University of Michigan researchers announced at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research that ginger can kill ovarian cancer cells.

The study also found that the spice had the added benefit of stopping the cells from becoming resistant to treatment.

Ginger is already known to ease nausea in chemotherapy patients and control inflammation, but the findings by the US team show that yet another spice has powerful anti-cancer properties.

Researchers found that a solution of common ginger powder killed all the ovarian cancer cells to which it was applied. The tests demonstrated that the ginger solution killed the cancer cells in two different ways. Ginger not only stimulated apoptosis (programmed cell death) in the ovarian cancer cells but, in addition, it also caused the cells to destroy themselves - a process of self digestion called autophagy.

The researchers suggested that ginger may help cancer patient to respond more effectively to cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

It is interesting to note that similar properties have already been discovered in turmeric which is a close relative of ginger.