Ginger

Ginger can have substantial health benefits for a wide array of conditions. Sometimes, fresh ginger, high in the compound gingerol, and dried ginger, high in shogaol, have different effects. I will note the uses where this distinction is important. The benefits of ginger include the following:

Relief of muscle and/or joint pain

Like aspirin and ibuprofen, many components of ginger are potent inhibitors of inflammatory substances such as prostaglandins. Ginger is also thought to inhibit substance P, a pain mediator that is known to be elevated in FMS. For substance P inhibition, dried ginger seems to be most effective. In a study of ten patients with muscle pain and forty-six patients with arthritis (both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis), 100 percent of muscle pain patients and 75 percent of arthritis patients noted relief. The recommended dose was 1,000 mg of powdered ginger a day. Many patients took 3,000 to 4,000 mg a day and noted quicker and better relief using the higher dose.1 Try using the fresh ginger and then a slice of dried ginger to see which works better for you.

Decreased nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

Ginger decreases bowel spasm while improving gastric motility (moving food from the stomach to the bowels). These are often major problems in CFS/FMS, resulting in bloating after eating. Ginger can also inhibit diarrhea. In addition, in several studies, fresh (for example, roasted) but not dried ginger was found to inhibit stomach ulcers caused by aspirin and ibuprofen. It is a strong antioxidant, and can inhibit certain bowel infections (salmonella and vibrio). Taking 500 to 1,000 mg of ginger is effective to calm general stomach upset.

Increased thermogenesis (warming of the body)

Fresh ginger works much better for this.

Relief of migraine headaches

Relief of disequilibrium (for example, motion sickness)

Although likely not as effective for vestibular (inner ear) dizziness, in which you feel like you are spinning in a circle, ginger inhibits the nausea associated with dizziness. For motion sickness, it works best when you take 1,000 mg four hours before travel.

Increased blood pressure

This can be helpful for people with CFS/FMS, who often have low blood pressure. Only dried ginger works for this purpose.

Decreased risk of heart disease

Ginger is a platelet inhibitor (like aspirin and vitamin E) and may also lower cholesterol.

Ginger tea preparations are among the most popular ways to take ginger. To make the tea, boil 10 grams of chopped fresh ginger (about a quarter-inch slice) and add stevia to sweeten it, as desired. Some people find the ginger brews better if they allow the chopped ginger to dry out slightly before using it (just keep a bag of ginger slices in your refrigerator). Once you finish drinking the tea, eat the ginger that remains. You can also purchase packets of ginger tea crystals. I wouldn’t worry very much about the small amount of sugar in these products relative to the amount of ginger — as long as ginger is the first ingredient listed on the package. These products supply about 5,000 mg of ginger per cup of tea.

Minced ginger is also available in a liquid base for cooking (similar to jarred minced garlic). Or, if you like the sharp taste of ginger, candied ginger cubes might be a good choice. If you use fresh ginger in cooking or to make tea, do not peel it until just before use or some of the volatile (active) oils will evaporate.

You can also take 1,000 mg of dried ginger extract one to four times a day or 500 to 1,000 mg of dry powder three to four times a day — with the dose decreased to the lowest effective dose in four to six weeks. These initial, higher doses can be more effective for pain; side effects of ginger are minimal, but include nausea and heartburn.

All of this makes ginger a very versatile herb!