Abstract
Ginger in its many forms, from juices of the fresh rhizome, to ginger powder and ginger essential oil, is growing in popularity for claimed universal health benefits. Nevertheless, and contrarily to the common notion of the public, ginger is not devoid of side effects, especially interactions with other drugs, and many of the claimed benefits remain to be substantiated. This work presents a comprehensive revision of the current state of the art on ginger pharmacokinetics and bioavailability, interaction with active pharmaceutical ingredients, raising awareness of the risks of uncontrolled ginger consumption. A second section of the work described the verified actions of various extracts of ginger, or of their main active ingredients, gingerols, based mainly on data obtained from controlled clinical trials. Finally, the last section is devoted to innovative technological solutions to improve the bioavailability of gingerols and ginger extracts that are expected to ultimately lead to the development of more consumer-compliant products.
Highlights
The plant, of scientific name Zingiber officinale, is originally from southern parts of ancient China and from there it spread to India, Maluku Islands, the rest of Asia and West Africa
The rhizomes are dried and ground to a powder that has flowery-spicy taste and aroma. Both ginger spice and ginger essential oil are recognised as food additives by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and they have been granted the GRAS status (“Generally Recognised as Safe”) [5]
Gastrointestinal complications are reported in a clinical trial with patients taking 2 g of ginger powder per day, but the incidence is in similar numbers in the test group and the placebo group [27]
Summary
Since old times, in a variety of traditional medicines, including Chinese, Ayurvedic (from India) and Unani (Perso-Arabic) [2]. The rhizomes are dried and ground to a powder that has flowery-spicy taste and aroma Both ginger spice and ginger essential oil are recognised as food additives by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and they have been granted the GRAS status (“Generally Recognised as Safe”) [5]. Market is predicted to expand even faster, at an estimated rate of 7.5% every year until 2022 [6]. The consumers’ market is predicted to expand even faster, at an estimated rate until 2022 [6]
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