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Zingiber Officinale (Ginger)
ACTION
Antiemetic, Diaphoretic, Carminative, Circulatory stimulant, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic.
Ginger is an excellent remedy for digestive problems, such as flatulence, nausea, indigestion, intestinal infections and certain types of food poisoning.
The combination of sweat and circulatory stimulation allows ginger to move blood to the periphery. This makes it a good remedy for chilblains, high blood pressure and fever. Ginger inhibits platelet aggregation, therefore, should be the ideal condiment for people predisposed to clotting which may lead to either heart-attack or stroke (Srivastava, K.C. et al. 1964).
Ginger is also highly effective for motion and morning sickness.
KEY CONSTITUENTS
Volatile oils (bisabolene, cineol, phellandrene, citral, borneol, citronellol, geranial, linalool, limonene, zingiberol, zingiberene, camphene), Oleoresin (gingerol, shogaol), Phenol (gingeol, zingerone), Proteolytic enzyme (zingibain), Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Linoleic acid.
The pungency of ginger is due to GINGEROL which is the alcohol group of the oleoresin (when resins are associated with volatile oils, they are called OLEORESINS). Ginger owes its aroma to about 1 to 3% of volatile oils, which are bisabolene, zingiberene and zingiberol.
GINGEROL
INDICATION
Magnesium, calcium and phosphorus function together in bone formation, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission. The high content of these minerals in ginger makes it a useful candidate for muscle spasms, depression, hypertension, muscle weakness, convulsions, confusion, personality changes, nausea, lack of coordination and gastrointestinal disorders.
The high content of potassium in ginger will protects the body against bone fragility, paralysis, sterility, muscle weakness, mental apathy and confusion, kidney damage, and damage to the heart. In addition to potassium's role in blood pressure regulation, it also regulates heartbeat.
Ginger has a high content of antioxidants. This makes it a free radical scavenger. This means, it has antimutagenic and anti-inflammatory properties (Lee, I.K. and Ahn, S.Y. 1985; Kikuzaki, H. and Nakatani, N. 1993; Kikuzaki, H. et al. 1994).
RESEARCH
In a study, acetone extract of ginger at 100 mg/kg p.o. significantly inhibited serotonin (5-HT) induced hypothermia. The active responsible was found to be shogoal. Shogoal, [6]-dehydrogingerdione, [8]- and [10]-gingerol were also found to have an anticathartic action (Huang Q, et al. (1990).
The pungent constituents of ginger release substance P from sensory fibres. The released substance P in turn either stimulates cholinergic and histaminic neurons to release Ach and histamine, respectively, or produces direct muscle contraction by activating M and H1 receptors correspondingly. It is proposed that after being excited by substance P, M and H1 receptors are inactive temporarily and unable to be excited by agonists, therefore, ginger juice exhibits anticholinergic and antihistaminic action. Ginger juice produces antimotion sickness action possibly by central and peripheral anticholinergic and antihistaminic effects (Qian, D.S, and Liu, Z.S. 1992).
REFERENCES
Hasenohrl, U.R. et al. (1998). Dissociation between anxiolytic and hypomnestic effects for combined extracts of Zingiber officinale and ginkgo biloba, as opposed to diazepam. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 59(2):527-35
Huang Q, et al. (1990). The effect of ginger on serotonin induced hypothermia and diarrhea. Yakugaku Zasshi Dec;110(12):936-42
Kikuzaki, H. and Nakatani, N. (1993). Antioxidant effects of some ginger constituents. Journal of Food Science. 58(6): 1407-1410.
Kikuzaki, H., Kawasaki, Y., and Nakatani, N. (1994). Structure of antioxidative compounds in ginger. ACS Sympisium series. 547:237-243.
Lee, I.K. and Ahn, S.Y. (1985). The antioxidant activity of gingerol. Korean Journal of Food Science and Tech. 17(2):55-59.
Pathak, S. and Prakash, A.O. (1989). Active components of ginger exhibiting anti-serotonergic action. Phytother. Res. 3(2):70-71.
Qian, D.S, and Liu, Z.S. (1992).Pharmacologic studies of antimotion sickness actions of ginger. Chung Kuo Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih. Feb;12(2):95-8.
Srivastava, K.C. (1964). Effects of aqueous extracts of onions , garlic and ginger on platelet aggregation and metabolism of arachidonic acid in the blood vascular system. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Medicine 13:227-235.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Ginger also contributes enormous tonic benefit to the entire digestive system. Since optimal well-being depends upon healthy digestion, this is truly a valuable contribution. At least four studies from China and Japan demonstrate that ginger regulates peristaltic action--the wave-like movement of the muscles that push food and waste through the digestive system. Ginger further enhances digestive health through encouraging and nurturing the growth of beneficial flora in the intestines while simultaneously inhibiting toxic bacteria. These combined actions make it useful for both constipation and diarrhea. Research also shows that ginger enhances the digestion of both carbohydrates and protein, and stimulates bile secretion. Although papaya is a better known digestive aid, ginger's action is comparable, and more concentrated. Amazingly, it would take 180 pounds of papaya to equal the effect of just one pound of ginger.
Anatomy of Ginger
There are four main classifications of ginger's anatomy: pungency or taste; fragrance (essential oil); nutrients (macro/micro); and synergists.
Pungency - ginger's taste holds some of its most important medicinal qualities. It contains an oily-resinous substance called "gingerol." It has been broken down into about 30 elements, the most noted being the "gingerols and shogaols." Fresh ginger contains the "gingerols" but when exposed to air and heat change into the "shogaols," the more pungent of the two. This chemical change is one of the most important aspects of ginger's therapeutic value, and one of the more complex.
Fragrance - ginger's fragrance is a mixture of opposites: citrusy to sweet. The warm, spicy scent comes from its essential oil which makes up about 1.0 to 2.5% of the rhizome. 200 different components of the essential oil have been documented by British Researcher Brian Lawrence.
Nutrients - the nutritional value includes lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, many minerals and vitamins, plus trace nutrients. In some places it is used as a vegetable because it also contains potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C and riboflavin.
Synergists make up the last class with hundreds of ingredients which interact to produce ginger's ultimate effect. Within this category is a protein-digesting enzyme called "zingibain" acting very much like bromelain in pineapple. This enzyme is one of nature's richest proteolytic enzymes. Other constituents include capsaicin, curcumin and limonene which have an array of physical effects.
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