ergo-log.com

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

06.04.2021

The antiviral effect of fresh ginger

It could just be that fresh ginger - that is, ginger roots, not the dried ginger powder - offers protection against the common but contagious cold virus. This is suggested by an in vitro study published in 2013 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

Study
Jung San Chang, a researcher from Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, experimented with HEP2 and A549 cells. HEP2 and A549 cells are epithelial and lung cells of human origin, respectively.

Chang exposed the cells to human respiratory syncytial virus [HRSV]. The human respiratory syncytial virus is arguably the main cause of the common cold. Chang then looked at whether exposure to fresh or dried ginger extracts could protect cells from the virus.

Results
The higher the concentration of fresh ginger, the lower the percentage of cells that the virus could infect.

Dried ginger, on the other hand, had no effect.

Fresh ginger therefore has an antiviral effect. The figure above may show a bit of the antiviral mechanism of fresh ginger. In high concentrations, ginger stimulates the cells' release of interferon beta release.

Conclusion
"Fresh Zingiber officinale is cheap and could prevent HRSV infection largely by inhibiting viral attachment, internalization, and possibly stimulating IFN-beta secretion", the Taiwanese summarize their findings.

"Fresh Zingiber officinale has been safely used for thousand years world wide to manage various diseases. Our results provide the first evidence to support its possible use to prevent HRSV infection."

The main bioactive substances in fresh ginger are gingerols. When ginger is dried or heated, gingerols turn into shogaols. The anti-viral effect discovered by the Taiwanese may well be the work of gingerols.

More coming soon.

Source:
J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Jan 9;145(1):146-51.

More:
Fighting colds with garlic 26.03.2020
Meta-study: supplements containing vitamin D protect against colds 23.04.2017
Suffer from continuous colds? Try vitamin D3 24.02.2013

Archives:
Immune System
Ginger

Cranberries help immune system fight colds and flu If you drink half a litre of cranberry juice daily, you're more likely to emerge unscathed from the flu season.	Study: Echinacea helps against colds Plant extracts of Echinacea purpurea increase immune cell production during a viral cold infection and help make the suffering more bearable.	Susceptible to cold and flu? This tea boosts your immune system Natural Care Tea was developed by Hindustan Unilever Research Center in consultation with traditional Indian healers, who are rooted in Ayurveda.