Ginger 'helps to reduce muscle pain'

Ginger 'helps to reduce muscle pain'

Daily ginger consumption can reduce muscle pain caused by exercise, researchers have said.

The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Georgia and published in The Journal of Pain, revealed a 25 per cent reduction in exercise-induced pain for those on ginger-supplemented diet.

It has long been known to exert anti-inflammatory effects in rodents, but there had been minimal research into the potential benefits for humans.

Patrick O'Connor, a professor in the College of Education's department of kinesiology, directed two studies examining the effects of 11 days of raw and heat-treated ginger supplementation on muscle pain.

A group of 74 participants took part, broken up into groups who were given capsules of either raw or heat-treated ginger, or a placebo.

On the eighth day of the study, the volunteers undertook some mildly strenuous exercise and those who had taken the ginger capsules fared better with regards to the pain they felt afterwards. The effect was not enhanced by heat-treating the ginger.

The findings were published in The Journal of Pain, which publishes original articles related to all aspects of pain, including clinical and basic research, patient care, education, and health policy.