Anti-Viral Plants 3: Ginger

Ginger.
Zingiber officinale.

“Ginger is called maha-aushadhi in India; the great medicine. ”

Ginger has been for many centuries and in folk medicine, a remedy to relieve gastric pain, after decades of research, it has been confirmed that this edible is a powerful ally against multiple symptoms, such as a relief for respiratory problems, among others.

Distribution
Native to tropical Southeast Asia, this plant is widely cultivated in tropical, subtropical regions.

Ginger part used
The root, the part most often used for medicine.
Ideally fresh but also dried and powdered.

Its root contains wide bioactive substances with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anti-virals properties.

Anti-inflammatories properties

The ginger extract showed as good as betamethasone reducing proinflammatory cytokines. It could become a possible substitute in certain inflammatory pathologies such as in arthritis therapy.

In clinical trials, women with menstrual pain, dysmenorrhea, Ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug vs ginger in reducing pain intensity and duration have been compared. Ginger generated the same beneficial effects but in less time and with negligible ginger side effects.

Anti Virals properties

Fresh ginger showed its anti-viral and anti-inflammatories properties against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), rhinovirus, and hepatitis C33-35 virus, improving the amount of oxygen inhaled in the lung.