Consumer's Report- Ginger Root

[Cruiseteach]

The March issue of CR had an article about travel web sites sometimes giving incorrect info. One of the things mentioned was about ginger root, which, according to the article , has blood-thinning properties and can be very dangerous to some individuals.

[critterchick]

March of 06? I have an online subcription, and it's not up yet. Here's what I found from September, 2004:

 

"Ginger supplements may help relieve a queasy stomach in many situations, including pregnancy. In April 2004 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued the first official endorsement of this common herb as a safe and effective treatment for morning sickness.

 

"Clinical trials suggest that ginger supplements can relieve the nausea associated with motion sickness, chemotherapy, the aftermath of surgery, and the first trimester of pregnancy. In the most recent trial, also published in April, Australian researchers found that 1 gram of ginger every day relieved morning sickness as effectively as the current standard treatment--high doses of vitamin B6--in 300 pregnant women. While there's no reason to prefer one treatment over the other, it's helpful for pregnant women to have another option in their very limited arsenal against pregnancy-related nausea."

 

And from a January, 2005 article on cruising:

 

"Ginger. Several small studies have found ginger to be comparable to the OTC drugs discussed above, and it is registered as an OTC drug for use in nausea and travel sickness in several European countries. Because ginger has been shown to have some blood-thinning effects, individuals taking blood-thinning medications, such as aspirin or warfarin (Coumadin), shouldn’t take ginger"

 

One thing people often forget is to make sure that any supplement they're taking doesn't interact with medications and that they should check with their doctors (if they can get in to see them or if the doctor will even talk to them on the telephone anymore) before taking any supplement.