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The Benefits of Ginger:

Ginger is a superfood that has always been used in Chinese and Indian cultures for its potent health benefits. It is a lot more than a spice adding flavor to your food. You may get astounded by the enormous health benefits ginger has to offer. Extensive research is happening to evaluate the medicinal properties of ginger and ginger extract.

Besides possessing anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-nausea, anticancer, anti-platelet, diaphoretic (helps relieve fever by increased sweating), expectorant (enhances mucus removal from respiratory pathways), metabolic stimulation, and carminative properties, the ginger extract also has significant gastroprotective properties (promotes your gut health).

From indigestion to acidity and ulcers, from gas and flatulence to bloating, regular use of ginger extract can keep all your gut issues away. But firstly, let’s answer a question you might ask: why are we stressing the use of ginger extract rather than raw ginger?

Why Ginger Extract Instead Of Raw Ginger?

Well, that’s a brilliant question itself. And the short answer is ginger extract offers more bioavailability (the percentage of a nutrient, from the food you eat, that is absorbed by your gut and becomes available to your body for consumption) as compared to raw ginger.

Moreover, the ginger extract also has an increased concentration of shogaols along with gingerols, the two main compounds in ginger. Shogaols are thought to have more potent gut benefits as compared to gingerols. Raw ginger doesn’t offer enough shogaols for absorption by the gut.

5 Gut Benefits of Ginger Extract

Here is a detailed breakdown of how regular use of ginger extract can promote your gut health:

          1.) May Avoid Indigestion

Indigestion (also called dyspepsia) is described as pain and discomfort in the stomach due to delayed emptying of food from the stomach. Decreased stomach motility is the most common cause of indigestion.

Ginger extract has excellent potential to increase stomach motility and speed up its emptying. Regular use of ginger extract before a meal can quickly soothe an upset tummy.

A 2011 study demonstrated that ginger extract accelerated the stomach emptying time for soup from 16.5 minutes to 12 minutes. Another study showed that using ginger extract before taking a meal shortened the stomach emptying time by almost 50%.

          2.) May Relieve Acidity

Your stomach contains glands that secrete acid to help better digest the food you eat. It is a normal phenomenon.

Acidity occurs when your stomach glands secrete more than the required acid into the stomach. It leads to a severe burning sensation in the lower chest.

Ginger has proven antisecretory effects on stomach glands. It decreases the production and acid releases into the stomach. Moreover, it also enhances the mucus production around the stomach walls that protects the stomach from the damaging effects of the acid.

          3.) May Treat Aspirin and H. Pylori-Induced Stomach Ulcers

Ginger is immensely valuable in preventing and treating stomach ulcers. Several studies published in reputable journals have established the gastroprotective properties of ginger extracts.

A stomach ulcer occurs when the epithelial lining of the inner walls of your stomach gets bruised. The overuse of aspirin (an NSAID used as a painkiller) and chronic infection with H. pylori bacteria are the most common causes of ulcers in the stomach. Regular use of ginger extract can protect and alleviate both aspirin and H. pylori-induced stomach ulcers.

A 2009 study on rats with aspirin-induced ulcers showed that regular use of ginger oil significantly alleviates the symptoms of ulcers. Ginger decreases the acidity and volume of the acidic secretions in the stomach. It also increases the thickness of the mucosal layer inside the stomach that protects it from acid damage.

          4.) May Inhibit Bloating and Flatulence

Bloating and flatulence occur due to indigestion. Food digestion also causes waste gas production in the gut, which leads to flatulence.

Many nutritionists claim that ginger compounds promote the motility of the gastrointestinal tract as well as increases the secretion of saliva, bile, and other digestive compounds. All these effects collectively promote proper digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food components.

Proper digestion of food by regular use of ginger extracts keeps you safe from flatulence and bloating

          5.) May Reduce the Risk of Gastrointestinal Cancer

The regular use of ginger extract significantly reduces the risk of gastrointestinal cancers. 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol, the two primary compounds in ginger extract, have a central role in cancer prevention.

A 2015 study has shown that 6-gingerol induces the apoptosis (programmed death of cells) of cancer cells in the gut, and 6-shogaol also impedes the growth and viability of cancer cells in the stomach. Moreover, ginger also procures antioxidant properties that help neutralize the radical oxygen species reducing the risk of cancer development.

The same study also showed that ginger prevents chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. It increases the compliance of patients to complete their drug therapies.

Summary:

Ginger is a wonderful herb that has immense medicinal values and health benefits. Besides other benefits, the benefits ginger extract can offer to your gut health are worth your attention. It promotes digestion, relieves acidity, bloating and flatulence, treats stomach ulcers, and also prevents gastrointestinal cancers. Ginger tea is the best ginger recipe to include in your diet and enjoy all the benefits ginger has to offer.

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References:

1.) Hu, Ming-Luen, et al. Effect of Ginger on Gastric Motility and Symptoms of Functional Dyspepsia. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 7 Jan. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3016669

2.) Haniadka, Raghavendra, et al. A Review of the Gastroprotective Effects of Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Roscoe). Food and Function. 24 Apr. 2013, www.pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/fo/c3fo30337c/unauth.

3.) Wu KL, Rayner CK, Chuah SK, et al. Effects of ginger on gastric emptying and motility in healthy humans. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008;20(5):436-440. doi:10.1097/MEG.0b013e3282f4b224

4.) Khushtar, M, et al. Protective Effect of Ginger Oil on Aspirin and Pylorus Ligation-Induced Gastric Ulcer Model in Rats. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Sept. 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866350/.

5.) Prasad, Sahdeo, and Amit K Tyagi. “Ginger and Its Constituents: Role in Prevention and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer.” Gastroenterology Research and Practice, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369959//.