Sheng Jiang aka Fresh Ginger

Sheng Jiangrf-2015
生薑
Fresh Ginger

Alternate Names:
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis Recens
Botanical: Zingibar Officinale Rosc.
Japanese: shokyo
Korean: saenggang
Common: fresh ginger rhizome

You may have heard that ginger is great for digestion but do you know that recent studies have shown that it may also reduce inflammation in the body? Ginger has been shown to have similar effects as COX-2 inhibitor medications used to treat arthritis. Also, research at Johns Hopkins has shown that ginger has the potential to slow the progression of brain cell loss in Alzheimer’s disease or any dementia.

Continue reading below to learn what Robert Pendergrast, MD has to say about this amazing herb. The following is an excerpt from his article, Health Benefits of Ginger:
Powerful Ally Against Inflammation.

“As an anti-inflammatory, the benefits of ginger are unquestioned. In history, the traditional medicines of both India and China have valued ginger against arthritis and rheumatic complaints. From modern medical research, we know that laboratory studies show that ginger blocks the formation of inflammatory compounds such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins (very much like the COX-2 inhibitors which are conventional arthritis medications ). And as you might expect from this, there are some case reports in human medical literature of reduced pain and swelling in arthritis (both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis).

That anti-inflammatory property of ginger is significant from the standpoint of preventing brain disease. Here’s why. We know that Alzheimer’s dementia is associated with increased inflammatory markers in the brain, and that specifically a compound called TNF-alpha increases its activity in the brain in Alzheimer’s. A 2004 article in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (authored by some researchers from my alma mater, Johns Hopkins) showed that a ginger extract has the potential to slow the progression of brain cell loss in Alzheimer’s disease. So while we have no clinical studies in humans showing that ginger can impact Alzheimer’s or any dementia, the data suggest that a ginger extract could prevent some of the damage to brain cells that marks the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Looking for a way to add some ginger to your upcoming Thanksgiving meal? See my facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=233079840190930&set=a.224758504356397.1073741829.222805194551728&type=1&theater

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