The Effects of Ginger on Muscle Pain,

Inflammation, and Function

Christopher D. Black

Department of Kinesiology

Constituents of Ginger

More than 400 chemical

compounds

Anti-Inflammatory Actions

Hydroxy-methoxy-phenyl

components

Pain Processing

Vanilloid receptor (TRPV1)

agonism

Dedov et al., 2002, Br. J. Pharmacol. 137:793-98

Grzanna et al., 2005, J. Med Food, 8:125-32

Yamahara et al., 1989, Phytother Res, 3:70-71

Inhibition of Inflammatory Mediators In Vitro

1. Blocks COX 1 and

COX 2 (Kiuchi et al., 1992, Nurtjahja et al.,

2003)

2. Blocks Lipoxygenase (Flynn et al., 1968, Masako et al., 2006)

3. Blocks cytokine

production (Frondoza et al., 2004, Kim et al., 2004)

Decrease pain, swelling, and 2° tissue damage

Pain and Inflammation in Rodents

Inflammatory Mediators

Dose-dependent reduction in

serum PGE2 (Thomson et al., 2002)

Pain and Inflammation

Reductions in paw swelling (Ojewole, 2006; Young et al., 2005)

Reductions “pain behaviors” (Ojewole, 2006; Young et al., 2005)

Ginger & Human Pain

Article Sample Dose Wks Outcome Haghighi, 2005 120 OA 30 mg/d 4 30 mm > ↓ pain vs placebo Altman, 2001 261 OA 510 mg /d 6 8 mm > ↓ pain vs placebo Wigler, 2003 29 OA 250 mg/d 24 15 mm > ↓ pain vs placebo

Haghighi et al., 2005, Archives of Iranian Med, 8:267-71

Altman et al., 2001, Arthritis & Rheumatism, 44:2531-38

Wigler et al., 2003, Osteoarthritis & Cartilage, 11:783-789

Extract = EV.EXT77 Eurovita Holding, Karlslunde, Denmark

Study 1

Purpose

Determine the acute effects of a single dose of

ginger on experimentally induced muscle pain and

inflammation

Eccentric Exercise

Muscle injury / damage

Delayed onset inflammation

and swelling

Delayed onset pain

Decreased muscle function

Study 1: Experimental Design

Subjects

27 healthy adults (15 women, 12 men)

Study Design

Randomized, Double blind, Placebo controlled

Cross-over

2-gram dose of ginger

M

EE

Ginger

Placebo

M M

M

M Placebo

Ginger

M

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Study 1: Testing Protocol

Injury Protocol

24 eccentric contractions

Outcome Measures

1. Range-of-Motion

2. Arm Volume

3. Muscle Pain (VAS)

Study 1: Results

Arm Volume

1.8% Increase

Range-of-Motion

14% Decrease

Muscle Pain

39 VAS units

No Acute effects of ginger vs. placebo

Study 1: Summary

Why was there no effect?

1.Ginger does not alter pain and/or inflammation

2. Inadequate dose

3. Timing of effects

Study 2: Chronic Ginger Supplementation

Purpose

Determine the effects of 11 days of ginger

consumption on, pain, inflammation and disability

following eccentric exercise

Subjects

34 healthy adults (28 women, 6 men)

Experimental Design

Placebo Controlled

Double blind administration

Randomized; Independent Groups

Day 1 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11

2 grams/day ginger

Outcome

Measures

Blood

Draw

Blood

Draw

Blood

Draw

Outcome Measures

Muscle Pain (VAS)

Range-of-Motion

Arm Volume

Isometric Force

Plasma PGE2

Eccentric Exercise

Day 8

18 contractions

Study 2 Results: Muscle Pain

Study 2 Results: Inflammation

PGE2 Arm Volume

Study 2 Results: Muscle Function

Range-of-Motion Isometric Force

Study 2: Summary

11 days of ginger supplementation resulted in:

1.Reduced muscle pain compared to placebo

2.Small differences in markers of inflammation

3.Small differences in markers of muscle function

Ginger may effect nociceptive processing possibly

via TRPV1

Heat Processing of Ginger

Heating ginger has been suggested to increase

its pain relieving properties (Suekawa et al. 1984)

Heating reduces gingerols and increases

shogaols (Jolad et al., 2005)

Shogaols more strongly activate TRPV1

receptors (Iwasaki et al., 2006)

An easy and inexpensive method to maximize

the effects of ginger??

Effects of Heat Processing

Raw Ginger 4.1 mg/g 6-gingerol

1.3 mg/g 8-ginerol

2.2 mg/g 10-gingerol

2.2 mg/g 6-shogaol

Heated Ginger 2.8 mg/g 6-gingerol

1.0 mg/g 8-ginerol

1.6 mg/g 10-gingerol

2.6 mg/g 6-shogaol

Study 3: Chronic Supplementation with Heated Ginger

Purpose

Determine the effects of 11 days of “heated” ginger

consumption on pain, inflammation, and muscle function

following eccentric exercise

Subjects

40 healthy adults (26 women, 14 men)

Experimental Design

Placebo Controlled

Double blind administration

Randomized; Independent Groups

Day 1 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11

2 grams/day ginger

Outcome

Measures

Blood

Draw

Blood

Draw

Blood

Draw

Outcome Measures

Muscle Pain (VAS)

Range-of-Motion

Arm Volume

Isometric Force

Serum PGE2

Eccentric Exercise

Day 8

18 contractions

Study 3 Results: Muscle Pain

Study 3 Results: Inflammation and Function

Inflammation

Small differences in PGE2 (14%; d = 0.29)

Small differences in arm volume (15%; d = 0.19)

Muscle Function

No difference in elbow ROM

No difference in isometric force

What Have We Learned?

1. A single 2-gram dose of ginger:

Does not acutely influence pain or inflammation

2. 11 days of 2-gram ginger supplementation:

Attenuates muscle pain

Small, inconsistent effects on inflammation

Small, inconsistent effects on muscle function

Effects are not altered by heat treatment

Take Home Message

Ginger appears to be an effective pain reliever

Effects on inflammation and muscle function are less

compelling

Ginger as a recovery food??

Still need to determine:

1. Minimum dose

2. Dose-response

3. Time-course of response

4. Mechanism of analgesia

Exercise Psychology Lab

Pat O’Connor

Matt Herring

John Heisler

Ashley Grove

Blaine Cunningham

Lauren Magee

Meagan Knight

Desmond Henry

Thanks!