Ginger for inflammatory bowel disease

As the name suggests, “inflammatory bowel disease” (IBD) refers to a range of conditions where the bowel becomes inflamed (medical types are not noted for their artistically flamboyant nomenclature). Included in IBD are conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and they feature inflammation often driven by the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacking itself. Ginger comes into the equation as it has a long and deserved reputation as an anti-inflammatory agent. In this new study researchers have developed a novel form of ginger that has shown promising results for IBD.

Ginger contains fats including phospatidic acid that are important building blocks for cell membranes. It also has substances like 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol which are strongly anti-inflammatory. In the new study researchers first juiced fresh ginger root obtained from a farmer’s market. They then used a super high speed centrifuge to disperse the juice and create particles. Each of these nanoparticles was about 230 nanometres in diameter. In other words, more than 300 of them could fit across the width of a human hair.

Studies involving mice showed that these ginger nanoparticles reduced acute colitis and chronic colitis. The particles were non-toxic and target the colon as they are absorbed mainly by cells lining the intestines it makes them a little more targeted than just consuming ginger as a food. Until some form of ginger nanoparticle supplement is available though, why not just add some ginger tea or ginger in your cooking into your life.

Source: Biomaterials