Abstract

Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger, has a medicinal use as an anti-inflammatory agent for musculoskeletal diseases in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. Z. officinale is a member of the Zingiberaceae plant family, native to southern Asia, consisting of 49 genera and 1,300 species, 80–90 of which is Zingiber. It is a complex mixture of pharmacological compounds containing several hundred known constituents, including gingerols, beta-carotene, capsaicin, caffeic acid, curcumin, and salicylate. Z. Officinale possesses anti-emetic, positive inotropic and carminative properties to promote secretion of saliva and gastric juices and to inhibit platelet aggregation. Ginger contains a special group of compounds called diasyleheptanoids, which includes gingerenone. A very small amount of curcumin is also found in ginger. In addition to that it also contains small amounts of alkaloids, tannins, carotenoids, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, and cardinolides.The composition of fresh ginger oil contains more oxygenated compounds compared to dry ginger oil, making it more potent than dry ginger oil. There are more hydrocarbon compounds in dry ginger oil compared to fresh ginger oil. Monoterpene compounds are more active than sesquiterpene compounds. Dry ginger oil also has higher content of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and have less activity compared to oxygenated compounds. Ginger oil (GEO) has been characterized to have a high content of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, including β-sesquiphellandrene (27.16%), caryophyllene (15.29%), zingiberene (13.97%), α-farnesene (10.52%) and ar-curcumin (6.62%). The main stomachic constituents present in ginger are zinzibereine and gingeirol. A famous Ayurvedic drug trikatu, which is used against digestive disorders, contains ginger as the main constituent. Ginger acts as a purgative. Fresh ginger helps to remove constipation while dry ginger powder is a fecal astringent, meaning it dries up the watery portion of the feces and causes constipation.Ginger stimulates the flow of saliva, bile, and gastric secretions and is traditionally used to stimulate appetite, reduce flatulence, colic, and gastrointestinal spasms, and generally act as a digestive aid. Gingerols inhibit the growth of Helicobacter pylori associated with dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease, and the development of gastric and colon cancer. These compounds demonstrate hypotensive and vasodilator properties and could be the causative agents in the reduction in blood pressure.Besides this, gingerdione has been shown to inhibit the production of 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) and prostaglandins-F2 (PGF2) from arachidonic acid. Shogoal appeared to be a preferential inhibitor of 5-HETE formation, whilegingerol and dehydroparadol favored the inhibition of cyclooxygenase. Therefore, 6-gingerol exhibits preventive and/or therapeutic potential for the management of AD via augmentation of antioxidant capacity. An acetone extract containing gingerols, shogaols, and minor compounds like gingerenone A,-gingerdiol, hexahydrocurcumin, and zingerone have been shown synergistically to produce dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effects. Gingerols and Gingerdiol are the main anti-fungal principles and extract of ginger powder is effective against several antifungal diseases. Ginger acts as anti-parasitic; proves the potential of methanolic extract of Zingiber officinale in the treatment of trypanosomiasis.Ginger is a powerful antineoplastic agent. Extracts of ginger suppress cell proliferation and act against resistance of cancerous cells.Ginger is having powerful antioxidant activity due to its oil which has protective effect on DNA damage. They have demonstrated this effect in much cell culture .Ginger oil has scavenging effects due to volatile oils and same has been proved in many studies. Ginger has preventive effect on lipid peroxidation and it inhibits or breaks its chain.Prostaglandin has been shown to have housekeeping and gastro-protective function by maintaining gastric mucosal integrity. It is effective in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection where viral clearance is affected.The powerful anti-inflammatory action on prostaglandin synthesis help in menstrual cramps

Keywords

Zingiber officinale, Ginger, Human Diseases