Ginger Root Extract: Efficacy in Osteoarthritis & Anti-Inflammation

Ginger Root Extract:

Ginger root’s medicinal use is well established, and its multifaceted benefits have been documented in Chinese and Ayurvedic practices for over 2,500 years. It has been celebrated for its anti-inflammatory effects for generations, and several recent clinical trials highlight why more and more sufferers of osteoarthritis have been turning to ginger root extract as a potential remedy.

One prominent randomized control trial by Altman et al. conducted in 10 clinical centers across the U.S. followed 247 patients with knee osteoarthritis for 6 weeks. The patients that were treated with ginger root extract experienced a superior reduction in knee pain and required less rescue pain medication (acetaminophen) compared to placebo. Another study worth highlighting spotlights the mechanism of ginger root’s anti-inflammatory effects. Oz et al. 

demonstrated that ginger root extract suppresses the Wnt and NF-kB signaling pathways involved in inflammation. This study saw decreases of IL-17, TNF-α, COX-2, and NF-κB tissue levels in rats that were statistically significant in the ginger group compared with the arthritis group. These findings correlated with histological tissue comparison that showed a decrease in the inflammation score of the ginger root group when compared to the arthritis group.