Ginger, cautions
Interactions with Medications:
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Ginger can slow blood clotting, increasing bleeding risk when taken with anticoagulants like warfarin, aspirin, or other blood thinners. It may interact with blood pressure-lowering medications, diabetes drugs, or pain relievers like ibuprofen, potentially amplifying their effects.
Ginger could affect stomach acid levels, interfering with antacids, H2 blockers, or proton-pump inhibitors. There are reports of interactions with anticancer drugs like crizotinib and potential toxicity with warfarin.
Moderate interactions include those with clopidogrel and diclofenac.
Cautions:
- It is not recommended for those who do not tolerate heat well or for people with gastritis or peptic ulcers. Small amounts used in cooking are generally safe. While its not contraindicated in patients with peptic ulcers, it should be avoided in stomach and lung syndromes involving heat.
- It may be irritating for some with acid reflux. But you could use capsules.
- Taking ginger on an empty stomach can upset your stomach.
- High doses of ginger probably act as a gastric irritant. Fresh ginger in quantities of 6g or more caused a significant increase in exfoliation of gastric surface epithelial cells in human volunteers.
- Do not use in large doses if you have gallstones, as ginger's effects may stimulate the gall bladder, worsening symptoms and causing unnecessary pain.
- If you have arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, taking excessive ginger can make it worse.
- Ginger's components may interfere with normal blood clotting. As a precaution, suspend the use of this herb at least one week before surgery. Do not use with other plants or herbal products that may interfere with normal blood clotting, such as garlic, ginseng or ginkgo. Do not use with drugs that interfere with blood clotting, such as aspirin, heparin or warfarin (coumadin).
- Try not to take too often or in too strong a dose while pregnant. Use with care during early pregnancy and then mainly for relief of nausea and vomiting. Although ginger can relieve morning sickness, pregnant women should not ingest more than 1 gram daily.
- Very high doses may cause a reduction of blood sugar levels.
- Avoid excessive amounts of ginger in cases of acne, eczema, or herpes.
- Gingerinteracts with sulfaguanidine to enhance absorption.
- Because of its effects on platelet action,gingershould be used with care in patients using anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents, or before surgery.
- Gingermay increase absorption of all medications taken orally
- If you are on blood pressure drugs, monitor it because Ginger can lower blood pressure.
Powdered ginger is frequently adulterated with exhausted ginger
Adverse reactions
Contact dermatitis of the finger tips has been reported in sensitive patients
Carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, impairment of fertility
The mutagenicity of ginger extracts is a controversial subject. A hot-water extract of ginger was reported to be mutagenic in B291I cells and Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 100, but not in strain TA 98. A number of constituents of fresh ginger have been identified as mutagens. Both [6]-gingerol and shogaols have been determined to be mutagenic in a Salmonella/microsome assay , and increased mutagenesis was observed in an Hs30 strain of Escherichia coli treated with [6]-gingerol. However, the mutagenicity of [6]-gingerol and shogaols was suppressed in the presence of various concentrations of zingerone, an antimutagenic constituent of ginger . Furthermore, ginger
juice was reported to be antimutagenic and suppressed the spontaneous mutations induced by [6]-gingerol, except in cases where the mutagenic chemicals 2-(2-furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acryl amide and N-methyl-N1-nitro-N-itrosoguanidine
were added to [6]-gingerol . Other investigators have also reported that ginger juice is antimutagenic. (WHO-VOL1)
Ginger-associated overanticoagulation by phenprocoumon.
Food-drug interaction of tacrolimus with pomelo, ginger, and turmeric juice in rats.