A study has found that ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome has an antitussive effect. The study, which was published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, examined the antitussive activity of ginger rhizome.

• Ginger rhizome has been used as a treatment for fever, bronchial asthma, and cough for thousands of years.
• However, the active principle of the formulation has not yet been fully understood.
• Researchers from The University of Burdwan in India and Comenius University in Slovakia examined water-extracted polysaccharides (WEP) that contain fraction from a ginger rhizome.
• They administered the formulation in doses of 25 and 50 milligrams per kilogram body weight (mg/kg BW) in guinea pigs.
• The results showed that ginger rhizome treatment substantially inhibited the number of citric acid?induced cough efforts in guinea pigs.
• That said, it does not change the specific airway smooth muscle reactivity significantly.
• These results support the traditional use of ginger rhizome as an antitussive medicine.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that ginger rhizome can help relieve or prevent coughs without causing an addictive effect.

To read more studies on natural cough medicines like ginger, visit NaturalMedicine.news.

Journal Reference:

Bera K, Nosalova G, Sivova V, Ray B. STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS AND COUGH SUPPRESSING ACTIVITY OF POLYSACCHARIDES FROMZINGIBER OFFICINALERHIZOME. Phytotherapy Research. 02 November 2015; 30(1): 105-111. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5508