Lo Zenzero (Zingiber officinale,  Amomum zingiber L. , Zingiber blancoi Massk.) appartiene alla famiglia delle Zingiberaceae ed è una pianta perenne con una radice o rizoma interrato. Può arrivare in altezza a circa 1,50 mt e le foglie sono di color verde chiaro.

I rizomi sono sostanzialmente di due tipi, quello bianco (più comunemente usato e dotato di maggiori proprietà salutari) e quello rosso.

Dalla lavorazione dello zenzero sii ottengono: estratti, polvere, oli.

Largamente impiegato in varie applicazioni tra le quali alimentare, cosmetico e medico.

Tra i suoi componenti vi sono interessanti bioattivi:  gingerolo (co-responsabile del sapore piccante), zingiberene, zingerone (co-responsabile della piccantezza), shogaol che ha proprietà antinfiammatoria.

Studi

Lo zingerone ha dimostrato particolari proprietà, quali antiossidante, antinfiammatoria, anticancro ed antidiabetica. Poichè lo stress ossidativo e l'infiammazione contribuiscono a lesioni miocardiche acute e croniche, questo componente può essere un potente trattamento nella prevenzione e cura dell'insufficienza cardiaca (1).

Questo studio ha svolto un'approfondita meta-analisi  sulla sicurezza dello zenzero per contrastare la gravità della nausea e del vomito postoperatorio. Lo zenzero è sicuro e ben tollerato e può ridurre la domanda di farmaci antiemetici (2).

Dispone di una attività antifungina tramite il suo olio che, impiegato al 2% unitamente ad un 1,5% del suo estratto ritarda la maturazione del frutto Papaya (3).

L'inserimernto nella gomma da masticare, viene ritenuta una forma ammissibile per l'utilizzazione come un moderno sistema di somministrazione di farmaci in particolare come aiuto a problemi gastrointestinali (4).

La polvere di zenzero può alleviare il dolore e l'infiammazione indotta dall'artrosi del ginocchio (5).

Lo zenzero ha una notevole quantità di effetti antiossidanti, antinfiammatori, antiemetici e antitumorali. In particolare, studi in vivo e in vitro hanno stabilito che i componenti fenolici presenti nello zenzero, in particolare 6-gingerolo e 6-shogaol inducono l'apoptosi e autofagia e inibiscono le metastasi (6).

Serve, unitamente all'acido citrico, a migliorare la morbidezza della carne nei prodotti di salumeria (7).

Zenzero studi

Bibliografia_________________________________________________________________________

(1) Leoni A, Budriesi R, Poli F, Lianza M, Graziadio A, Venturini A, Broccoli M, Micucci M. Ayurvedic preparation of Zingiber officinale Roscoe: effects on cardiac and on smooth muscle parameters. Nat Prod Res. 2018 Sep;32(18):2139-2146. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2017.1367779. Epub 2017 Aug 28. PMID: 28846029.

Abstract. The rhizome of the Zingiber officinale Roscoe, a biennial herb growing in South Asia, is commonly known as ginger. Ginger is used in clinical disorders, such as constipation, dyspepsia, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting and its use is also recommended by the traditional medicine for cardiopathy, high blood pressure, palpitations and as a vasodilator to improve the circulation. The decoction of ginger rhizome is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine. In this papery by high-performance liquid chromatography, we have seen that its main phytomarkers were 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol and 6-shogaol and we report the effects of the decoction of ginger rhizome on cardiovascular parameters and on vascular and intestinal smooth muscle. In our experimental models, the decoction of ginger shows weak negative inotropic and chronotropic intrinsic activities but a significant intrinsic activity on smooth muscle with a potency on ileum is greater than on aorta: EC50 = 0.66 mg/mL versus EC50 = 1.45 mg/mL.

(2) Giacosa A, Morazzoni P, Bombardelli E, Riva A, Bianchi Porro G, Rondanelli M. Can nausea and vomiting be treated with ginger extract? Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015 Apr;19(7):1291-6. PMID: 25912592.

Abstract. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a spice traditionally used to treat indigestion, nausea and vomiting. Ginger extracts accelerate gastric emptying and stimulate gastric antral contractions. These effects are mainly due to the presence of gingerols and shogaols and their activity on cholinergic M receptors and serotonergic 5-HT and 5-HT receptors. Various researches on this subject have led to controversial results, due to the chemical instability of ginger extracts and particularly of gingerols, which are readily-oxidizable substances. A systematic review of double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized studies highlighted the potential efficacy of ginger on the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting of various origins, even though additional controlled studies are needed. This review focuses on pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting and on chemotherapy induced nausea, and hypothesizes a therapeutic role for ginger extracts in case of side effects, as an alternative to traditional prokinetic drugs such as domperidone, levosulpiride or metoclopramide.

(3) Castro JC, Pante GC, Centenaro BM, Almeida RTR, Pilau EJ, Dias Filho BP, Mossini SAG, Abreu Filho BA, Matioli G, Machinski Junior M. Antifungal and antimycotoxigenic effects of Zingiber officinale, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cymbopogon martinii essential oils against Fusarium verticillioides. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2020 Sep;37(9):1531-1541. doi: 10.1080/19440049.2020.1778183. 

Abstract. There is an increasing demand for fungi control in grains, especially toxigenic. Also, there is growing concern on the use of synthetic fungicides; thus alternatives are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal and antimycotoxigenic action of essential oils (EOs) from Zingiber officinale, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cymbopogon martinii against Fusarium verticillioides, a spoilage and toxigenic fungus. Essential oils were first chemically characterised by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and their antioxidant potential was measured by the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and disc diffusion were used to assess antifungal activity. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate morphological changes in the fungus. Antimycotoxigenic activity of the EOs against the production of fumonisin B1 and B2 by F. verticillioides was evaluated using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography system. Z. officinale, C. zeylanicum and C. martinii EOs were predominantly composed by zingiberene and geranial; eugenol; and geraniol, respectively. All the EOs had high antioxidant power, especially that from C. zeylanicum. The MICs were 250, 500 and 2,000 µg mL-1 for C. zeylanicum, C. martinii and Z. officinale EOs, respectively. Mycelial reduction of F. verticillioides was observed when EOs were used, and the lowest activity was detected in the Z. officinale EO. Overall, the tested EOs promoted structural damage to the fungal cell wall, decreased conidia size and mycelial reduction. Antimycotoxigenic evaluation of the EOs evidenced a significant reduction (p < .05) in the production of fumonisins B1 and B2 with all the EOs evaluated in the study. These results suggest that especially C. zeylanicum and C. martinii EOs are highly useful for controlling F. verticillioides and fumonisins production.

(4) Aslani A, Ghannadi A, Rostami F. Design, formulation, and evaluation of ginger medicated chewing gum. Adv Biomed Res. 2016 Jul 29;5:130. doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.187011. 

Abstract. Background: Various ginger compounds improve gastrointestinal problems and motion sickness. The main effects of ginger allocate to some phenolics such as gingerols and shogaols that act as their active agents. Chewing gums are among convenient dosage forms which patients prefer due to their advantages. Hence, this study tried to design, formulate, and evaluate ginger chewing gum of favorable taste and texture to avoid motion sickness and have gastro-protective and anti-oxidant effect....Conclusion: Ginger chewing gum comprises admissible properties to be used as a modern drug delivery system due to its advantageous results in motion sickness. It passed all the specified tests for an acceptable chewing gum. Thus, it may be successfully produced to help GI problems.

(5) Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Naderi Z, Dehghan A, Nadjarzadeh A, Fallah Huseini H. Effect of Ginger Supplementation on Proinflammatory Cytokines in Older Patients with Osteoarthritis: Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr. 2016 Jul-Sep;35(3):209-18. doi: 10.1080/21551197.2016.1206762. 

Abstract. There is limited evidence that ginger powder consumption can relieve pain and inflammation due to specific anti-inflammatory phytochemical constitutents. This study investigates the effect of ginger supplementation on proinflammatory factors in participants (n = 120) of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled 3-month clinical trial investigating knee osteoarthritis. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the ginger group (GG) or the placebo group (PG). Administered daily for 3 months, participants in the GG intervention received capsules containing 500 mg of ginger powder, while PG participants received capsules filled with 500 mg starch. Serum samples collected at baseline and 3 months were analyzed for serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). At baseline, proinflammatory cytokine concentrations did not differ by group. However, at 3 months, both cytokines decreased in the GG relative to the PG. The results of this study indicate that ginger supplementation may have a promising benefits for knee osteoarthritis and may, therefore, may warrant further study.

(6) Kaur IP, Deol PK, Kondepudi KK, Bishnoi M. Anticancer Potential of Ginger: Mechanistic and Pharmaceutical Aspects. Curr Pharm Des. 2016;22(27):4160-72. doi: 10.2174/1381612822666160608115350. 

Abstract. Background: Multifaceted pathologies like cancers involve multiple targets. Failure of current treatment options modulating specific tumor target, evokes need for alternate approach of either combining several smart drugs or design a dirty drug that may simultaneously influence multiple targets to trigger a cascade of protective events complementing one another....Conclusion: Hence, amalgamating the rational formulation design with observational folklore data available on herbal drugs/agents, complemented with scientific and precise in vitro and in vivo findings can bring out a class of safe, cheap, and effective curatives which can address multitarget diseases like cancers.

(7) Effect of Ginger Extract and Citric Acid on the Tenderness of Duck Breast Muscles.  He FY, Kim HW, Hwang KE, Song DH, Kim YJ, Ham YK, Kim SY, Yeo  IJ, Jung TJ, Kim CJ.  -  Korean J Food Sci Anim Resour. 2015