A daily dose of ginger could reduce the chances of developing bowel cancer, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School in the US gave 15 volunteers two grams of ginger root supplement daily for 28 days and another 15 volunteers placebo tablets for the same period.
Those who took the ginger compound showed reduced signs of colon inflammation - a condition linked to bowel cancer - compared to the 15 given the placebo.
Suzanna Rick, a naturopathic doctor, said: “Interest in this is only going to increase as people look for ways to prevent cancer that are nontoxic, and improve their quality of life in a cost-effective."
The findings, published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest that ginger could be used as a bowel cancer prevention agent.
6 more health benefits of ginger
Ovarian cancer
A study conducted at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre found that ginger powder induces cell death in ovarian cancer cells.
Morning sickness
Ginger root was found to significantly reduce the severity of nausea and number of vomiting attacks in 19 out of 27 women in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, in a study published in the journal, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Travel sickness
With its nausea-reducing properties, ginger has been shown to be an effective remedy for motion sickness.
Heartburn
Ginger is an age-old remedy dating back to the ancient Chinese that has been used to treat and prevent digestive conditions such as heartburn.
Colds and flu
Ginger root acts as both an antihistamine and a decongestant. Try grating some fresh ginger into a cup of boiling water with a slice of lemon.
Menstrual cramps
In a 2009 study, women who took 250mg capsules of ginger four times a day for three days from the start of their menstrual period experienced the same level of pain relief as those who treated their menstrual cramps with ibuprofen.