Ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale): A spice with multiple health beneficial potentials

- Zingiber officinale is a common spice used in foods and beverages.
- It is used in Chinese, Ayurvedic, Unani medicines since antiquity.
- Multiple health beneficial effects experimentally verified are reviewed here.
- Ginger exerts strong anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic effects.
- The mechanistic aspects of the health effects have also been investigated.
- These validated health benefits strongly support its nutraceutical application.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizomes are commonly used in foods and beverages for their characteristic pungency and piquant flavor. Ginger is widely employed in Chinese, Ayurvedic, Unani medicines and home remedies since antiquity for many ailments including pain, inflammation, and gastrointestinal disorders. The bioactive constituents of ginger have been identified. Many of the beneficial pharmacological effects of its ingredients have been experimentally verified in recent years. The mechanistic aspects of the health effects have also been investigated in many studies. This article briefly reviews the most salient investigations which have validated the potential of ginger with respect to the digestive stimulant, protection to the gastrointestinal tract, lipid lowering, anti-obesity, cardioprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and cancer preventive properties. Ginger compounds are potent antioxidants, and consequently, ginger extracts exert promising anti-inflammatory and cancer preventive effects. The most significant among all the nutraceutical attributes of ginger are its positive influence on gastrointestinal tract including digestive stimulant action, anti-inflammatory influence, and anticancer effect. While ginger is generally considered to be safe, it also deserves to be recommended as a functional ingredient in our daily food. The present treatise reviews all the experimentally validated health benefits of this spice, to make a claim on its nutraceutical application.

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