Ginger from Farmyard to Town: Nutritional and Pharmacological Applications

Abstract

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most widely used natural products consumed as a spice and medicine for treating diabetes, flatulent intestinal colic, indigestion, infertility, inflammation, insomnia, a memory booster, nausea, rheumatism, stomach ache, and urinary tract infections. To date, over 400 bioactive components, such as diarylheptanoids, gingerol analogues, phenylalkanoids, sulfonates, monoterpenoid glycosides, steroids, and terpene compounds have been derived from ginger. Increasing evidence has revealed that ginger possesses a broad range of biological activities, especially protective effects against male infertility, nausea and vomiting, analgesic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and other effects. The pharmacological activities of ginger were mainly attributed to its active phytoconstituents such as 6-gingerol, gingerdiol, gingerol, gingerdione, paradols, shogaols, sesquiterpenes, zingerone, besides other phenolics and flavonoids. In recent years, in silico molecular docking studies revealed that gingerol (6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol) and Shogaol (6-shogaol, 8-shogaol, 10-shogaol) had the best binding affinities to the receptor protein in disease conditions such as diabetes, inflammation, obesity, and SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, some clinical trials have indicated that ginger can be consumed for alleviation of nausea and vomiting induced by surgery, pain, diabetes, obesity, inflammation, male infertility. This review provides an updated understanding of the scientific evidence on the development of ginger and its active compounds as health beneficial agents in future clinical trials.

10-Gingerol, a natural AMPK agonist, suppresses neointimal hyperplasia and inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation

“…On the one hand, 10-G can be used in combination with conventional or molecular targeted therapies due to its abundance, low cost, and safety in consumption, and further evaluation and preclinical development are required for future applications, including human intervention trials against cardiovascular disease, cancers, and other diseases. 10,12 On the other hand, the data needed to show that efficacy and doses are still difficult to come by, and large-scale clinical trials to demonstrate efficacy and safety in drug development for future use are still needed. In conclusion, due to their robust biological potential, gingerol-related chemicals, particularly 10-G, are a highly promising dietary adjuvant for a variety of disorders.…”

“…[6][7][8] Because of the high concentration of pungent constituents, it is widely used as an important ingredient in many foods and products (for example, gingerbread, ginger coffee, ginger oil, and ginger wine), as well as a preservative in various commercial foods, beverages and pharmaceutical supplements. 9,10 It has been identified that ginger has about 400 types of constituents 11,12 (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids, terpenes, phenolic compounds, etc. ), with the bulk of components being gingerols, shogaols, zingiberenes and zingerones.…”

Application of Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction in Orthopaedics and Traumatology

“…Many clinical data show that Shengjiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens) has the effects of anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antitumor, oxygen-free radicals removing, anticoagulation, antiemetic, immunity-enhancing, energy metabolism-increasing, healing-promoting, and nerves-protecting actions. [24][25][26] In addition, some scholars have found that turmeric contained in Shengjiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens) has good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and has a certain effect on the prevention and treatment of arthritis-related diseases. 27…”

Ten Percent Red Ginger Gel Relieves Knee Joint Pain on the Elderly with Osteoarthritis

“…amarum) contains essential oils, resin, Sineol, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, borneol, zingiberol, gingerol, and zingerone. Among other types of ginger, red ginger contains the highest and more essential oils and oleoresin effective in curing various diseases [9], [10], [11]. The content of essential oils and zingerone in red ginger will inhibit pain receptors on the nervous system due to its spicy and hot effect [12].…”