Can a pinch of ginger banish arthritis pain?

DRIED ginger may help knee arthritis, suggest Iranian doctors.

New research based on 120 men and women with osteoarthritis pain in the knee found that taking 1g of ginger powder daily significantly reduced inflammation compared with a placebo pill.

Results show that in the patients taking ginger, the drop in nitric oxide and C‑reactive protein, markers of inflammation, was 60 per cent greater than in the placebo group.

It’s thought compounds in ginger — gingerols and shogaols — act as anti‑inflammatories.

The researchers, from Yazd University of Medical Sciences in Iran, concluded that ginger is a suitable sup‑ plement for people with knee arthritis, although more work is needed to assess if this then reduces pain.