Ginger offers hope for Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Author’s note: This article is summarized from various sources and attributions are linked within.

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Ginger has been named 2023’s Herb of the Year by the International Herb Association, and with good reason.

Recent research has shown that ginger may be helpful for those with certain autoimmune disorders due to the herb’s anti-inflammatory properties. JCI Insight, a biomedical research journal, published an article coauthored by author Dr. Kristen Demoruelle, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Dr. Jason Knight, an associate professor in the division of rheumatology at the University of Michigan.

The findings centered around “neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, also called NETosis, and its role in controlling inflammation. NETs are microscopic spider web-like structures. They propel inflammation and clotting, which contribute to many autoimmune diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.” Neutrophils are an important part of the body’s immune system but when they are overactive it can cause inflammation and chronic inflammation.

Demourelle wrote, "We found that ginger can help to restrain NETosis, and this is important because it is a natural supplement that may be helpful to treat inflammation and symptoms for people with several different autoimmune diseases."

Knight added, "Ginger may have a real ability to complement treatment programs that are already underway."

Given findings that ibuprofen has more side effects than previously thought, ginger may be a much better option, though check with your doctor before trying any new supplements or ceasing your current medication.

“Ibuprofen reduces DAO levels, an enzyme that helps to break down and clear histamines. Elevated levels of histamine in the gut increases zonulin, which is the protein that breaks apart the epithelial cells that line the gut.”

This results in a condition called leaky gut which allows food particles into the blood stream, “causing food sensitivities and autoimmunity.” It can also reduce blood’s ability to clot, cause stomach or intestinal ulcers, impaired kidney function, kidney disease and lithium toxicity as well as other conditions including increased risk of heart attacks, stroke and heart failure.

On the flip side, ginger has been used in herbal medicine for more than 4,400 years, once “traded at great expense along the Silk Road throughout the Middle Ages; in the 14th century, a pound of ginger was worth as much as a whole sheep.”

The research team involved in the ginger study “hopes to do clinical trials in patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and COVID-19.”