Ginger is one of the forms of spices, used in food for many centuries now. It is an especially aromatic and flavorful stem (an underground stem and not a root), whose use in Asian and Indian cooking has been in practice for ages now. Apart from being a very popular spice item, ginger also has some proven medical and therapeutic contributions. Here comes the question as to whether ginger is bad for the kidneys or not. Let us look deeper into it.
Is Ginger Good for Kidneys?
Ginger is known to have multiple health benefits like reducing cough, improving digestion, lowering blood pressure, it has anti-carcinogenic properties and it also is very good for the kidneys.1 Streams of modern medicine and even oriental techniques of treatment have claimed that Ginger as a food element can prove to be very important in the treatment of renal problems. Ayurveda has claimed that even if ginger therapy is not the contemporary remedy for kidney failure, ginger has certain properties that help improve the digestion rate which will help to reduce the pressure on the kidney and the GI tract.
How Does Ginger Help in Preventing Kidney Problems?
Ginger Helps Prevent Kidney Damage by Controlling Diabetes:
Diabetes is one of the pertinent health problems for the contemporary global population, where the level of glucose or sugar in the blood is much above the desired level. It is also known as the silent killer, as it increases the chances of cardiac arrests and strokes by a huge margin. At present, 23 million adults in the U.S are diagnosed with diabetes.2 Diabetes is a form of ailment that happens to affect the human kidneys in ninety percent of cases. Hence, increase in the number of diabetes patients has also led to an increasing number of renal problems.
Blood sugar is one of the major reasons that can affect the functioning of your kidneys. This is why it has been seen that people who have high diabetes level has renal problems. Ginger powder is one of the well-known natural remedies that can help to bring down the blood sugar level. Ginger supplements are known to bring down the fasting blood sugar levels and also help to improve the level of A1C – which is an average level of blood sugar over the last 3 months that is checked in people who has type 2 diabetes. Research into this domain has shown that people with complications of diabetes can also improve their condition over a period of time if they take ginger powder or other forms of ginger supplements.3,4
The rhizome within the ginger plant is quite rich in antioxidants that also include shogoals, gingerols and also zingerones. Pertinent research has been done to study the effects of ginger on the levels of antioxidants in the blood that has been used on diabetic rats to study their kidney functions. After administration of ginger supplements to the rats, their antioxidant level was found to be much higher. This clearly indicates the fact that ginger is a food item that happens to be favorable for the kidney as it reduces the levels of diabetes within the blood.
Ginger Fights Against Free Radicals and Oxidants and Helps Prevent Kidney Damage:
Research has revealed the fact that the human body often has free radicals moving in the body. These free radicals can lead to damage and inflammation within the cells and the body tissues that can also affect your kidneys. One of the best ways of keeping your kidneys safe is to maintain a proper diet. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants and including ginger as it can help your body to fight the constant oxidative stress which can affect your kidneys to a great extent. Ginger can help to prevent the formation of any extra growth of lumps in your kidneys and hence protect it from a large number of critical and dreaded diseases. Antioxidants in ginger can help your kidneys from the scavenging of the free radicals.5
Conclusion
The dosage of ginger supplements given is also very important. Consumption of 4 grams of ginger daily should be the thumb rule that can be followed by one and all. In case you are taking a medicine that is for thinning of the blood, you might have to face certain problems with your ginger intake. This is when you need to consult your doctor regarding other forms of medication or the intake of ginger supplements. Research done so far on the effects of ginger on kidney shows no adverse effect regarding the same; on the contrary, ginger consumption is actually good for the kidneys and the overall health.
Also Read:
