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Today's Daily Health Tip
A Closer Look At Ginger
by Jennifer Good
This week's featured ingredient, ginger, is more than a common cooking herb. This Asian native herb also has a vast history of herbal medicinal use. Over 5000 years ago, Chinese sailors used ginger to ward off seasickness
1 and other ailments. There are also references to the medicinal benefits of ginger in the Koran, and in ancient Sanskrit texts. The herb found its way to ancient Rome, where it became a medical staple
2 so popular that the government taxed it. And in the modern developed world, the alternative health community has continued to use ginger as a healing aid. Today, health care professionals may recommend ginger to help prevent or treat nausea and vomiting from motion sickness, pregnancy, and cancer chemotherapy.
3 Ginger has many clinically proven medicinal properties beyond fighting nausea. It's been used as a healing agent for conditions including arthritis, inflammation, colic, diarrhea, clotting disorders, high cholesterol, and heart conditions. Ginger has also been traditionally used to treat colds and flu. Chinese studies have shown that ginger helps kill influenza viruses, and an Indian report shows that it increases the immune system's ability to fight infection. In the Far East and India, ginger root is renowned for its aphrodisiac properties.
Ginger root is also a strong COX-2 inhibiting anti-inflammatory herb that has historically been used for arthritis and rheumatism. In a study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and muscular discomfort, the majority of those who received ginger experienced, to varying degrees, relief of pain and swelling. None of the patients reported adverse effects during the period of ginger consumption, which ranged from three months to 2.5 years. Another double blind trial found ginger extract to be effective at relieving pain in people with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. Likewise, in another double blind study, ginger was significantly more effective than a placebo in pain relief and overall improvement.
Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain levels and improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly. In two clinical studies involving patients who responded to conventional drugs and those who didn't, physicians found that 75% of arthritis patients and 100% of patients with muscular discomfort experienced relief of pain and/or swelling.
With so many health benefits, make sure to include ginger in your next recipe, or include ginger extract in your supplement regimen. For morning sickness, 250 mg of ginger 4 times daily is recommended.
4 Note that ginger might lower blood sugar. As a result, if you take diabetes medications, they may need to be adjusted by your healthcare provider.
For more about how ginger extract helps to relieve chronic pain by reducing inflammation,
click here.
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(1) http://www.herbalpalace.com/bulk_herbs/Ginger_Root.html
(2) http://voices.yahoo.com/ginger-medicinal-actions-uses-cautions-69435.html
(3) http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginger-000246.htm
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