Ginger Root And The Immune System

The purpose of the immune system is to protect the body from invading disease-causing microbes called pathogens. Most pathogen-induced infections occur in mucous membranes of your body. The innate immune system--the body's first line of defense--acts immediately or within hours of a pathogen's appearance in the body. It triggers the release of body chemicals such as antibodies for protection. Herbal remedies such as ginger root have long been used to stimulate the body's immune system. Before using ginger root or other herbal products, first talk to your doctor.

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GINGER ROOT AND WHITE BLOOD CELLS

The immune system is a complex network that includes disease-fighting cells and organs. T cells, a type of white blood cell, play a crucial role in the immune system because they attack potential pathogens that have invaded the body. They are also capable of killing numerous tumor cells. Sudipta Tripathi, a sergeant at the SUNY Upstate Medical University, and colleagues suggest that taking ginger root might boost the magnitude and quality of T-cell responses in the body and therefore can kill tumor cells, viral-infected cells and parasites.

ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION

Ginger root may offer benefit to transplant patients undergoing immunosuppressive drug therapy. Transplant rejection occurs when the immune system recognizes transplanted organs as foreign and mounts an immune response. In a study published in "The American Surgeon," investigators from the SUNY Upstate Medical University suggest that ginger root may help prevent a transplant patient's body from attacking a donated heart, liver or kidney, making it incapable of destroying donated organs.

ASTHMA

Ginger root shows promise as a remedy for asthma, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways. In allergic asthma, airway inflammation appears to be mediated by allergen-specific T helper-type, or Th2, cells. In a 2008 study published in the journal "International Immunopharmacology," ginger root was shown to play a key role in the regulation of Th2 immune responses.

SAFETY ISSUES

At time of publication, the maximum safe doses of ginger root for pregnant or nursing women are not known. Avoid ginger root supplements if you are pregnant or breastfeeding unless such use is under the approval of your obstetrician. Ginger root has blood-thinning properties and therefore could possibly increase the risk of bleeding in people with abnormal bleeding disorders such as hemophilia.