English

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Ginger

Botanical Name

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Zingiber officinale Rose

Family

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Zingiberaceae

Classical name

Ardrak  -Sunthi

 A perennial  herb  with a creeping  tuberous  rhizome .Root  stock  is  horizontal tuberous ,aromatic ,stout rhizome  with  erect leafy  stems  .Leaves  narrow  ,linear ,sessile ,subsessile on  sheaths  with alternate  base ,acuminate ,glabrous ,10-50cm  long .

Flower  are  spike  terminating  the  leafy  system .  Ginger is a tropical plant that has green-purple flowers and an aromatic underground stem (called a rhizome). It is commonly used for cooking and medicinal purposes. 

Fresh  rhizome in green  state  is  Ardrak  or  Ardrak,the  fresh  ginger ;and  dry  rhizome    is  known  as  Sunthi or  Saunth  ,the  dry  ginger .

PHARMACODYNAMICS  

  RASA  :                Katu 

 GUNA :                  Laghu  ,Snigdha

 VIRYA :                 Ushna

 VIPAKA :               Madhura 

 DOSHA  KARMA :  Kaphvatashamak

GingerConstituents

Volatile oils in ginger are what cause the taste, smell, and medical effectiveness. About 1-4% of ginger is oil. Ginger contains pungent constituents, shogaols and gingerols, which make it effective for relieving vomiting and nausea. Bisabolene and zingiberene are the aromatic constituents of garlic.


 

 THERAPEUTICS  USES  IN   AYURVEDA

  1)   Fresh  ginger 

         Fever   

• Ardrak  juice  mixed  with  rock  salt  and  three  pungents  should  be  kept  in  mouth  touching  the  throat  and  then   be  spited .

        Coryza 

•  In acute  stage  one  should  use  adrak  with  milk.

       Bronchial  asthma 

• One  should  administer  the  juice  of  ardrak  mixed  with  honey  which  alleviates  bronchial  asthma ,cough ,coryza  and  kaph .

        Anorexia

• Ardrak  juice  mixed  with  rock  salt  kept  in  mouth 

        Fainting

•   Snuffing  with  ardrak  juice .

        Urticaria

• Ardrak  juice  mixed  with  old  jaggery  sould   be  taken  in  order to alleviate  urticaria  and  sluggish   digestion .

2) Sunthi  (  dry  ginger )

Fever

·      Milk   cooked  with  sunthi  ,dry  grapes  (draksha )  kharjura  (date )   and  added  with  ghee  ,honey  and  sugar  allays  thirst  and  fever .

·       Decotion of  sunthi  40gm  added  with  honey  alleviates  loss of  appetite  ,coryza  ,dysponea   cough  due  to  defects  of  water  and  generates  lusture  ,clarity  of  ind   and  vision .

·         Sunthi  ,jirak  ,and  jaggery  pounded  together  and  taken  with  hot  ,old  wine  or  butter  milk  checks  fever  with  rigor .

·      The  paste  of  sunthi  ,jirak  and  haritiki   taken  regularly  before    meals  alleviates   defects  of  water  due  to  change  of  place .

Diarrhoea

·        One  who  defaecates  frequently  with  or without  stool   or  with  tenasmus   should   take   sunthi  with  jaggery  mixed  with  curd  ,oil, ghee,and  milk .

Loss  of  appetite   and   indigestion 

·      Sunthi   taken   with  ghee  in  morning  promotes   appetite   .

·      If  a  person  feels  indigestion  at  time  of  meal   ,he  should  take  haritaki   mixed  with  sunthi  before  meals .

·      Sunthi  and  haritiki  with  jaggery   or  salt  wholesome  on  case  of   loss of  appetite .

·      Decoction  of  sunthi   boiled   in  water   1.28 Lt.  remaining  to  one  half   stimulatesdigestive  fire  quickly .

·      Decoction  of  sunthi  40 ml  mixed  with   honey  alleviates  anorexia  ,loss  of appetite ,respiratory  and  abdominal  disorder  and  all  defects  of  water  and  promotes   healt and  lusture  .

  Abdominal  pain

·      Paste  of  sunthi  ,tila  and  jaggery  coocked   iin  milk  relieved  pain  during   digestion  within in  a  week.

   Heart   disease

·      Hot  decoction  sunthi  should  be  taken .

    Hiccoups  and  bronchial  asthma

·      Decoction  of   sunthi  ,pippali  ,sugar  and  amalki  with  honey  checks   hiccoups   .

    Cough

·       Sunthi  mixed  with  pippali  and  jaggery  and  taken  with  honey  .

    Filaria 

·      Take  food  with  milk   cooked with  sunthi  .

    Disease  of  head

·      Snuffing  with  milk  mixed    with  paste  of  sunthi  alleviates  severe  headache .

·      Snuffing   with  paste   of  sunthi  mixed  jaggert   removes  headache .

Ginger s other used  in treating  arthritis  ulcerative  colitis      menstrual discomfort, headaches, fevers from flu and colds, and sore throats. Gastrointestinal problems including heartburn and gas can also be treated with ginger. The muscles of the gastrointestinal tract can be strengthened by the use of garlic. Ginger is also used to treat arthritis, both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. It is thought that garlic can also provide relief for toothaches, but no scientific evidence exists to support this.                  

Dosage  Administration

dosage administrationating and preventing motion sickness, ingest 500 mg of ginger powder (dried) between 30 to 60 minutes prior to traveling. 500 mg should be taken as needed every 2 to 4 hours. Pregnant women should not use ginger for a prolonged amount of time, but can take as much as 1 gram daily to  treat nausea.
There are no recommendations for dosage in children.

  
What Ginger Is Used For

• Ginger is used in Asian medicine to treat stomach aches, nausea, and diarrhea.

• Many digestive, antinausea, and cold and flu dietary supplements sold in the United States contain ginger extract as an ingredient.

• Ginger is used to alleviate postsurgery nausea as well as nausea caused by motion, chemotherapy, and pregnancy.

• Ginger has been used for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and joint and muscle pain.

How Ginger Is Used

The underground stems of the ginger plant are used in cooking, baking, and for health purposes. Common forms of ginger include fresh or dried root, tablets, capsules, liquid extracts (tinctures), and teas.

What the Science Says

• Studies suggest that the short-term use of ginger can safely relieve pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting.

• Studies are mixed on whether ginger is effective for nausea caused by motion, chemotherapy, or surgery.

• It is unclear whether ginger is effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or joint and muscle pain.

• NCCAM-funded investigators are studying:

  • Whether ginger interacts with drugs, such as those used to suppress the immune system.

  • Ginger's effect on reducing nausea in patients on chemotherapy.

  • The general safety and effectiveness of ginger's use for health purposes, as well as its active components and effects on inflammation.

Side Effects and Cautions

• Few side effects are linked to ginger when it is taken in small doses.

• Side effects most often reported are gas, bloating, heartburn, and nausea. These effects are most often associated with powdered ginger.

• Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

Ginger, or Zingiber officinale (Latin), is a tasty, aromatic spice that has been a mainstay of Asian and Indian cuisine and traditional medicine for thousands of years. Today ginger’s popularity has spread across the globe, and it is one of the world’s most widely used herbal treatments.

Ginger has been used in traditional Asian medicine to treat nausea, stimulate appetite, fight body odor, and promote perspiration. Indian ayurvedic medicine traditionally recommends ginger for the treatment of arthritis, and recent studies have shown that ginger does indeed inhibit the production of cytokines, which are chemicals that can promote inflammation.

Ginger also helps treat joint pain by stimulating blood circulation, and this effect may make it a useful treatment for many illnesses characterized by pain and poor circulation, including rheumatoid arthritis and Raynaud’s syndrome.

Research indicates that ginger is beneficial to the heart as well. Clinical studies have shown that as little as 5 grams of dried ginger a day slows the production of triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol in the liver. Ginger also guards against heart attack and stroke by preventing the platelet clumping or stickiness that can lead to blood clots and atherosclerosis.

One of ginger’s best-known uses is as a treatment for nausea. Controlled clinical studies have found ginger to be more effective in relieving motion sickness than dimenhydrinate (Dramamine). When given in large doses, ginger also seems to be effective for treating nausea induced by chemotherapy when given in large doses.

Pregnant women have reported relief from consuming small amounts of ginger root, ginger tea, and ginger ale. However, women should not consume large amounts of ginger during pregnancy, as it can cause the uterus to contract.

Ginger is also often used for treatment of flatulence, indigestion, diarrhea, and menstrual cramps. This is because ginger mimics some digestive enzymes used to process protein in the body, and is known to act as a gastronintestinal antispasmodic. Commission E, a panel in Germany that evaluates herbs for the government, recommends ginger to prevent and treat indigestion.

Ginger is also sometimes recommended for relief of cold symptoms—it helps to loosen phlegm and fight chills by spreading a warm feeling throughout the body. Pickled ginger is traditionally eaten with sushi, probably because of its ability to destroy parasites—it contains zingibain, a parasite-killing chemical that has been shown to kill the anisakid worm, a parasite sometimes contaminates raw fish.

Ginger is derived from the root of a perennial plant. The ginger root may be consumed raw, steeped in hot water to make a tea, or added to a variety of dishes. Ginger is also available in capsules, pickles, extracts, and prepared teas that can be made into compresses. The usual dosage is 1/3 of an ounce of fresh ginger root per day, or 150 to 300 milligrams of freeze-dried ginger in capsules three times per day.

Pregnant women should be careful not to overdo it when taking ginger supplements; it has been said to stimulate uterine contractions. People taking blood thinners, barbiturates, beta-blockers, insulin or diabetes medications should consult a physician before supplementing with ginger on a regular basis, since it may increase the effects of these medications.

Ginger may interfere with the absorption of dietary iron and fat-soluble vitamins, and cause stomach upset in higher doses. Also, because ginger helps thin the blood, it should not be taken two weeks prior to surgery.