This video discusses the potential benefits of ginger, a rhizome with over 400 bioactive compounds. It highlights six benefits supported by human trials, including nausea relief, improvement of indigestion and functional dyspepsia, reduction of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, alleviation of muscle soreness, improvement of fatty liver, and relieving painful menstrual periods. Various ways of consuming ginger are mentioned, such as adding it to food or drinks, taking it as a supplement, or inhaling ginger essential oil. Safety considerations are also discussed, with the FDA stating that ginger root is generally considered safe in recommended dosages.
Key Insights:
- Ginger has been known for its medicinal properties for over 3000 years.
- There are accumulating studies that point to ginger’s role in the treatment of various conditions.
- Ginger has over 400 bioactive compounds, including amino acids, fiber, phytosterols, and antioxidants.
- Ginger is effective in treating nausea and vomiting, especially during early pregnancy.
- Ginger can help with indigestion and functional dyspepsia by improving gastric emptying.
- Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and can help with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
- Ginger can reduce muscle soreness after exercise and improve recovery of muscle strength.
- Ginger supplementation has shown positive effects in improving fatty liver and reducing liver inflammation.
- Ginger is effective in relieving pain related to dysmenorrhea or painful menstrual periods.
- There are various ways to consume ginger, including adding it to food, drinking it as tea, or taking it as a supplement.
- When taking ginger as a supplement, it is important to choose a product that is third-party tested or USP verified.
- Ginger root is generally considered safe, but taking high doses may cause gastrointestinal upset or interact with blood thinners.
- Most studies have used doses ranging from 200mg to 4000mg per day.
- Ginger is safe to use during pregnancy and is not associated with increased risk of birth complications.
- There are many more potential benefits of ginger that haven’t been covered in this video.
Transcript
Ginger has been known for its medicinal properties for over 3000 years, and there are accumulating studies that point to its role in the treatment of many different conditions. These range from simple colds to nausea, arthritis, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and even an improvement in brain function and Alzheimer’s protection.
Some studies even report antioxidant and anti-cancer effects, but many of those effects were only seen in animal and in vitro studies. In this video, I’ll tell you about six amazing benefits of ginger that are actually supported by human trials. I’ll also talk about the best ways to take it and review important things you need to consider when choosing the right supplement or formulation.
So what is it that makes ginger so special? Ginger has over 400 bioactive compounds, including amino acids, raw fiber, phytosterols, and at least 40 antioxidant compounds. It also includes vitamins like nicotinic acid and vitamin A.
Perhaps the most well-known effect of ginger is its treatment of nausea and vomiting, especially in pregnancy. Studies have shown that taking one gram of ginger daily for at least four days was associated with a five-fold likelihood of improvement of nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.
Ginger can also help with indigestion, particularly with a condition called functional dyspepsia. This is recurring symptoms of upset stomach, bloating, nausea, and burning without any structural or obvious cause. Ginger improves gastric emptying, which is often a contributor to many gastrointestinal issues.
The third benefit of ginger is its ability to improve inflammation, specifically in rheumatoid arthritis. A randomized controlled trial in 2019 showed that 1.5 grams of ginger per day significantly lowered CRP and other markers of inflammation in people with active rheumatoid arthritis.
There is evidence that ginger helps with muscle soreness after exercise. Daily consumption of 2 grams of raw and heat-treated ginger has been shown to reduce inflammation due to exercise-induced muscle damage and accelerate the recovery of muscle strength following intense exercise.
Another benefit of ginger is its ability to improve fatty liver. A double-blind randomized controlled trial showed that supplementation with ginger at 2 grams per day for 12 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in liver markers, inflammatory cytokines, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis.
Lastly, ginger has been found to be effective in relieving painful menstrual periods, also known as dysmenorrhea. Supplementation of ginger for the first three days of menstruation has been shown to be more effective than placebo in relieving pain. There was no significant difference between ginger and non-steroidal pain relievers like ibuprofen.
There are various ways to consume ginger, such as adding raw or pickled ginger to your food, drinking it as a tea, taking crystallized ginger products, using ginger essential oil, or taking ginger as a supplement in capsule form. It is important to choose supplements that are third-party tested or USP verified to ensure you’re getting 100% ginger without any additives or fillers.
Ginger root is generally considered safe by the FDA, and most studies discussed in the video used doses ranging from 200 milligrams to 4,000 milligrams per day. However, high doses of ginger may cause GI upset, heartburn, and worsen pre-existing bleeding conditions, especially if already taking blood thinner medication.
Overall, ginger is a great supplement with a lot of promising studies supporting its use. If you’re using ginger as a natural remedy, let me know in the comments below why you’re taking it and in what form.
