 |
 |
 |
Ginger, Canada snakeroot, Indian ginger, Vermont snakeroot
Zingiber officinale Roscoe
Zingiberaceae
Antinauseant (e.g., motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy, indigestion)
Carminative
Cardiotonic
Anti-inflammatory
One gram of dried, powdered root as needed for nausea, or the equivalent in extract form standardized for 5% gingerols and shogaols. For motion sickness, ginger root is taken a few days prior to travel plus each day during trip.
"Pungent" constituents, primarily gingerols and shogaols, formed from ginger during drying; volatile oils, including sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes, as well as alkanes, aldehydes, and sulfide derivatives.
Well-designed clinical studies have shown efficacy of ginger root as an antinauseant, and in treating nausea due to morning sickness (see Special precautions), motion sickness, chemotherapy, or indigestion. In addition, ginger has shown anti-inflammatory activity, and in one small clinical study was found to provide significant relief to patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had not responded to conventional treatments. One case study reported relief from migraine and its continued prevention using ginger. Ginger inhibited platelet aggregation and lowered cholesterol in animal studies, but has not been investigated clinically in this regard.
Wood, C.D., Manno, J., Wood, M. et al. (1988). Comparison of ginger with various antimotion sickness drugs. Clinical Research Practices and Drug Regulatory Affairs 6: 129-136.
Fischer-Rasmussen, W., Kjaer, S., Dahl, C. et al. (1990). Ginger treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum. European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology 38: 19-24.
