• Helps to improve digestion
• Helps to boost appetite
• Helps to treat indigestion or dyspepsia
• Reduces nausea and vomiting
• Reduces intestinal gas
• Helps to reduce the risk of gastric ulcers and cancer
• Beneficial for people suffering from diarrhea
• Improves liver function

Powerful Antioxidant

Antioxidant helps to prevent all kind of disease and it also slower downs aging. There was a study of more than 120 plant foods, published in the Journal of Nutrition. In the report ginger was ranked number one among the five richest food sources of antioxidants, following berries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pomegranates. Test-tube and animal researches have shown that ginger inhibits the production of free radicals. Ginger also enhances the body's internal production of antioxidants.

Anti-nauseant

Many researchers have found that ginger can help prevent motion sickness up to significant extent. According to one study that was published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, found that among 1,741 travelers on a 6 hr whale-watching boat trip, 500 mg of Zingiber prevented motion seasickness as well as the requirement for motion sickness medicines.

In another research, pregnant women who were given ginger experienced slight nauseating and vomiting as compared to those who took a placebo. During pregnancy, 1 gm daily for up to 4 days is considered to be safe.

On Musculoskeletal system as Analgesicf

There are numerous studies that have validated Zingiber's natural anti-inflammatory action. In a clinical trial of 247 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, published in Arthritis and Rheumatism, a Zingiber extract noticeably reduced the knee pain while standing and walking, and those taking ginger needed less pain killers. Other research established that ginger relieved bodyache that was a muscular pain.

On Gastrointestinal track as great digestive support

A traditional remedy for stomach upset, ginger helps to eliminate gas and soothes the intestinal tract. It can be taken as a supplement or eaten with meals. The pickled form, which often accompanies dishes at Asian restaurants, is believed to offer at least as many of the health benefits as the fresh form. Candied ginger, as long as it contains a significant amount of real ginger, can be a soothing treat and is great for baking.

Help for Cancer Patients

The only therapy available for cancer is chemotherapy. The side effects of any chemotherapy include nausea and hair fall. Ginger can help to reduce nausea that is occurring as a major side effect from chemotherapy treatment. In addition, test-tube studies have shown that some favorable qualities found in ginger can even offer some protection against cancer cells.

Cardiovascular Health

Including in Ayurvedic science, ginger has bee described as great heart tonic. It helps preventing various heart diseases by reducing blood clotting that can lead to plaque formation. It can also open the blockage in the blood vessels. Ginger also may help to lower high cholesterol making the heart healthy.

Multipurpose herb

In Indian and Chinese traditional medicine system, the uses of ginger have included curing various adverse health conditions such as diarrhea, menstrual cramps, headaches, colds and flu. Nowadays, even modern medicines do include ginger in various cough and cold products.

Safe herb for Kids

For children over 2 years of age, ginger is very helpful remedy for nausea, motion sickness, stomach cramps, and mild headaches. There are many ways to manufacture ginger products including syrups.

As a Soda

The lemon soda with pinch of black pepper and little juice of ginger works wonderfully for any kind of indigestion. This can be made tastier putting little rock-salt. One can have this special drink even before meals as it will work as an appetizer. This is simple but most effective home remedy for treating any gastric or intestinal disturbances.

Ginger – as a zesty flavor

Fresh ginger can add flavor to many vegetable dishes. It can enhance the taste of food and can become great salad dressings. Ginger tea is very famous in Asian region and now even becoming popular in Europe and America. Apart from its agreeable pungent taste, it gets you great health especially in cold or winter.

The plant Z.officinale

Ginger is a herbaceous, rhizomatous perennial. The rhizomes are aromatic, thick-lobed, pale yellowish, differing in shape and size in the different cultivated types. The herb develops several lateral shoots in clumps which begin to dry when the plant matures. The leaves are narrow, distichous, linear- lanceolate, dark green; the flowers, in spikes, greenish yellow with a small dark purple or purplish black tip.

Functions as digestive stimulant

Ginger is used as a digestive stimulant. It helps to improve appetite by stimulating secretion of pancreatic digestive enzymes and bile. (Platel K, Rao A, Saraswathi G, Srinivasan K. “Digestive stimulant action of three Indian spice mixes in experimental rats.” Nahrung. 2002 Dec;46(6);394-8).

Reduces dyspepsia

Dyspepsia or difficulty in digesting foods, commonly known as indigestion, could be healed by consuming ginger. Clinical trials suggest that ginger helps to treat dyspepsia by acting on hormones that influence gastric motility. It aids stomach emptying. (Hu ML, Rayner CK, Wu KL, Chuah SK, Tai WC, Chou YP, Chiu YC, Chiu KW, Hu TH. “Effect of ginger on gastric motility and symptoms of functional dyspepsia.” World J Gastroenterol. 2011 Jan 7, 17(1):105-10).

Increases saliva secretion

The digestion process starts the moment you start chewing the food. The saliva contains enzymes that help to break down carbohydrates and starch. In addition, saliva also acts as a natural disinfectant. Hence, to ensure proper digestion, the salivary glands should produce sufficient saliva. Experimental studies suggest than Zingiber officinale improves saliva secretion. (Chamani G, Zarei MR, Mehrabani M, Taghiabadi Y. “Evaluation of Effects of Zingiber officinale on Salivation in Rats.” Acta Med Iran. 2011Jun;49(6):336-40).

Reduces nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although antiemetic medications help to suppress these unpleasant side effects, use of these medications is not free from side effects. Studies claim that ginger is the most effective side effect free natural antiemetic that can prevent nausea and vomiting following chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in cancer patients. (Hanaidka R, Popouri S, Palatty PL, Arora R, Balinga MS. “Medicinal Plants as Antiemetics in the Treatment of Cancer: A Review.” Integr Cancer Ther. 2011 Aug 5).

Almost 90% women experience nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy. Ginger is widely used as a natural treatment for this unpleasant condition during pregnancy. Clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of the herbal remedy in preventing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. It is more effective than vitamin B6 supplement in reducing the number and intensity of nausea and vomiting episodes. (Ensiyeh J, Sakineh MA. “Comparing ginger and vitamin B6 for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.” Midwifery. 2009 Dec;25(6):649-53).

Postoperative nausea and vomiting could be reduced by consuming ginger. (Chaiyakunapruk N, Kitikannakorn N, Nathisuwan S, Leeprakobboon K, Leelasethagool C. “The efficacy of ginger for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting: a meta-analysis.” Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006;194:95-9).

Functions as an antiflatulant

Ginger aids flatulence and helps to reduce intestinal gas. Studies suggest that by increasing relaxation and by reducing contraction of lower esophageal sphincter, ginger helps to eliminate gas. (Lohsiriwat S, Rukkiat M, Chaikomin R, Leelakusolvong S. “Effect of ginger on lower esophageal sphincter pressure.” J Med Assoc Thai. 2010 Mar;93(3):366-72).

Acts as a natural antidiarrheal

Ginger might benefit people suffering from diarrhea. Experimental studies suggest that bacterial infections of the stomach that cause diarrhea might be healed with ginger. (Chen JC, Huang LJ, Wu SL, Kuo SC, Ho TY, Hsiang CY. “Ginger and its bioactive component inhibit enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-liable enterotoxin-induced diarrhea in mice.” J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Oct 17;55(21):8390-7). However, bacterial infections are not the only cause of diarrhea. Diarrhea might even develop owing to excess serotonin secretion. Studies suggest that ginger could even inhibit diarrhea induced by serotonin. (Huang Q, Matsuda H, Sakai K, Yamahara J, Tamai Y. “The effect of ginger on serotonin induced hypothermia and diarrhea.” Yakugaku Zasshi. 1990 Dec;110(12):936-42).

Improves liver function

Liver produces bile, which aids digestion of fats. A diseased liver impairs the digestion process. Ginger could effectively treat liver disorders. Studies indicate that it can be used for preventing and treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. (Sahebkar A. “Potential efficacy of ginger as a natural supplement for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.” World J Gastroenterol. 2011 Jan 14;17(2):271-2). It could also suppress inflammatory and carcinogenic activities in the liver tissues. (Habib SH, Makpol s, Abdul Hamid NA, Das S, Ngah WZ, Yosof YA. “Ginger extract (Zingiber officinale) has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects on ethionine-induced hepatoma rats.” Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2008 Dec; 63(6):807-13).

Prevents gastric ulcer

Studies have reported the effectiveness of Zinger officinale in preventing and treating gastric ulcer. By boosting secretion of antioxidant enzymes, ginger helps to protect the stomach from stress-induced gastric ulcers. Ginger rhizome inhibits growth of Helicobacter pylori bacteria. It speeds up recovery of the gastric mucin. Studies have revealed that the anti-ulcer activities of ginger are primarily concentrated in cinnamic acid and gallic acids. (Nanjundaiah SM, Annaiah HN, M Dharmesh S. “Gastroprotective Effect of Ginger Rhizome (Zinger officinale) Extract: Role of Gallic Acid and Cinnamic Acid in H+, K+ ATPase/H. pylori Inhibition and Anti-oxidative Mechanism.” Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Jul 1). Studies have further revealed that ginger could reduce the risk of developing gastric ulcers from prolonged intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin. (Khushtar M, Kumar V, Javed K, Bhandari U. “Protective Effect of Ginger oil on Aspirin and Pylorus Ligation-Induced Gastric Ulcer model in Rats.” Indian J Pharm Sci. 2009 Sep;71(5):554-8).

Reduces risk of gastric cancer

Gingerol, paradol, shogaols and zingerone, the active phytochemicals in ginger, could inhibit growth of gastric cancer cells. (Ishiguro K, Ando T, Maeda O, Ohmiya N, Niwa Y, Kadamtsu K, Goto H. “Ginger ingredients reduce viability of gastric cancer cells by distinct mechanisms.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Oct 12;362(1):218-23).

Ginger, Nausea and Surgery : At a dose of at least 1 gm, ginger is found to be effective to prevent the nausea and vomiting that often smite patients after undergoing any kind of surgery. Ginger has been used as a traditional Indian medicine to treat nausea, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal problems. In the last decade, there have been many studies evaluating the effects of ginger in preventing nausea and vomiting after surgery. To look at all the proof available, statisticians from Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, Thailand shared data from 5 clinical trials involving a total of 363 patients. The result revealed that as compared to placebo, ginger lower down the risk of nausea and vomiting in the 24 hr after surgery by 31%. This meant that a substantial percentage of patients in the ginger arm still had postoperative nausea and vomiting – 35 %. The only apparent side effect seen with ginger was ignorable and harmless abdominal discomfort. ( SOURCE: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, January 2006).

Hypolipidaemic and Sugar Control: According to Ayurveda, the sunthi (ginger) has great property of lowering the blood sugar and hence useful treating various kind of diabetes. Moreover, it also controls cholesterol levels in the bloodstream protecting the heart.

(Ginger for blood sugar and cholesterol management Anti-diabetic and hypolipidaemic properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in Br J Nutr. 2006 Oct;96(4):660-6 at Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, 13060-Safat, Kuwait.)

Morning sickness is one of the most troublesome symptoms woman faces while she is pregnant. In addition, pregnancy is the condition where almost all the drugs are contraindicated making treatment for nausea difficult with any kind of medicines. Ginger has been used as most effective anti-nauseant medicine since years in Ayurveda. It shows great effect inhibiting morning sickness associated with pregnancy.

(Effect of a ginger extract on pregnancy-induced nausea: a randomised controlled trial by Willetts KE at University of New South Wales, Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.)

Antioxidant : The ginger has great antioxidant property. This effect may play an important role in attenuation of development of atherosclerosis. Antioxidant property of ginger on hyperlipidemic rats have been studied and the changes of GSH-Px and LPO in their blood were observed carefully. Male adult Wistar rats were grouped into three categories viz., control, preventive and curative teams. The experimental teams were respectively fed on the test diet containing 2% & 5% ginger, in order to note the changes of plasma lipid peroxides (LPO) and glutathione (GSH-Px) after the experiment. The results showed that ginger had increased GSH-Px and had reduced LPO in the rats' blood. That is why, the conclusion can be made that Ginger could inhibit and/or scavenge radicals from rat’s body at different degree levels

(Effect of Zingiber Officinale Rosc ( ginger ) on lipid peroxidation in hyperlipidemia rats by Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2003 Jan;32(1):22-3 at School of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China)