New preliminary research presented at the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting this week suggests that ginger may help cancer patients overcome common vomiting, nausea and fatigue symptoms caused by chemotherapy.
Previous studies have shown that ginger can be helpful for seasickness and morning sickness, but research investigating the effectiveness of ginger for cancer patients has been limited.
Dr Wolfgang Marx from Bond University's Health Sciences & Medicine Faculty conducted a double blinded placebo controlled study in 51 cancer patients using a ginger extract in tablet format.
“Our initial research showed that patients taking ginger extract experienced an improvement in their quality of life associated with nausea and vomiting – we were also surprised to see that they also less likely to experience fatigue.
“The next step is to undertake further research with a larger group to test whether it’s effective in a larger sample size,” said Dr Marx.
"Our research focused on ginger extract, but similar active ingredients are in products like ginger ale.
"It’s possible further down the track that research will be conducted to test whether other ginger food products could also be effective.”
‘Standardized ginger extract improves quality of life associated with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting’ was presented at the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting on the Gold Coast on 16 November, 2016.