Herb of the Month January : Ginger – Zingiber officinale

Ginger – Zingiber officinale – is a herb with use as a culinary spice and also as a medicinal herb for over 2500 years in China and India for nausea, colds, rheumatism and headaches. It has got a pungent taste and is very warming and may help alleviate a range of digestive upsets and other ailments.

Antiemetic

Ginger is a natural remedy for nausea and vomiting. Sharma et al.(1) investigated the effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Zingiberaceae) extracts for antiemetic activity against induced emesis in healthy dogs. Their findings suggest that ginger could be an effective and inexpensive antiemetic adjunct to cancer chemotherapy.

Digestion

Ginger – Zingiber offcinale – is also used as a digestive aid, because it may relieve abdominal pain caused by colic, distension and flatulence (Macintyre, 1996). It is warming for the gastrointestinal tract and improves digestion (Wood, 2007).

Anti-inflammatory

Ginger has got anti-inflammatory properties and can help with arthritis and osteoarthritis. (Bone & Mills, 2013). Its blood thinning properties help to improve blood circulation in older pets.

Antifilarial Activity of Ginger Zingiber officinale in Dogs

Interestingly, Ginger is also effective as an antiparasitic in dogs with an infestation of heartworm, as a study from Datta et al. showed:

Dogs that were naturally infected with Dirofilaria immitis, were treated with […] extracts of the rhizomes of Ginger Zingiber officinale. 12 subcutaneous injections of the extract given at 100 mg/kg reduced microfilarial concentration in blood by a maximum of 98%. 55 days after the last injection there was 83% reduction in microfilarial concentration, which suggests a partial destruction of adult worms. (2)

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References 

• (1) Sharma, S S et al. “Antiemetic efficacy of ginger Zingiber officinale against cisplatin-induced emesis in dogs.” Journal of ethnopharmacology vol. 57,2 (1997): 93-6. doi:10.1016/s0378-8741(97)00054-8) Source: pub med

• (2) Datta, A, and N C Sukul. “Antifilarial effect of Ginger Zingiber officinale on Dirofilaria immitis.” Journal of helminthology vol. 61,3 (1987): 268-70. doi:10.1017/s0022149x00010142

• Bone, K., & Mills, S. (2013),  Principals and Practice of Phytotherapy (2^nd), Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier

• McIntyre, Anne, (1996): Flower Power Henry Holt and Company, Inc.,New York, NY

• Wood, Matthew, http://www.woodherbs.com/Ginger.html