Ginger as opinion by primary dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea, also known as dysmenorrhoea, painful periods, or menstrual cramps, is pain during menstruation. It usually begins around the time that menstruation begins and it is he most commonly reported menstrual disorder. More than one half of woman who have menstruate have some pain 1–2 days each month1.
There are two types of dysmenorrhea: primary and secondary dysmenorrhea.
Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is pain that comes from having a menstrual period, or menstrual “cramps”. Many of these patients have an increased synthesis of the natural chemicals called prostaglandins in their endometrial tissue with increased prostaglandin release in the menstrual fluid2. They influence the perception of pain and cause the muscles in the womb to tighten, helping to shed the lining of the womb.
The increased amount of prostaglandins induces in coordinate hyperactivity of the uterine muscle resulting in uterine ischemia and pain.
Secondary dysmenorrhea (SD) is caused by a disorder in the reproductive system (Endometriosis, Adenomyosis etc). The pain tends to get worse, rather than better, over the time.
Ginger
Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), commonly known as ginger, is indigenous to tropical Asia, probably to southern China or India. The rhizomes of the plant have a powerful aroma and are extensively used as a spice and as medicin and there is are a lot known about the healing power of ginger preparations3. The history of ginger is nicely summarized by Elzebroek and Wind4. According to these authors, ginger is mentioned in the earliest recordings of Chinese herbals and is firmly entrenched in the culinary and medicinal practises of natives of Asian countries. The plant was
well known by the Greeks and was mentioned by the Ancient Greek physician, botanist and apothecary Dioscorides in his works. After an orgy, the Greeks are said to have eaten ginger wrapped in bread to combat nausea. The Roman writer, naturalist and philosopher Plinius Secundus, known as Pliny the Elder, also described the medicinal use of ginger in his works, Naturalis Historia. The spice was known in Germany and France by the 9th century.
Marco Polo, introduced to ginger while visiting China and Sumatra in the 13th century, transported some to Europe. During the same period, ginger spread to East Africa from India by the Arabs. Later, in the 16th century, the Portuguese introduced ginger to West Africa. Elzebroek and Wind also discuss how the cultivation of ginger in Mexico was initiated by the Spaniard, Francesco de Mendoza. Throughout the Middle Ages, ginger was used to flavour beer. The English botanist William Roscoe named the plant Zingiber officinale in 18074.
Healing power of Ginger
It is reported, that ginger compounds (Curucuma longa, zingiber officinale, curcumazanthorrhza and galaga) have an anti-inflammatory effect and they inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins5,3,6. Major compounds are gingerol and zingerol6.
The use of ginger preparations by primary dysmenorrhea has a long tradition in medicine3. However, the actually study situation is very overviewed. There are only seven clinical trials from Asia. It can be summarized, that all studies showing a benefit in terms of pain against a placebo7. It was show, that ginger had the same analgesic effect like non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)7,8.
Chen and his team reported suggestive evidence for the effectiveness of 750–2000 mg ginger powder during the first 3–4 days of menstrual cycle for primary dysmenorrhea.
Note: The well-known ginger tea is not sufficient enough ( even by expended consume) to desire the healing effect of ginger.
For More Information about your Period:
Literature
1. Osayande, A. S. & Mehulic, S. Diagnosis and initial management of dysmenorrhea. Am. Fam. Physician 89, 341–6 (2014).
2. Dawood, M. Y. Dysmenorrhoea and prostaglandins: pharmacological and therapeutic considerations. Drugs 22, 42–56 (1981).
3. Semwal, R. B., Semwal, D. K., Combrinck, S. & Viljoen, A. M. Gingerols and shogaols: Important nutraceutical principles from ginger. Phytochemistry 117, 554–68 (2015).
4. A. T. G. Elzebroek. Guide to Cultivated Plants — A. T. G. Elzebroek
5. White, B. Ginger: an overview. Am. Fam. Physician 75, 1689–91 (2007).
6. Lakhan, S. E., Ford, C. T. & Tepper, D. Zingiberaceae extracts for pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr. J. 14, 50 (2015).
7. Daily, J. W., Zhang, X., Kim, D. S. & Park, S. Efficacy of Ginger for Alleviating the Symptoms of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Pain Med. 16, 2243–55 (2015).
8. Chen, C. X., Barrett, B. & Kwekkeboom, K. L. Efficacy of Oral Ginger (Zingiber officinale) for Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid. Based. Complement. Alternat. Med. 2016, 6295737 (2016).
