Ginger for Osteoarthritis anyone?

DHs' visit to the GP today netted a recommendation for a bum knee that surprised me. I use ginger for vertigo/nausea/motion sickness/ upset stomach. Osteoarthritis was new to me but apparently not new [HYPERLINK@www.umm.edu]

Has any one else used this ~ with or with out success? The recommended amount was 2 - 500 mg/ twice daily. Any thoughts please?

podster, you hyper link doesn't work. I went to the site (umm.edu) and did some searching but can't find any articles that reference ginger and OA. (They sure have lots of other interesting articles though!)

Do you remember where it might be? Would like to read up on it.

Thanks!
Shoe.

I think this might be the link

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsHerbs/Gingerch.html

There was another link that said Although there have been a few case reports of the benefit of ginger for OA in medical literature, one recent trial found that the herb was no more effective than ibuprofen or placebo in reducing symptoms of OA.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsConditions/Osteoarthritiscc.html

X

Thanks, X. I'll come back after dark and read up on it. Glad you found the articles.

Shoe.

more reading for u Shoe on gingers http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72#healthbenefits i am a living proof of the anti inflammatory cure: when i was a toddler, i was paralyze for nearly 4 yrs. with the aid of ginger and coconut oil, i was able to walk again.

during cold months, we always make ginger tea to avoid catching cold or the flu. the ginger tea works all the time. one time, i was visiting my son in northern Calif., his friend and his wife [i was told were down with the flu for 2 weeks before i came.] the same night i arrived, i brewed some ginger tea for them to drink. at 1st the couple thought it was some kind of old wife's tale about the ginger tea. the following morning, both couple was up and about, and went to work. when they got home from work, they ask me to make more ginger tea for them.

another person who was making fun when i told them about the ginger tea was a former landlady. she never believe me, until she got sick with the flu. for several weeks i was not aware of her being down with the flu. when i learned she was ill, i made her some ginger tea. two days later, she was up and about, and was able to return to her normal life. minus the flu.

Hi MaVieRose ~
Since I posted this, my sister reminded me she was on ginger for an extensive period of time. She had broken bones in her foot and arthritis had taken over. Unfortunately, she simply consumed bulk ginger and burned herself out because of the taste.
We take ginger in capsules but your tea sounds wonderful. Would you care to share the recipe???!?? Hmmmm?? Pretty please? : )) pod

GINGER TEA

The peppery and slightly sweet flavor of fresh ginger has long been a mainstay in the savory dishes of Asian and Indian cooking. Europeans and Americans most often use the dried, ground form of ginger, usually in baked goods. But ginger's value is not just in its sweet taste and pungent aroma, it has medicinal properties as well: It is effective in quelling nausea. Many people eat crystallized ginger when they're seasick or drink ginger ale to calm an upset stomach. In fact, ginger-based tonic drinks have been prepared since ancient times.

This extremely versatile root is also delicious when used to make tea. All you
need is fresh ginger, boiling-hot water, light-brown sugar, and a lemon.

GINGER TEA RECIPE
Makes about 4 cups

6 ounces fresh ginger
1/4 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Combine ginger, brown sugar, and 6 cups water in a medium saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil over high heat, and reduce to a gentle simmer.

3. Cook until reduced to 4 cups, 30 to 40 minutes.

4. Add lemon juice.

5. Strain, and serve piping hot.

u can also substitute honey in place of brown sugar.

ginger tea's maybe strong for some, but once u get used to the flavor am sure u will enjoy drinking it. it is just a matter of acquiring the taste for it, similar to other Asian dishes that some do venture to taste.

30 mins. of cooking should be just right, but if u want intense strong flavor like we do, 40 or more minutes of simmering is even better.

Thank you for the recipe. I used crystallized ginger for vertigo after a severe head injury. It really worked, fortunately the vertigo left me after a couple of years and no permanent damage either.

Thanks, MaVie. Good to see you again!

Will keep the ginger tea recipe close by for this Winter. I usually have a root of it in the fridge (don't yell at me, I sometimes put it in kimchee). :>)

Rainy cool-ish day here, maybe I better put on a pot today!
Shoe.

Edited to ask, Do you use one piece of root or do you chop it up into smaller pieces?

This message was edited Nov 7, 2006 12:14 PM

zenpotter... i always have a slice of fresh ginger in my mouth during days i am somewhat off balance cuz i do suffer with vertigo once in a blue moon.

Shoe, when i make the ginger tea, i take about 3" of the fresh rhizome of ginger. i wash it good, keep the skin on. smash hard with back of knife to allow the natural juice of ginger to mingle with the water. i always make it a point to keep fresh ginger root all the time. i never refrigerate, instead i keep it in a plastic bag or wrapped in newspaper close or near where i store potatoes and onions.

the water for making ginger tea, should only be simmering NOT hard boil. i have never understood b4, why in making tea, water should not be boiled. now my common sense tells me, if the water is roll boiling, the essence of ginger tea will disappear in to the air... which is why gentle simmering is better than boiling. i have to research that sometime :).

some of u who do not know me yet, may find i go in great detail to drive my point. sorry English is my 2nd language. i do not want anyone to miss minor details in the process of doing some things i share with Y' All. right Shoe LOL???

it has always been a practice in my house to smash rooted plants in long process of cooking. rooted plants are slice in quick cooking like sauteeing or pickling. i always add ginger in pickling.

if u want to peel ginger, use spoon to scrape off the skin, not a knife or a vegetable peeler. spoon takes off ginger skin easy with out wasting some of the rhizome. i find teaspoon better than regular spoon. u can get into all the nook and crannies of the rhizome with the teaspoon.

Shoe when u got plenty of free time, try to venture inside the link above. u will be surprise to find some good reading that will benefit ur health and in cooking.

oh well, here is the link to explore... http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php click each underlined item to learn more about the food u eat or drink. u will be surprise what u will learn.

hey Shoe, i guess i am back at my normal self now. u will have more reading from here on in. just a simple warning.... ROTFLOL watch out!!!

Okay, thanks! Added your ginger tips to my ginger tea file.

And yes, I'll be sure to read up on ginger. (I even grew my own one year but my clay soil kept it somewhat small; next time I'll make a special bed for it.)

Glad you are feeling well again and doing good. See you around the site!

Shoe.

Ginger tea is a staple at our house too. I don't boil it. I put the smashed or chopped fresh ginger root in the pot with water (about a heaping tablespoon of chopped ginger per 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water), bring it just to the simmering point, then turn the heat off and let it steep. I like to put a little honey in my ginger tea after it cools to drinking temperature.

I was very interested in this thread because my dad has very arthritic knees and I'm always on the look out for something to ease the pain.

I have copied MaVie's recipe down for him and hopefully he will try it. Could you please tell me how often he should drink this, everyday or what?

Thanks everyone for your input,
Donna

MaVieRose Thank you for the recipe and the excellent tips on peeling fresh ginger. I have struggled in the past with a potato peeler and not very well I might add. I look forward to trying the ginger tea soon. I like both brown sugar and honey so may try both. I use locally pollinated honey to build up a resistance to some of the local allergens. It has been successful for me so I always look for new ways to use the honey on a daily basis. Is this also palatable when cold or cool?

Shoe i have a pot of damp sand in the kitchen counter also to keep growing ginger rhizome. just allow sand to dry some before watering again.

Donna .. when i was young i was paralized on all the joints of my body: arms, legs... as long as there is a joint it hurts like a dickens. the way i was cured was: my grandma took banana leaves and make a pouch out of the leaves. then crushed gingers and coconut oil were place in the pouch. the pouch is then heated on a grill sitting on top of charcoal embers. my grandma's friend, cut off 6 inch wide by 2 ft. long wool boiled in hot water. the heated ginger concoction was spread along the joints of my body. the warmed wool hold the ginger next to the joint. when i was completely wrapped, i was covered with another wool blanket. took my grandma and her friend to do that process each night for 3 mos. after all their hardwork, i was able to walk again after being paralyzed for 4 years.

i am not suggesting u do this, am just trying to explain what was done to allow me to walk again. that was in the late 1940's and early 1950's. but of course each time after i was wrapped with ginger concoction, i did not feel any pain. saying this, hopefully maybe ginger and coconut oil warmed up might help ur Dad. improvised, i'd say to relieve ur dad's pain. i found coconut oil reasonably priced at some oriental store. more oil are sold by Indian stores cuz people on that region of Asia and the Mediterraneans' use coconut oil for cooking, so do we in the Philippines!

ginger tea we drink hot when the weather is cold. during the x-mas season, people in the Phil. go to midnight mass to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. almost all street corner u pass by, there are street vendors selling ginger tea and rice cake. the hotter, the better we say cuz the pungent flavor keep us warm at 4:00 a.m. LOL Donna i see what u mean, when u told me u follow my tips around DG forums... hehehehe.

when the weather is hot, we drink it at room temperature, if not ice is added.

one more thing, if ur system is accustomed to the flavor of fresh ginger, the pulp of ginger cleans the slimy stuff attached along ur esophagus including the lining of ur stomach.

Pods, sorry i do not know ur name to address u accordingly. i did not mean to hijack ur thread. i just wanted to share stuff i know about the subject u posted.

MaVieRose ~ Absolutely not hijacking anything. I find your knowledge most interesting. An elderly friend once said there are two ways to learn things. One is from trial and error ( your own experiences and mistakes ) the other is learning from others which is less costly and far easier. Please, feel free to continue and not to worry about hijacking.

I will answer to anything.... : )) pod

thanks pod. it is always nice to share info in the hope we are helping alleviate someone else's pain, and help others to feel good.

MaVie, what a very interesting concoction you posted. I wonder if we could mix up the potion in the microwave to warm it up, then rub it on his knees and wrap it with a warm towel. How long would you keep it on the skin?

I am really serious about trying both of these methods to help eleviate some of the pain for my dad.

Yup Ma Vie, I do find you when you have something interesting to share. :-)) lol

Donna

The microwave will destroy the beneficial qualities of the ingredients. It is not a healthy way to heat anything.

like i said, u need to improvise Donna. do the best u can to alleviate the pain ur father feels. just remember, after u wrap the concoction, be sure to wrap him with a blanket. accdg to the lady who tried to treat my paralysis, wrapping will facilitate perspiration, thereby getting rid of all the evil spirits that entered my system. u know those old folk's tales to make story to be able to explain their "effort". once the 'patient' perspire, change his/her clothes, including the bedding. as u change clothes and bedding, u also take off all the wraps on the patient. patient should be feeling a great relief from pain, and should be able to sleep good for the night/day depending on when u do this job. if i got relieved and cured of paralysis. am sure it will help ur father too.

i do not know about using the microwave. like i posted above, the lady use banana leaves as the envelope/pouch to hold the coconut oil and ginger pulp. then heated over charcoal embers. maybe someone will chime in, and give us a hand on this.

here is some material about coconut oil http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/ , http://archives.pireport.org/archive/2005/October/10-25-ft.htm

this link http://www.dayaenergy.com/services_body.html#wraps i am posting for information purpose only! if u read patiently most of the so called 'treatment', they use coconut oil and ginger pulps. btw... i have personally experience most of the massage and wrap treatments. the massage specially is so great, u will feel and look younger after each session. one do not need to be operated on or cut up to look and feel young... complete body massage will make u look young for years to come. i am 62 yrs old, there is hardly any wrinkle on my skin. my next door neighbor is only 50 yrs old, yet she has so much wrinkle on her skin - her face and arms specially. she says i look much younger than she is. what a nice compliment for using all natural by products.

Ladies! do treat urself to a body massage if given an opportunity. we all deserve the special treatment regardless of the $$$ value. each penny spent is worth it. i hope some of u do try it, am sure u will thank me in the future.

hi garden_mermaid, welcome to DG garden. thanks for ur input. everyone's contribution to the thread will sure benefit us in DG.

i see u are in Sunnyvale, Ca. u practically live next door to my son. he lives in Palo Alto. before 911, i use to visit him at least once a month. these days, i hardly travel due to some health issues. next time i go north, i will keep u posted, maybe we can meet in person some day.

Hi MaVieRose! I'd be happy to get together with you when you are in the area. Perhaps you 'll be able to visit our community garden. I just had lunch in Palo Alto today and know it well.

oh great! i will surely let u know when i am around the area. it will be a pleasure to meet with u and see ur community garden.

Check out Tart Cherries or Juice (Montmorency Cherries). There is evidence that it helps OA as good or better than the current therapies.

Loretta

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/completeazindex/a/tart_cherry.htm

I love cherries, but they won't help DH with me eating them. I eat dried cherries almost daily. He doesn't care for any form except cherry vanilla ice cream by Bluebell, of course. Thanks for the interesting link Loretta. : )) pod

Just ran across this - fascinating info! My mother has severe rheumatoid arthritis, and swears that eating dried dark cherries helps. She also likes cherry jam and eats that when she can't get the whole fruit. Pod, maybe you could get your DH to try that.

Sharon

Worth a try and if he won't, I know I'll love it! Thanks... pod