Use of Ginger as a Functional Herbal Medicine

The monthly menstrual cramps are the worst experience of my life. It is pretty common for me to feel unbearable pain during my periods, but I remember one remarkable time when I visited my grandma: I was about to use the bathroom to deal with period stuff, but I immediately felt that familiar pain as I tried to stand up. It felt like a knife being dragged across the insides of my lower abdomen, and then it escalated - my vision began fading and I felt very cold and nauseous. I huddled myself up. My grandma asked me if there was anything wrong with concern. I told her it was caused by dysmenorrhea and soon I was given a cup of hot tea. I drunk it up. The tea was a bit spicy, with a lasting sweet aftertaste. “Ginger tea”, my grandma explained, “it alleviates your pain and you will soon warm up”. Ginger tea, I thought, of course, it is the ‘omnipotent’ ginger tea.

I have heard the magical effect of ginger tea bandied about a lot since I was a kid. Ginger tea, in particular, ginger, is well known for its medicinal and nutritional values. Ginger is a natural analgesic and antipyretic. Although both of my parents study science-based Western medicine, my family still believes in ginger’s powerful therapeutic and preventive effects. As one of the most effective herbs of Chinese herbal medicine, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of ginger within a cultural and historical context. The development of Chinese traditional herbal medicine has an inseparable relationship with Chinese tribal roots. Unlike Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine aims at restoring a balance of energy, body, and spirit to maintain health rather than treating a particular disease or medical condition. Herbs are widely used in order to improve balance by nourishing the body, and therefore, it is essential to discern that using ginger to heal is mostly to make physical improvements rather than serving as a rapid resolution. According to Mahmoud, Diaai, and Ahmed (2012), ginger has been found that it has great influence on serving as an alternative treatment for degenerative disorders, digestive health, cardiovascular disorders, vomiting, diabetes mellitus, and even cancer. For instance, in Lee et al.’s (2008) study on human breast cancer cells and treatments, researchers suggest that through forbidding the motility of cell adhesion invasion, ginger can immensely cure breast cancer. Moreover, ginger is good at control the process of aging because of its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative nature. Humans thus can fight against many chronic diseases via using ginger and enhancing their antioxidant status, which can enormously strengthen the body’s defenses. In Yemitan and Izegbu’s (2006) study, they claim that ginger has anti-oxidative stress effects. According to their study, the active molecules inside ginger, such as gingerols, play an important role in several modules as they show great antioxidant activity, which generates from metabolism. The antioxidant activity consists of multitudes of reactive oxygen species and free radicals, and it is essential to humans since it can protect people from diseases and cancer.

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However, like many other medicinal herbs, there is more rumor than scientific arguments to endorse those ancient mysteries of the ginger, and ginger’s defense mechanism fails to guarantee that the diseases can be completely cured. The increasingly recent researches show great interest in preventing disease through investigating the natural compounds inside herbs. Unfortunately, the results presented in these research studies are mostly experience-based with providing descriptive and observational data instead of mechanistic findings. Studies in both humans and animals fail to explain the relationship between the constituents of ginger and its long-term effects of consumption. More evidence-based researches are needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of using ginger as functional herbal medicine as well as its side effects.

Aside from my horrible experience with the monthly menstrual cramps, studying herbal medicine, which is one of the effective CAM therapies, also interests me as I personally have one full school-year experience with observing the study of herbal treatments in Boston Women’s Health Program. I was taught to boil ginger tea for one of my siblings who was pregnant and could not stop vomiting when I was in middle school. I was astonished as I do not understand how ginger works to treat my sibling’s symptoms of vomiting. The observing-based study in Boston Women’s Health Program offers an opportunity to satisfy the inquisitive me. The researchers’ goal is to study the usage of ginger in the medicinal field, and more specifically, they studied its medicinal usage to heal nausea and vomiting that occurred during pregnancy. In their study, researchers observe two randomly assigned groups of pregnant women. One group uses ginger, while the other one does not. At the end of that school year, their experiment reports that women who use ginger show less likelihood of vomiting and nausea than the group of women who do not use ginger in their diet. Moreover, the results suggest that there is a lower rate of having risks during pregnancy while using ginger. I was surprised by herbal medicine’s effective influence. Furthermore, as a means to further investigate, the research that is conducted by Jewell and Young (2003) shows that during the early pregnancy, it is proportional to the dosage of ginger and the frequency of vomiting. Jewell and Young’s study suggests the conclusive existence of side effects on using ginger, but, according to the results shown in their stochastic controlled research trials, ginger hardly affects the development of the fetus. The possibility of teratogenicity via using ginger as a treatment is extremely rare. It is noticeable, however, according to the Teratology Society, herbal medicines such as ginger should not be simply assumed as safe because of the existence of the underlying risks for the fetus. Science-based and evidence-based research is still lacking and more studies are needed to better evaluate the safety and effectiveness of using ginger.

From my perspective, I do think ginger can markedly benefit human beings. Ginger is not only a fundamental ingredient of the kitchen pharmacy, but I am also amazed by it and its various medicinal applications. Ginger exhibits its properties that greatly contribute to anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic effects. Moreover, ginger has been found that it can serve as an effective treatment for the symptoms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Historically, ginger has been widely used for centuries, and its safety could be proved by enormous positive feedback from the people who have used ginger as a means to heal their diseases and illnesses. Assuredly, the clinical evidence is lacking, and the underlying possibility of being unsafe is needed to further pursue. Notwithstanding, as one of the useful CAM therapies, the usage of ginger as functional herbal medicine appears to be safe, and we shall encourage more attention and painstaking research on ginger and not ignore its scientific significance as it has remarkably contributed to medical science.

Works Cited

1. Ali B.H., Blunden G., Tanira M.O., Nemmar A. ‘Some Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Toxicological Properties of Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Roscoe): A Review of Recent Research’. Food Chem Toxicol. 2008.
2. Cohen R.J., Ek K., Pan C.X. ‘Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Use by Older Adults: A Comparison of Self-Report and Physician Chart Documentation’. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2002.
3. Eliopoulos C. ‘Ginger: More than a Great Spice’. Director. 2007.
4. Jewell, D. and Young, G. ‘Interventions for Nausea and Vomiting in Early Pregnancy’. Cochrane Database Syst. 2003.
5. Lee H.S., Seo E.Y., Kang N.E., Kim W.K. ‘[6]-Gingerol Inhibits Metastasis of MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cells’. J Nutr Biochem. 2008.
6. Mahmoud M.F., Diaai A.A., Ahmed F. ‘Evaluation of the Efficacy of Ginger, Arabic Gum, and Boswellia in Acute and Chronic Renal Failure’. Ren Fail. 2012.
7. Yemitan O.K., Izegbu M.C. ‘Protective Effects of Zingiber Officinale (Zingiberaceae) Against Carbon Tetrachloride and Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats’. Phytother Res. 2006.
8. Young H.Y., Luo Y.L., Cheng H.Y., Hsieh W.C., Liao J.C., Peng W.H. ‘Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of [6]-Gingerol’. J Ethnopharmacol. 2005.