Orally consumed ginger and human health: an umbrella review

Abstract

Background Emerging evidence supports the health benefits of ginger for a range of conditions and symptoms; however, there is a lack of synthesis of literature to determine which health indications are supported by quality evidence. Objectives This umbrella review of systematic reviews aimed to determine the therapeutic effects and safety of any type of ginger from the Zingiber family administered in oral form compared with any comparator or baseline measures on any health and wellbeing outcome in humans. Design Five databases were searched to April 2021. Review selection and quality was assessed in duplicate using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) Checklist and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) method, with results presented narratively. Results Twenty-four systematic reviews were included with 3% overlap of primary studies. Strongest evidence was found for the antiemetic effects of ginger in pregnant women (effect size: large; GRADE: high), analgesic effects for osteoarthritis (effect size: small; GRADE: high), and glycemic control (effect size: none-to-very large; GRADE: very low-to-moderate). Ginger also had a statistically significant positive effect on blood pressure, weight management, dysmenorrhea, post-operative nausea, and chemotherapy-induced vomiting (effect size: moderate-to-large; GRADE: low-to-moderate) as well as blood lipid profile (effect size: small; GRADE: very low) and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers (effect size: unclear; GRADE: very low-to-moderate). There was substantial heterogeneity and poor reporting of interventions; however, doses of 0.5–3 g per day in capsule form administered for up to three months was consistently reported as effective. Conclusions Dietary consumption of ginger appears safe and may exert beneficial effects on human health and wellbeing, with greatest confidence in antiemetic effects in pregnant women, analgesic effects in osteoarthritis, and glycemic control. Future randomized controlled and dose-dependent trials with adequate sample sizes and standardized ginger products are warranted to better inform and standardize routine clinical prescription. Registration: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) ID: CRD42020197925.

Fitoterapia en Osteoartritis: Eficacia y mecanismos implicados

“…De manera similar la combinación de jengibre, cúrcuma y pimienta negra revelan revelan que cuya ingesta dos veces al día durante 4 semanas mejoran los niveles de PGE2 en pacientes con osteoartritis crónica de rodilla similar al fármaco naproxeno (64), sin embargo, no hay pruebas suficientes para el uso de jengibre oral con finalidad de alivio del dolor y mejora de función en OA de rodilla, pero tiene un efecto antiemético y control glucémico en embarazadas (65,66).…”

Elucidating the Beneficial Effects of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in Parkinson’s Disease

“…Although the therapeutic effects and safety of ginger have been investigated in many clinical trials, in other conditions, including pregnancy-, postoperative- or chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, metabolic syndrome, colorectal cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and primary dysmenorrhea, clinical evidence in PD is still lacking. , In the broader field of neurodegenerative disorders, two randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials in patients with cognitive impairment have demonstrated that oral ginger administration for three months was associated with improved scores on neuropsychological testing. , No severe side effects were mentioned in these two studies, and these promising results open the way for future clinical trials in patients with PD. The absence of clinical evidence on the therapeutic efficacy and safety of ginger in patients with PD is an important limitation for its clinical translation.…”

“…Most common side effects of ginger in human studies are mild gastrointestinal symptoms including heartburn or reflux, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort, regardless of the type of study population. 23,24 Other less common side effects are rash, flushing, and bad taste. 23 Reduction of aggregation of platelets and anticoagulant activity may be observed at high doses (10 g of ginger powder/daily), but no effects on platelet activity have been noted at doses of less than 4 g/day.…”

“…23,24 Other less common side effects are rash, flushing, and bad taste. 23 Reduction of aggregation of platelets and anticoagulant activity may be observed at high doses (10 g of ginger powder/daily), but no effects on platelet activity have been noted at doses of less than 4 g/day. 22 Ginger dust inhalation has been associated with immunoglobulin Emediated allergic reaction, 25 and only at high doses (2000 mg/ kg) has ginger been related to slightly reduced weights of testes in rats.…”

“…A clinical study has also demonstrated that oral ginger administration to patients with coronary artery disease at a single dose of 10 g was not associated with side effects, suggesting that ginger seems to be safe at these doses. Most common side effects of ginger in human studies are mild gastrointestinal symptoms including heartburn or reflux, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort, regardless of the type of study population. , Other less common side effects are rash, flushing, and bad taste . Reduction of aggregation of platelets and anticoagulant activity may be observed at high doses (10 g of ginger powder/daily), but no effects on platelet activity have been noted at doses of less than 4 g/day .…”