Ginger extract for osteoarthritis of the knee
25 September 2002
A highly purified extract of ginger has been shown to reduce knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis in a US study.
The ginger extract, which is available in Australia as Zinaxin JointCare, contains extract from 2 species of ginger which were selected for their anti-inflammatory properties after testing more than 100 varieties of ginger plants.
The US study (Arthritis & Rheumatism 2001: 44: 2531-38) evaluated results from 247 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who had moderate to severe pain. The study is one of the few published on the use of ginger in arthritis. Patients in the trial took one capsule of ginger complex in the morning and one in the evening.
How effective was the ginger extract?
After 6 weeks of treatment, a higher percentage of people (63 per cent) were classified as responders for improvement of knee pain on standing in the ginger extract group than in the group given placebo (dummy tablets). Pain on standing was the main variable used to measure efficacy in this study and is a standard measure of pain in medical studies. Pain on standing is measured using a visual scale. People are shown the scale and asked to mark the level of their pain on the scale.
This difference between the ginger-treated group and the dummy tablet group was statistically significant, meaning that there was a low probability that the result occurred by chance.
Is it safe?
Ginger has been used for at least 2500 years in China, India and Tibet as an anti-inflammatory for arthritic pain apparently without cause for concern. The US Food and Drug Administration lists ginger as ‘generally regarded as safe’.
In the US study the only significant difference in adverse events between the ginger-treated group and the group on dummy tablets was that gastrointestinal effects such as burping, bad taste in the mouth, stomach upset and heartburn were more common in the people taking the ginger complex.
Warnings have been sounded about a possible effect of ginger on bleeding times and certainly some ginger products in Australia above a certain concentration have to carry a warning that people on blood-thinning medications, called anticoagulants, and people at risk of bleeding should talk to their doctor before taking them. Zinaxin JointCare does not carry such a warning.
Biotechnology
Zinaxin JointCare capsules use a unique biotechnology called LipoCap to protect and encapsulate the ginger complex so that it arrives intact in the bloodstream and can be delivered to the joints for maximum benefit.
Last Reviewed: 28 April 2005
- 1. Arthritis Rheum 2001; 44:2531-2538.
