Ginger for Countering Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Ginger a natural herb is a native of Southeast Asia. It is easily available in the tropical regions and manages to walk into nearly every dish. The root is also used as a part of herbal medicines. The ancient Africans, Greeks, Chinese, Indians all used ginger in various forms to deal with problems like nausea, motion sickness, vomiting, heartburn, cramps in the stomach and loss of appetite.  The Greeks wrapped it in bread, while the Chinese added ground ginger to tea and the Indians used it in cooking and even pickled it.

Ginger Root

Ginger Root

It has a long history of use for an upset stomach and works wonderfully to deal with motion sickness. Controlled studies have been conducted with respect to medicinal benefits of the root and the results have pointed towards it providing sure shot relief for nausea and vomiting which may be experienced during chemotherapy. The root is said to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-arthritic, hypotensive, antiatherogenic, radioprotective and antiemetic properties.

Ginger can be used:
• For controlling and preventing nausea;
• For controlling and preventing vomiting;
• For countering inflammation;
• For relief from cold;
• As an aid to improve digestion and
• For relief from intestinal gas.

Ginger – Cancer Fighting Abilities

Ginger can prove helpful not only in dealing with the side effects of treatment but it online casino is also known to have cancer fighting abilities. There is primary evidence available that encourages the buy viagra online use of  ginger in ovarian cancer. Ginger is known to work on cancer cells in two ways –

  • Apoptosis: Apoptosis is a process, in which cancerous cells commit suicide without causing any harm to surrounding cells.
  • Autophagy: As a result of this process, cancerous cells digest themselves.

Most women with ovarian cancer tend to develop a resistance to conventional chemotherapy drugs. It is also be researched as a cure for prostrate, colorectal cancer. Ginger is known to kill cancer cells in more than one way meaning that patients do not develop resistance to ginger. More research needs to be conducted in order to understand how ginger acts on cancer cells.

Ginger is available in dry as well as fresh root form. Ginger is also available as a liquid extract or in tablet form but it is best to have it in natural form. Ginger is easy to store. Do not peel the root and wrap it in a paper towel and refrigerate it. Refrigerated ginger can be used for as long as three weeks. Tightly wrapping it and freezing it will allow you to use it for as long as two months. You can also store peeled ginger root in wine, sugar syrup or pickled in lemon juice but these will add a flavor to the root limiting its usage.

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Ground ginger can be added to your tea, soup, ale or just boil it with water. It can be enjoyed with honey and in candied form. It is best to process ginger on your own in your kitchen than to reach out for products like sodas, cookies and

Candied Ginger

Candied Ginger

ginger candies for they do not contain real ginger and rather contain just the flavor. Ginger can be easily incorporated in daily diet. The powdered form can be added as a spice or it can be ground into fresh paste. Thin juliennes can also be drawn out for garnishing.

What we are suggesting here is that ginger can be used for relief from side effects like nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy and not as a substitute for medicine. It would also be best to incorporate ginger as a part of your diet in consultation with your doctor and dietitian.

References

http://csn.cancer.org/node/226502

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