Ginger Found to Ease Nausea

Posted by Neill Abayon

Grandma was right when she recommended ginger for an upset stomach — at least for cancer patients.

A randomized clinical trial has confirmed what many people suspect — that ginger can decrease nausea caused by chemotherapy. The effect goes beyond that provided by standard anti-vomiting drugs.

The results will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which begins May 29 in Orlando, Fla. Abstracts of most of the studies to be presented at the conference were made public Thursday.

The trial, financed by the National Cancer Institute, involved 644 patients, mostly women with breast cancer, who were undergoing chemotherapy at 23 oncology practices in the United States.

All patients took a standard anti-vomiting drug on each day of chemotherapy. They also took specially made capsules containing either extracts of ginger root or a placebo for six days, starting three days before each round of chemotherapy.

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