Ginger has been revered as a culinary and medicinal spice in many traditional cultures. It is also a very powerful remedy with numerous purported health benefits — from reducing nausea and PMS symptoms to fighting inflammation and boosting testosterone. Read on to learn more about all its health potential, dosing, and side effects.<\/p>\n
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As stated by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCIH), there is some information about the use of ginger for nausea and vomiting. Much less information is available about its other uses and purported health benefits [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The NCCIH points out that ginger may help relieve pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, according to some evidence. It may also help to control nausea related to cancer chemotherapy when used in addition to conventional anti-nausea medication [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n On the other hand, it\u2019s unclear whether ginger is helpful for postsurgery nausea, motion sickness, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Today, ginger is also available as a supplement. Ginger supplements have not been approved by the FDA for medical use. In general, dietary supplements lack solid clinical research. Regulations set manufacturing standards for supplements but don’t guarantee that they’re safe or effective. Speak with your doctor before supplementing.<\/p>\n Ginger is a spice originated from the rhizomes of the plant Zingiber officinale<\/i>. It is commonly used in many Asian, Ayurvedic, and middle eastern dishes. Ginger use dates back to 3,000 years ago in India.<\/p>\n In fact, ginger is one of the most commonly consumed dietary condiments in the world [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n It\u2019s been used for thousands of years as a remedy for diverse health issues, such as colds, nausea, pain<\/a>, arthritis, migraines<\/a>, and high blood pressure [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Ginger is also an antioxidant that might fight microbes and reduce inflammation.<\/p>\n This spice is a relative of curcumin<\/a> and cardamon, which all belong to the same plant family.<\/p>\n Over 100 active compounds<\/i><\/b> have been identified in ginger, fresh or dried!<\/p>\n Gingerols are the major compounds in fresh ginger<\/b> and less so in dry ginger.<\/p>\n Shogaols are produced from gingerols during the drying process and are present in higher amounts in dried ginger [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Ginger also contains zingerone, zerumbone, pungent oleoresins, some terpenoids and flavonoids [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n All of these compounds are antioxidants, while some of them have anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antimicrobial, and liver-protecting activities. However, these properties were only investigated in cell-based studies. It\u2019s unknown if the active compounds in ginger will have these effects in humans. Further research is needed [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n As far as ginger root supplements go, a recent analysis of 10 supplements randomly purchased in health stores showed that their active compounds greatly vary<\/b>. One supplement was high in one active component and low in another, while for the next supplement it was the opposite. Plus, ginger supplements still aren\u2019t standardized to a specified amount of one of the active ingredients [R<\/a>].<\/p>\nWhere does it come from?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
What is it used for?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
Active Components of Ginger<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
Purported Health Benefits of Ginger<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Possibly Effective for:<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n