“This spice is safe and usually well tolerated,” the researchers say.
Spices are often used in cooking to enhance dishes and bring delicious flavors. But they also have incredible health benefits: some are antioxidants, improve liver health, others help regulate blood sugar or cholesterol. One of them is said to have anti-inflammatory effects and is particularly effective in relieving joint pain, observed in particular in lupus or polyarthritis, reveals a clinical trial led by Dr. Kristen Demoruelle, physician and professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (United States).
In the study published in the journal JCL Insightthe research team studied the biological mechanism of this spice and showed how it could alleviate joint pain.Gingerols, the main compounds of this spice, are able to inhibit the activity of neutrophils (white blood cells present in the body whose role is to defend the organism against intruders, whether bacteria, viruses, toxins, editor’s note), explains the main author. Neutrophils are known to be overactive and trigger what is called “netosis” excessively in several autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, vasculitis and even long Covid“. This spice would also work in a similar way to COX-2 inhibitors (also called coxibs), drugs used to treat pain and inflammation.
In this study, the researchers followed about twenty healthy people and others with autoimmune or joint diseases. The average age of the participants was 27 years (range 18 to 38) and 2/3 were women (who are more affected by autoimmune diseases than men). They administered 100 mg of ginger extract (the famous spice) orally every day for a week, containing 20 mg of gingerol. This is equivalent to about 1 g of fresh ginger (root).
It would be premature to claim that ginger is an effective treatment for autoimmune diseases, the doctor said in Science and Futurebut it is an interesting option for patients who would like to supplement their medication with natural products. “Versatile”, this spice would also calm inflammations of the stomach or throat. “Ginger is safe and usually well tolerated, and our study shows that it inhibits a specific mechanism of inflammation, so I think it’s very reasonable to try it.”she concludes. For information, ginger is contraindicated in cases of gallstones, hemorrhagic diathesis or taking antiplatelet drugs or warfarin. It is best to seek the advice of a doctor before consuming it.