Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant native to China, South East Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. This spice has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years to fight inflammation and rheumatism. Ginger contains active ingredients, including gingerols, which have anti-inflammatory effects. Its ability to reduce inflammation is especially beneficial for those with either rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Several lab and animal-based studies have found ginger root can reduce the production of several chemical substances that promote joint inflammation. (Powdered ginger is more strong than fresh ginger).
Ginger Pain Relief and Arthritis Treatment
Ginger has been shown to alleviate the pain of arthritis. The discovery of ginger’s inhibitory properties on prostaglandin biosynthesis in the early 1970s has been repeatedly confirmed. Ginger root suppresses prostaglandin synthesis through inhibition of COX-1 (cyclooxygenase-1) and COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2). In a 1992 study reported in the journal, “Medical Hypotheses“, all 56 participants who suffered from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other muscular disorders experienced healing in pain and inflammation while taking powdered ginger. In the period of therapy with ginger root, none of the participants reported side effects like they did with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory medications.
In a study of 56 people, ginger root extract was effective in reducing pain and inflammation in three-quarters of the arthritis patients and all of the patients with muscular discomfort. According to a study reported in “Arthritis and Rheumatism“, Nov 2001, ginger root can lessen the pain and suffering of people who have osteoarthritis as well as conventional medications or painkillers. One study shows that taking Zintona EC (a specific ginger extract) 250 mg four times daily reduced arthritis pain in the knee after three months of therapy.
Ginger root is efficacious as a therapy for pain and inflammation, according to a 2005 research reported in Archives of Iranian Medicine. Scientists found that pain fell approximately 50% for people in the ginger and ibuprofen groups. A study reported n 2006 in the Indian Journal of Rheumatology found that ginger root was as powerful as the standard medication indomethacin in relieving knee pain. A 2008 study in the British journal “Food and Chemical Toxicology” demonstrated that ginger acts as an anti-inflammatory, along with many other favorable effects. In a 2012 in vitro study, Eurovita Extract 77 (a specialized ginger extract) reduced inflammatory reactions in rheumatoid arthritis synovial cells as effectively as steroids.
In a study, a special ginger root extract combined with glucosamine worked as well as the anti-inflamatory drug diclofenac slow release 100 mg daily plus glucosamine sulfate 1 g daily. In another study of 261 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee, those who took a ginger root extract twice daily had less pain and needed fewer pain-killing drugs than those who received placebo. In other study compared the effects of a highly concentrated ginger root extract to placebo in 247 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee. The ginger extract reduced pain and stiffness in knee joints by 40% over the placebo. “Research shows that ginger affects certain inflammatory processes at a cellular level,” says the study’s lead author, Roy Altman, MD, at the University of California.
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