgery.

How is it promoted for use?

Ginger has been used to control or prevent nausea, vomiting, and motion sickness; as an anti-inflammatory (a drug that reduces pain and swelling as in arthritis), a cold remedy, an aid to digestion; a remedy for intestinal gas; and to help relieve nausea in cancer patients who are having chemotherapy. Some proponents have also claimed ginger is able to keep tumors from developing, even though available scientific evidence does not support this.

What does it involve?

Ginger has been approved by Commission E (Germany’s regulatory agency for herbs) for indigestion and the prevention of motion sickness. Ginger is available as a dried or fresh root, as a tea, in powder form, as a liquid extract, as a tincture, in tablets, in capsules, and in candied form in Asian food stores. Many mothers give their children ginger ale to settle an upset stomach, but the soft drink often does not contain much ginger and some ales have artificial flavoring in them instead of ginger.

Ginger root (fresh or dried) is used in cooking and preparing herbal remedies and soft drinks. A broad range of daily doses of ginger are reported, from 250 milligrams (mg) to 1 gram (g). For nausea, the usual dose is 250 mg to 1 g of powdered ginger taken with a liquid several times per day.

What is the history behind it?

The root of the ginger plant has been used in cooking and as an herbal remedy since ancient times. The ancient Greeks ate ginger wrapped in bread to prevent nausea from a huge feast. For many centuries, Chinese sailors have taken ginger to avoid sea sickness. A proverb from ancient India maintains that everything good can be found in ginger. It has been used as a spice in cooking for centuries. Its traditional role in herbal medicine has been as a remedy for nausea, motion sickness, heartburn, vomiting, stomach cramps, and loss of appetite.

What is the evidence?

Recent preliminary results in animals showing some effect in slowing or preventing tumor growth are not well understood but warrant further investigation. However, it is too early in the research process to say if ginger will have the same effect in humans.

Ginger reduces nausea, according to some, but not all, controlled studies in humans. Most studies also show that ginger reduces motion sickness and severe vomiting in early pregnancy. Although some clinicians warn that using ginger during pregnancy or breast-feeding (at doses that are higher than the amount eaten in foods) might cause harmful effects, there is no objective evidence of harm to the mother, fetus, or infants.

Studies of ginger’s ability to reduce nausea and vomiting associated with surgery have had mixed results. At least 3 studies found ginger had no effect after surgery, while other studies have found a significant decrease in nausea and vomiting after surgery when ginger was given before the operation. These inconsistencies may be due to the difficulty in measuring symptoms of nausea.

Cisplatin is one of the chemotherapy drugs that can cause nausea, vomiting, and delayed emptying of the stomach. Researchers from India found that extracts from ginger helped to speed up stomach emptying in dogs and rats that were given cisplatin chemotherapy. However, extracted chemicals or substances are different from the raw plant. Thus, study results of extracts will not necessarily have the same result as studies using the raw plant. In a clinical trial of patients receiving cisplatin, addition of ginger to standard drugs for nausea did not reduce this symptom.

While ginger may be an effective herb in treating nausea and vomiting linked to some cancer treatments, it may also interfere with blood clotting. This could be life threatening to some patients receiving chemotherapy.

Are there any possible problems or complications?

This product is sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. Unlike drugs (which must be tested before being allowed to be sold), the companies that make supplements are not required to prove to the Food and Drug Administration that their supplements are safe or effective, as long as they don’t claim the supplements can prevent, treat, or cure any specific disease.

Some such products may not contain the amount of the herb or substance that is written on the label, and some may include other substances (contaminants). Actual amounts per dose may vary between brands or even between different batches of the same brand.

Most such supplements have not been tested to find out if they interact with medicines, foods, or other herbs and supplements. Even though some reports of interactions and harmful effects may be published, full studies of interactions and effects are not often available. Because of these limitations, any information on ill effects and interactions below should be considered incomplete.

People with cancer should talk to their doctors before taking ginger because it has the potential to interfere with blood clotting and prolong bleeding time. Published studies are in disagreement about the likelihood of this side effect. The risk of serious bleeding may be higher if the person is also taking medicine that can lower platelet (blood cells that help the blood to clot) counts or interfere with platelet function, or an anticoagulant (a drug that slows blood clotting such as warfarin or Coumadin, often called a blood thinner). In rare cases, some people have experienced an allergic reaction to ginger. It has also been reported to cause occasional rashes, heartburn, and mild stomach upset.