Ginger may Help with Side Effects of Chemotherapy

by | Apr 5, 2013 | 2011, Cancer, Ginger

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a study of 57 children with bone cancer (sarcoma), they were supplemented with ginger powder and experienced a significant decrease in symptoms of nausea and vomiting that occurs as a result of chemotherapy.  

In its Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2009, the National Cancer Institute revealed statistics that “give reason to cheer” (1):

  • From 2000-2009, cancer death rates decreased in men and women by 1.8% and 1.4% per year, respectively, and 1.8% in children up to 14 years of age.
  • During 2000-2009, death rates decreased for 10 of the 17 most common cancers in men and 15 of the 18 most common cancers in women.

Despite these encouraging statistics, 41.24% of men and women born today will still be diagnosed with cancer of some sites at some time during their lifetime (2).  Of the treatment options available, chemotherapy is one of the most common but comes with a number of side effects that include nausea and vomiting (3).  Now a new study (4) suggests that ginger, known to be effective for pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting (5) may also help chemotherapy patients to reduce nausea.

The study involved 57 children between 8 and 21 years of age and newly diagnosed with bone cancer called a sarcoma, undergoing chemotherapy and taking anti-nausea and anti-vomiting drugs (called “anti-emetics”).  For their 3-day chemotherapy cycle, Group 1 (27 subjects) was given 1,000 mg of ginger powder per day if they weighed between 44 and 88 pounds and 2,000 mg per day if they weighed between 89 and 132 pounds.  Group 2 (30 subjects) was given a placebo.

The patients kept a diary for 10 days (3 days of chemotherapy and the week after) and recorded the severity of their nausea and vomiting, as measured by Edmonton’s Symptom Assessment Scale (6) and National Cancer Institute guidelines (7).  The researchers defined “acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting” as occurring within 24 hours of the start of chemotherapy (days 1–4) and “delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting” occurring more than 24 hours after completion of chemotherapy (days 5–10).

The researchers found a significant benefit of ginger powder in the chemotherapy patients.  Specifically:

  • Acute severe nausea was noted by 4 patients in the ginger group (14.8%) versus 22 in the placebo group (73.3%) (p = 0.003)
  • Acute severe vomiting was noted by 3 patients in the ginger group (11.1%) versus 13 in the placebo group (43.3%) (p = 0.002)
  • Delayed severe nausea was noted by 3 patients in the ginger group (11.1%) compared to 12 in the placebo group (40%) (p < 0.001)
  • 6 patients in the ginger group (22.2%) had no delayed nausea compared to none in the placebo group (p < 0.001)

What’s more, no side effects to the ginger supplement were reported.

For the researchers, “ginger root powder may be used as an add-on therapy in patients receiving chemotherapy with high emetogenic potential.”

Source: Pillai, Anu Kochanujan, et al. “Anti‐emetic effect of ginger powder versus placebo as an add‐on therapy in children and young adults receiving high emetogenic chemotherapy.” Pediatric blood & cancer 56.2 (2011): 234-238.

© 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Posted April 5, 2013. 

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. “Report to the Nation shows U.S. cancer death rates continue to drop; Special feature highlights trends in HPV-associated cancers and HPV vaccination coverage levels” press release by the National Cancer Institute 1/7/2013.
  2. “Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Stat Fact Sheet” posted on the National Cancer Institute website.
  3. “Chemotherapy Side Effect Sheets” posted on the National Cancer Institute Website.
  4. Pillai AK.  Anti –emetic effect of ginger powder versus placebo as an add-on therapy in children and young adults receiving high emetogenic chemotherapy.  Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011 Feb;56(2):234-8. doi: 10.1002/pbc.22778.
  5. Vutyavanich T, Kraisarin T, Ruangsri R. Ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: Randomized, double-masked, placebocontrolled trial. Obstet Gynecol 2001;97:577–582.
  6. Chang VT, Hwang SS, Feuerman M. Validation of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) [abstract 68]. J Pain Sympt Manage 1999;18:S19.
  7. PDQ Supportive and Editorial Board. NCI Guidelines [Online]. 1999 July 23 [1999 December 19].