Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals : Chinese Herbs

Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Chinese Herbs – Jiang (Rhizoma zingiberis officinalis)

A. Gan Jiang is also known as Ginger root. The acrid and warm herb has been use in TCM as an anti inflammation, anti coagulation of platelets, anti allergy, anti tumors and anti hair growth and warm the middle, purge coldness, improve circulation, rid of cold and pain of chest and of abdomen, treat lower back pain and chronic diarrhea etc., as it warms the Middle Burnner and the Lungs, rescues Yang, transforms Phlegm by enhancing the functions of lung, spleen and stomach channels.

Ingredients
1. 2-heptanol
2. 1,3,3-trimethyltricyclo[2,2,1,0] heptane
3. Tricycline
4. β-fenchene
5. β-pinene
6. 5-hepten-2-one-6-mehtyl
7. Myrcene
8. Octanal
9. α-thujene
10. Zingiberol
11. Zingiberene
12. α-curcumene
13. linalool
14. Cineole
15. Phellandrene
16. Camphene
17. Etc.
Side Effects
1. Do not use the herb in case of yin deficiency or vomiting with stomach heat.
2. Overdoses may cause heartburn, diarrhea and mouth irritation
3. Ginger may interact with blood thinning medicine such as aspirin, ibuprofen or warfarin
4. Do not use the herb in a large dose in newborn, children or if you are pregnant or breast feeding without consulting with the related field specialist.
5. Etc.
B. Sheng Jiang is also known as Fresh Ginger root. The acrid and cool herb has been use in TCM as an anti inflammation, anti coagulation of platelets, anti allergy, anti tumors, etc, and to promote flowing of bile, protect liver, stimulate cardiac function, inhibit platelet coagulation, prevent dizziness, improve auto-immune function,etc., as it promotes sweating, releases the Exterior; warms the Middle Burner and the Lungs, stops vomiting, calms cough by enhancing the functions of lung, spleen and stomach channels.

Ingredients

1. 2-heptanol

2. 1,3,3-trimethyltricyclo[2,2,1,0] heptane

3. Tricycline

4. β-fenchene

5. β-pinene

6. 5-hepten-2-one-6-mehtyl

7. Myrcene

8. Octanal

9. α-thujene

10. Zingiberol

11. Zingiberene

12. α-curcumene

13. linalool

14. Cineole

15. Phellandrene

16. Camphene

17. Etc.

Side Effects

1. Overdoses may cause heartburn, diarrhea and mouth irritation

2. Ginger may interact with blood thinning medicine such as aspirin, ibuprofen or warfarin

3. Do not use the herb in a large dose in newborn, children or if you are pregnant or breast feeding without consulting with the related field specialist.

4. Etc.
C. Pao Jiang or Hei Jiang is also known as Quick-fried Ginger. The acrid and warm herb as been used in TCM to promote the digestive system, treat cold pain of chest and abdomen, flatulence, diarrhea. dysentry, stop bleeding, etc. as it warms the Middle Burnner and the Lungs, rescues Yang, transforms Phlegm by enhancing the functions of lung, spleen and stomach channels.

Ingredients

1. 2-heptanol

2. 1,3,3-trimethyltricyclo[2,2,1,0] heptane

3. Tricycline

4. β-fenchene

5. β-pinene

6. 5-hepten-2-one-6-mehtyl

7. Myrcene

8. Octanal9. α-thujene

10. Zingiberol

11. Zingiberene

12. α-curcumene

13. linalool

14. Cineole

15. Phellandrene

16. Camphene

17. Etc.

Side Effects

1. Do not use the herb in case of yin deficiency or vomiting with stomach heat
2. Overdoses may cause heartburn, diarrhea and mouth irritation
3. Ginger may interact with blood thinning medicine such as aspirin, ibuprofen or warfarin
4. Do not use the herb in a large dose in newborn, children or if you are pregnant or breast feeding without consulting first with the related field specialist.
5. Etc.

Health Benefits
1. Antidiabetic effects
In the investigation fo Ethyl acetate extract of ginger (EAG) for its antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH radical scavenging potential and antidiabetic activity, found that the antidiabetic effect of ginger was experimentally proved in the study and has concluded that the activity is initiated by antioxidant, antiglycation and potential to express or transport Glut4 receptors from internal vesicles, according to “Zingiber officinale extract exhibits antidiabetic potential via modulating glucose uptake, protein glycation and inhibiting adipocyte differentiation: an in vitro study” by Rani MP, Krishna MS, Padmakumari KP, Raghu KG, Sundaresan A.(1)
2. Antioxidant activities
In the study of the antioxidant activities of methanol extracts from the leaves, stems and rhizomes of two Zingiber officinale varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara), found that The antioxidant activity and phenolic contents of the leaves as determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay and the total amounts of phenolics and flavonoids were higher than those of the rhizomes and stems. On the other hand, the ferric reducing/antioxidant potential (FRAP) activity of the rhizomes was higher than that of the leaves. At low concentration the values of the leaves’ inhibition activity in both varieties were significantly higher than or comparable to those of the young rhizomes. Halia Bara had higher antioxidant activities as well as total contents of phenolic and flavonoid in comparison with Halia Bentong, according to “Antioxidant activities, total phenolics and flavonoids content in two varieties of Malaysia young ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)” by Ghasemzadeh A, Jaafar HZ, Rahmat A.(2)
3. Anti cancer
In the review of the effect of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) as an adjuvant in cancer treatment, found that ginger possesses chemopreventive and antineoplastic properties. It is also reported to be effective in ameliorating the side effects of γ-radiation and of doxorubicin and cisplatin; to inhibit the efflux of anticancer drugs by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and to possess chemosensitizing effects in certain neoplastic cells in vitro and in vivo, accoridng to “Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) as an adjuvant in cancer treatment: a review” by Pereira MM, Haniadka R, Chacko PP, Palatty PL, Baliga MS.(3)
4. Anti-obesogenic and hypercholesterolemic effects
In the identification of key hepatic pathways targeted by anti-obsogenic ginger phytochemicals fed to mice, found that Dietary ginger phytochemicals target cholesterol metabolism and fatty acid oxidation in mice, with consequences, according to “Ginger phytochemicals mitigate the obesogenic effects of a high-fat diet in mice: a proteomic and biomarker network analysis” by Beattie JH, Nicol F, Gordon MJ, Reid MD, Cantlay L, Horgan GW, Kwun IS, Ahn JY, Ha TY.(4)
5. Antiinflammatory Effects
In the examination of an extract and several compounds of Zingiber officinale (ginger) tested in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B cells) with respect to their effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced secretion of the proinflammatory chemokine interleukin 8 (IL-8) and RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted).
found that distinct ginger compounds could be used as antiinflammatory drugs in respiratory infections, according to “Antiinflammatory Effects of Ginger and Some of its Components in Human Bronchial Epithelial (BEAS-2B) Cells” by Podlogar JA, Verspohl EJ.(5)
6. Clotting activity
In the study of ginger proteases were extracted from fresh ginger rhizome by using phosphate buffer and subsequently purified by ion exchange chromatography, found that the ginger proteases exhibited a similar affinity for κ-casein and higher specificity with increasing temperature. Gel electrophoresis and mass spectra indicated that Ala90-Glu91 and His102-Leu103 of κ-casein were the preferred target bonds of ginger proteases. The milk clotting activity, affinity, and specificity toward κ-casein showed that ginger protease is a promising rennet-like protease that could be used in manufacturing cheese and oriental-style dairy foods, according to “Purification, characterization, and milk coagulating properties of ginger proteases” by Huang XW, Chen LJ, Luo YB, Guo HY, Ren FZ.(6)
7. Cognitive effects
In the investugation of male adult Wistar rats, administrated an alcoholic extract of ginger rhizome orally 14 days before and 21 days after the permanent occlusion of right middle cerebral artery (MCAO), found that cognitive function and neurons density in hippocampus of rats receiving ginger rhizome extract were improved while the brain infarct volume was decreased. The cognitive enhancing effect and neuroprotective effect occurred partly via the antioxidant activity of the extract. In conclusion, our study demonstrated the beneficial effect of ginger rhizome to protect against focal cerebral ischemia, according to “Zingiber officinale Mitigates Brain Damage and Improves Memory Impairment in Focal Cerebral Ischemic Rat” by Wattanathorn J, Jittiwat J, Tongun T, Muchimapura S, Ingkaninan K.(7)
8. Rheumatoid arthritis
In the comparison of the anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant activity of these two plants in rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA), indicated that the present study proves the anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant activity of turmeric over ginger and indomethacin, which may have beneficial effects against rheumatoid arthritis onset/progression as shown in AIA rat model, according to “Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of Curcuma longa (turmeric) versus Zingiber officinale (ginger) rhizomes in rat adjuvant-induced arthritis” by Ramadan G, Al-Kahtani MA, El-Sayed WM.(8)
9. Gastroprotective effect
found that Ginger extract and polaprezinc both show anti-oxidation that consequently alleviates gastric mucosal damage and promotes ulcer healing, which together serve as effective mucosal protective agents, according to “Ginger extract and polaprezinc exert gastroprotective actions by anti-oxidant and growth factor modulating effects in rats” by Ko JK, Leung CC.(9)
10. Lung cancer
In the observation of ethyl acetate fraction of ginger extract can inhibit the expression of the two prominent molecular targets of cancer, the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and c-Myc, in A549 lung cancer cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner,
found that the treated cells exhibited diminished telomerase activity because of reduced protein production rather than direct inhibition of telomerase. The reduction of hTERT expression coincided with the reduction of c-Myc expression, which is one of the hTERT transcription factors; thus, the reduction in hTERT expression might be due in part to the decrease of c-Myc. As both telomerase inhibition and Myc inhibition are cancer-specific targets for cancer therapy, ginger extract might prove to be beneficial as a complementary agent in cancer prevention and maintenance therapy, according to “Ginger extract inhibits human telomerase reverse transcriptase and c-Myc expression in A549 lung cancer cells” by Tuntiwechapikul W, Taka T, Songsomboon C, Kaewtunjai N, Imsumran A, Makonkawkeyoon L, Pompimon W, Lee TR.(10)
11. Etc.