Ginger
Ginger (Zingiber officianalis) is a root used in cooking and as a healing remedy.
Uses:
- Ginger helps build an appetite for food, and can reduce nausea and vomiting. It has been shown to be effective in double-blind, placebo-control studies.
- In a test tube, ginger extract killed all 19 strains of helicobacter pylori bacteria, which cause ulcers, indigestion, and even stomach and colon cancer.
- In some randomized, double-blind studies, ginger was better than a placebo at helping knee pain caused by arthritis.
- In mice, ginger reduced cholesterol and triglycerides.
Forms: Fresh, grated root, capsules, tea
Cautions
- If you take blood-thinning drugs like heparin, warfarin (Coumadin®), or aspirin—or if you take acetaminophen (Tylenol®), ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), or naproxen (Naprosyn®, Aleve®)—you may want to avoid ginger. Ginger taken with these drugs can raise the risk of bleeding, because it keeps platelets from clumping together.
- Ginger can reduce production of interleukin 2, a protein made by the body's immune system to help fight infection. If you have a transplant, taking ginger may change the results of your immune assays. In rats, ginger has been shown to reduce blood levels of cyclosporine by as much as 70%.
