These ingredients make ginger so strong
Ginger has been valued and used as a medicinal and spice plant for centuries. While the list of potential effects in Chinese medicine is very long, Western medicine uses it primarily for nausea and stomach problems. The positive properties of ginger are primarily due to Line two ingredients: the gingerols and shogaols.
Table of contents
- Where does ginger store its ingredients?
- What ingredients are found in the ginger root?
- Essential oils create the typical ginger smell
- Spicy ingredients shape the taste
- “Shoga” is Japanese and means ginger
- Long tradition as a medicinal plant
- Ginger ingredients under the microscope of science
- Convincing for gastrointestinal complaints
- Ginger in the kitchen
- 6-Gingerol ensures fresh breath
- Conclusion
Where does ginger store its ingredients?
Anyone standing in front of a ginger plant will probably not recognize it as ginger at first glance. The part of the plant used in cooking and medicine grows underground and is well hidden under the ground. Botanists refer to the ginger root as a rhizome, a propagation and storage organ with a high density of nutrients and active ingredients.
What ingredients are found in the ginger root?
Ginger bulbs are characterized by a high water content of 81 percent and a carbohydrate content of 11 percent. The lipid content in the rhizome is 5.8 to 11 percent. The main lipid components include palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid [1, 2, 13, 14]. In addition, ginger contains numerous secondary plant substances. These include gingerols and shogaols as well as essential oils. The vitamins and minerals are mainly potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron [3].
Essential oils create the typical ginger smell
The volatile essential oils are responsible for the typical smell and aroma of fresh ginger. First and foremost is α-zingiberene, which accounts for between 30 and 70 percent [4]. There are many others, as the following table shows:
Spicy ingredients shape the taste
The spiciness of ginger is caused by the so-called oleoresins or pungent substances. These include gingerols and shogaols as well as their derivatives paradole and zingerone [4]. Depending on the state of the ginger - fresh rhizome, dried or cooked - a different pungent substance forms the main part, which primarily changes the spiciness but also the taste. Incidentally, it is the pungent substances that are also responsible for the health-related properties of ginger and are of particular interest to researchers. We now know that gingerols and shogaols have a mild antiemetic effect and can help against nausea and vomiting. There is also evidence that taking a standardized ginger preparation can relieve muscle and period pain as well as osteoarthritis symptoms.
In the fresh rhizome, gingerols (6-gingerol, 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol) are considered to be the most important biologically active components [4, 5]. Experts are able to determine the freshness and quality of the ginger root solely from the gingerol content and the associated spiciness [3]. When ginger is cooked, bonds in the gingerols are broken. This creates the milder zingerone, which gives dishes their typical spicy-sweet aroma [6].
“Shoga” is Japanese and means ginger
Shogaols are found especially in dried ginger. They are about twice as spicy as gingerols and are formed by the elimination of water. As with gingerols, there are several shogaol compounds (4-, 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-shogaol), with 6-shogaol being the main component. If shogaols are hydrogenated, paradols are formed. They are again similar to gingerol [2, 4, 13, 14].
The exact composition of the ingredients is subject to natural fluctuations from plant to plant. These are caused by many different factors. These include the place of origin and the prevailing growth conditions, the maturity of the plant, the genotype cultivated, the drying methods and the extraction technique and conditions. According to a study by the Taiwanese nutritionist Hsiang-yu Yeh, the total content of gingerols and shogaols, at least in Guangdong or Chu ginger, is between 7.4 and 7.5 g per 100 g of dried ginger [7, 8]. However, it is questionable whether this is available in the local supermarket. According to estimates, there are around 150 types of ginger, which one comes across when shopping, and it is often only possible to find out by asking. The information is more precise for standardized ginger preparations. The optimal daily dose here is preparations with around 50 mg of gingerols and shogaols.
Did you know…?
That ginger originally comes from India and is now grown throughout Southeast Asia, the tropical regions of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Australia. In 2018, ginger - or Zingiber officinale, as its Latin name is - was named medicinal plant of the year by the NHV Theophrastus association.
Long tradition as a medicinal plant
Ginger has been used as a traditional medicinal plant in Asia for thousands of years. The range of applications is wide and extends from nausea and stomach pain to breathing difficulties and rheumatism. Its use is also known in Europe. We know that Hildegard von Bingen and Paracelsus used ginger in the Middle Ages when people complained of gastrointestinal problems. Even today, ginger is considered a good home remedy for nausea and vomiting. It is used to stimulate gastric juice production and gastrointestinal peristalsis. In addition, studies suggest that gingerols and shogaols may have immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, apoptotic, antihyperglycemic, antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects [7, 9].
Ginger ingredients under the microscope of science
The traditional use of medicinal plants is of particular interest to scientists. Which effects can be confirmed, and where can herbal ingredients be used specifically? However, there is still a long way to go before there are solid answers to these questions.Scientifically testing an assumed pharmacological effect of individual ingredients in ginger is complex. It requires large, independent studies with many test subjects. Animal experiments or studies with cell cultures can provide clues, but can never be transferred one-to-one to humans. In addition, not only the effect, but also the substance responsible for the effect must be proven. This is a challenge, especially with plants with a large number of ingredients.And so it is not surprising that, although there is still a lot of evidence to suggest that ginger could be beneficial for various illnesses and complaints, scientific evidence is still lacking in most cases.
Convincing for gastrointestinal complaints
It is certain that ginger has a so-called mild effect against nausea and vomiting of various causes. Commission E, the independent scientific expert committee for herbal medicines at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, lists the indications for ginger rhizomes as dyspeptic complaints, i.e. complaints in the upper abdomen, and the prevention of the symptoms of motion sickness. The Herbal Medicinal Product Committee (HMPC) also advocates the use of ginger to prevent motion sickness.
However, caution is advised in the case of morning sickness. Experts often conclude that no long-term effects can be determined due to the short length of the studies. Affected women should consult their gynecologist before self-medicating [4, 7, 10, 11] .
Ginger in the kitchen
In addition to its medicinal significance, ginger is also a food that is used in many different ways as a kitchen spice due to its flavorful ingredients. Be it in baked goods such as gingerbread and gingerbread, in soups and meat dishes or in spice mixtures.
Fresh ginger can be grated or finely chopped and eaten both raw and cooked. Brewed as a tea, it is particularly popular in winter as it can provide a strong feeling of warmth.
Tip: Make your own ginger tea
Ginger tea is quick and easy to prepare in the kitchen. For one cup of tea, you need a piece of ginger about the size of a walnut, cut into thin slices or small pieces. Grating the ginger is also possible. In general, the finer the ginger is prepared, the more ingredients can be transferred into the tea. Then just pour hot water over the ginger and let it steep for ten minutes.
6-Gingerol ensures fresh breath
Anyone who eats fresh ginger can look forward to a pleasant side effect. Fresh ginger, with a high 6-gingerol content, ensures fresher breath and a better aftertaste. This was discovered in a small study by a team led by Prof. Thomas Hofmann from the Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich.
In their test subjects (four women, four men), fresh ginger stimulated the level of the salivary enzyme sulfhydryl oxidase1 by 16 times within a few seconds. The enzyme is responsible for the breakdown of foul-smelling sulfur-containing compounds [12].
Conclusion
Ginger has a long tradition as a medicinal plant in self-medication. This is primarily due to the pungent substances contained in the ginger root, the gingerols and shogaols. Their effect has been proven in numerous studies on cell cultures and animals, but extensive studies with human subjects are still lacking. A positive benefit for gastrointestinal complaints is now considered proven. Commission E, for example, names dyspeptic complaints and the prevention of the symptoms of motion sickness as indications for the ginger root. The Herbal Medicinal Product Committee (HMPC) takes a similar view and has accepted the use of ginger as a preventative measure for motion sickness with nausea and vomiting.
