Zingiber officinale

Anticancer, cardioprotective, antidiabetic, anti-Alzheimer’s disease,                 
 anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial

One of the most popular of all the spices, ginger is derived from the root of a plant indigenous to Asia which is now cultivated across the globe for use in an enormous variety of foods, drinks and traditional medicines. It is added to sweet and savory dishes, condiments, confectioneries, sweets, and is a component of many traditional cuisines, including Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Thai. It has also been used in perfumes, cosmetics and is a valued medicinal plant. It is used in folk medicine to treat colds and influenza and is an effective anti-emetic used in the treatment of both motion sickness, and the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy. Numerous studies investigating ginger’s medicinal properties have also shown it to be effective in the prevention and treatment of many of our more serious chronic degenerative diseases.

Important Phytochemicals

Antioxidants: Caffeic acid, camphene, capsaicin, chlorogenic acid, coumaric acid, curcumin, delphinidin, eugenol, ferulic acid, gingerdiol, gingerol, isoeugenol,kaempferol, melatonin, myrcene, myricetin, quercetin, shogaol, vanillic acid, vanillin, zingerone

Others: Geranial, neral, paradol, phellandrene, zerumbone, zinziberene

Medicinal Properties

Cancer
Several phytochemicals found in ginger have demonstrated strong anticancer
activities in both laboratory and clinical studies.

 Prevents DNA damage: Melatonin is an antioxidant produced by the body that is
also found in some plants, such as ginger. It has the valuable property of being
able to access most parts of the body, including brain and nervous tissue, and
protects DNA against carcinogenic free-radical damage.

Antibacterial: Ginger can eliminate all strains of Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria
that are responsible for the majority of peptic ulcers, gastritis and stomach cancer.

Cardiovascular Disease and Blood Lipids
Ginger has been shown to lower dangerously high cholesterol and triglyceride levels,
while raising the levels of beneficial HDL. Ginger’scardioprotective effects are enhanced by its ability to reduce platelet stickiness and in
so doing further reduce the risk of heart attacks and thrombotic strokes.

Diabetes
Although there has been relatively little investigation into the antidiabetic properties
of ginger, promising early studies show that it can increase insulin sensitivity. This
suggests that, in all likelihood, it is a valuable prophylactic spice against this disease.

Alzheimer’s Disease
Two of ginger’s most important antioxidants, curcumin and gingerol, have been
shown to inhibit and even reverse the deposition in the brain of the amyloid plaques
that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Obesity
Ginger has a dual anti-obesity effect. The phytochemicals gingerol and shogaol
increase the metabolic rate and thus help to “burn off” excessive fat. They also help to
suppress the absorption of calorie-dense dietary fats from the intestines.

Antioxidant Effects
Ginger is a source of a large number of important antioxidants that, amongst other
activities, reduce lipid oxidation by enhancing the activities of crucial internally
produced antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase. Melatonin, in particular, is not
only a highly effective free-radical scavenger itself, but also stimulates production of
the main antioxidant enzyme of the brain, glutathione peroxidase.

Anti-inflammatory Properties
Ginger’s long-valued role as a treatment for arthritis and other inflammatory
conditions has now been substantiated by a number of scientific studies that show
how it is involved in several anti-inflammatory mechanisms. It is a strong inhibitor of
COX-2 enzymes, pro-inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins that are all
important components of the inflammatory response.

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