Specifically in animal models, ginger has provided protection against hyper-responsive airways.
Elizabeth Townsend, a reputable biomedical engineer, in a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, explained that ginger works by suppressing the enzyme behind airway muscle constriction while concurrently activating the airway relaxation enzymes.
What are ongoing clinical trials showing?
Clinical trials are ongoing to scientifically investigate how ginger affects people with asthma.
So far, one interesting clinical trial with the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) as a collaborator has 36 asthma patients participating.
A 2mg ginger extract capsule will be administered to 18 of these participants for 56 days. The remaining 18 will get a placebo.
Leveraging tests like serum cytokines, methacholine challenge, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and eosinophilia, this trial will investigate if 2g daily of oral ginger will suppress air inflammation, cutting down on the serum levels of inflammatory markers associated with asthma.
The trial is anticipated to finish by December 2021, from which authoritative findings shall be published.
So until then, is ginger safe to use for asthma?
Provided ginger is administered in small doses, it doesn’t have substantial side effects.
Other than minor cases of nausea, vomiting, and bloating, minimal administration of ginger is not known to result in life-threatening misadventures.
However, before combing ginger as a suitable adjunctive treatment for asthma, you must first speak to your health provider. Should your doctor give you the go-ahead, here is how you can healthily consume ginger.