Since last hundreds of years, ginger has been known as a very rich crop will benefit, both as a spice or condiment and as a medicinal herb. Plants that have a scientific name Zingiber officinale Roscoe is originally from Asia Pacific, spread from India to China.Not hard to find a ginger because these plants are now widely used in them as a seasoning, flavor of various foods and beverages as well as ingredients for traditional medicines.Specifically as a drug, the efficacy of ginger has been known down through the generations in between as a reliever of headaches, coughs, colds. Ginger is also often used as a remedy to relieve digestive disorders, arthritis, nausea and motion sickness medication, bloating, cholera, diarrhea, sore throat, diphtheria, detoxifying, itchy insect bites, sprains, swelling, and bruising.Various references also mention that ginger can prevent and treat some diseases such as burns, headaches, migraines, lower cholesterol, arthritis, peptic ulcers, antidepressants, to impotence. Even so, all the properties of ginger are still not enough evidence, so it needs to be tested scientifically as well.So far, the results of pharmacological tests showed that ginger has some as anti-inflammatory activity. Laboratory tests showed that extracts of ginger in hot water inhibits the activity of cyclooxygenase lipoksigenase and thus lower levels of prostaglandins and leukotriena (inflammatory mediators).Research in China reported that in hundreds of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic back pain who were injected 5-10% ginger extract to obtain the effect of reduction in pain, decrease swelling joints. Giving a per oral ginger powder in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal reported to reduce pain and swelling.Ginger is also efficacious as antimuntah and can be used by pregnant women to reduce morning sickness. Research shows that ginger is very effective in lowering metoklopamid induced nausea and vomiting compounds. According to the German Federal Health Agency, ginger is effective for treating gastrointestinal disorders and the prevention of motion sickness symptoms.Ginger contains two digestive enzymes that are important in helping the body digest and absorb food. First, the lipase which functions break down fat and the second is a protease that functions break down proteins.Ginger also contains at least 19 bio-active component that is useful for the body.Chemical compounds in ginger are among the essential oil consisting of compounds seskuiterpen, zingiberen, bisabolena, zingeron, oleoresin, kamfena, limonene, borneol, sineol, sitral, zingiberal, felandren. In addition, there are also sagaol, gingerol, starch, resins, organic acids such as malic acid and oxalic acid, Vitamins A, B, and C, these compounds flavonoids and polyphenols.One of the most important components of gingerol which is an anticoagulant, which prevents blood clotting. So with so ginger is able to prevent blockage of blood vessels, a major cause of strokes and heart attacks. Gingerol are also expected to help lower cholesterol levels.
Ginger for Cancer TherapyGinger can be used to kill ovarian cancer cells while components found in chili peppers could be expected to shrink or shrink the tumor of the pancreas. So says Dr. Rebecca Liu, assistant professor in the field of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, USA, and his team, who have tested ginger powder dissolved and applied to ovarian cancer cell cultures.The study mentions that there is evidence of a variety of hot spicy food or useful to inhibit cancer growth. The study examined the effectiveness of ginger against cancer cells. Nonetheless, this study is still the first step.It is said, ginger can kill cancer cells by two roads, namely the destruction process called apoptosis and autophagy, the process of cell Ingestion. It described the experts meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.According to Dr. Rebecca, many cancer patients who develop resistance to standard chemotherapy, where chemotherapy is an act of the apoptotic process.While ginger has the ability to take cells (autophagy) can help those who develop resistance to chemotherapy.American Cancer Society reported ovarian cancer kills 22,000 of 16,000 U.S. women. Ginger shown to control the inflammatory state, which is associated with the development of ovarian cancer cells.In another study using rats given capsaicin (one of the content of the chili), Sanjay Srivastava of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, USA, found that capsaicin was found to kill pancreatic cancer cells. Capsaicin make cancer cells die and have the ability to reduce tumor size.
