Ginger – the natural anti inflammatory food

10 June 2006

Mounting evidence suggests that ginger has natural anti-inflammatory properties. It works like ibuprofen without the side effects, including increased likelihood for men of erectile dysfunction.

For best results as a natural anti inflammatory food, you need some ginger every day. Slice a half-teaspoon to a teaspoon of fresh ginger and use it to flavor your stir-fry vegetables or sauces, or mix it with some boiling water and let it cool down before drinking You only need about an ounce a day to make a difference.
Check Out Our Tasty Ginger Recipes.

Why does ginger work as a natural anti inflammatory?

Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain levels and improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly.

• In two clinical studies involving patients who responded to conventional drugs and those who didn't, physicians found that 75% of arthritis patients and 100% of patients with muscular discomfort experienced relief of pain and/or swelling when they ate ginger often.


• A study published in the November 2003 issue of Life Sciences suggests that at least one reason for ginger’s beneficial effects is the free radical protection afforded by 6-gingerol., which significantly inhibited damaging free radicals.


• Another study appearing in the November 2003 issue of Radiation Research found that in mice, five days treatment with ginger (10 mg per kilogram of body weight) prior to exposure to radiation not only prevented an increase in free radical damage but also greatly lessened depletion of the animals’ stores of glutathione, one of the body’s most important internally produced antioxidants.


• A study published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine shows ginger suppresses inflammatory compounds produced in the joint lining, in cartilage, and immune cells.

Arthritis-related problems with your aging knees?

Regularly spicing up your meals with fresh ginger may help, suggests a study published in a recent issue of Osteoarthritis Cartilage.

In this twelve month study, 29 patients with painful arthritis in the knee (6 men and 23 women ranging in age from 42-85 years) participated in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Patients switched from placebo to ginger or visa versa after 3 months.

After six months, the double-blind code was broken and twenty of the patients who wished to continue were followed for an additional six months.

After six months pain was reduced

By the end of the first six month period, those given ginger were experiencing significantly less pain on movement and physical handicap than those given a placebo. In contrast, those who were switched from ginger to placebo experienced an increase in pain of movement and handicaps.

In the final phase of the study when all patients were getting ginger, pain remained low in those already taking ginger in phase 2, and decreased again in the group that had been on placebo.

Knee Swelling Reduced

Not only did participants’ subjective experiences of pain lessen, but swelling in their knees dropped significantly in those treated with ginger.

When this group was switched to placebo in the second phase of the study, their knee swelling increased, while those who had been on placebo but were now switched to ginger experienced a decrease in knee size. In the final phase, when both groups were given ginger, mean knee swelling continued to drop in both groups.

Ginger for migraines and arthritis

Denmark researchers have discovered that ginger can block the effects of prostaglandins, the substances that cause inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain, which leads to migraines.

Though the results are still experimental, 1/3 teaspoon of fresh of powdered ginger taken when you feel a migraine coming on can help stop pain before it starts.

Using the same theory, ginger has been found to produce "marked" relief in arthritis pain. The ginger tea or 1/2 teaspoon of ginger is recommended by Danish researchers for arthritis relief.
Check Out Our Ginger Tea Recipes.

What to look for when buying ginger as a natural anti inflammatory

Fresh is best! Be sure to avoid ginger with dry, wrinkled, skin, mould or soft spots.
Look for smooth skin with a fresh, spicy fragrance. Tubers should be firm and feel heavy. Length is a sign of maturity, and mature rhizomes will be hotter and more fibrous.

How to store ginger, the natural anti inflammatory food

Fresh, unpeeled root should be wrapped in paper towels, placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated up to three weeks. It can also be tightly wrapped and frozen up to two months. Dried ginger should be kept in a cool, dark space in an airtight container. Pickled and preserved ginger should be kept in their original containers in the refrigerator. Store crystallized ginger in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to three months.

For a whole range of ways to use fresh ginger see our Ginger Recipes in our Healthy Recipes section.

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