CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

James Duke, PhD, researcher and author of numerous publications based on his international collection of herb and spice studies, notes there are numerous chemicals in ginger. Although many of them have no reported activity, many chemical activities are documented. (6) Numerous chemicals within the ginger root possess biological activities and a number of chemicals have anti-inflammatory properties greater than indomethacin. According to the president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington D.C., anti-inflammatory agents in ginger are thought to help treat pain but you need to take it every day to feel the results. (9) Other chemicals in ginger possess a wide variety of properties such as those listed in Table 2.
 
 

A number of chemicals in both the rhizome and the plant such as ascorbic-acid, caffeic-acid, chlorogenic-acid, curcumin and ferulic-acid, possess both antiviral and immunostimulant properties (Table 3). (10) The amount of certain chemicals in ginger said to possibly affect body changes varies greatly. For example, 5-10 grams (gm) of   ascorbic-acid a day may act as an analgesic and 2-4 milligrams (mg) a day of copper may help to reduce glucose levels. The rhizome of the ginger plant contains the majority of these two nutrients. The composition of gingers varies with the location where they are harvested but the primary active ingredients are gingerols, shogaols, gingerdiones, and zingerone. (8, 11) Gingerol, the most active chemical compound, rapidly converts to shogaol and zingerone when ginger is dried. (12)