Ginger for Healthy Ageing: A Systematic Review on Current Evidence of Its Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anticancer Properties

Abstract

The world's population is ageing at an accelerated pace. Ageing is a natural, physiological but highly complex and multifactorial process that all species in the Tree of Life experience over time. Physical and mental disabilities, and age-related diseases, would increase along with the increasing life expectancy. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant that belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, native to Southeast Asia. For hundreds of years, ginger has been consumed in various ways by the natives of Asian countries, both as culinary and medicinal herb for the treatment of many diseases. Mounting evidence suggests that ginger can promote healthy ageing, reduce morbidity, and prolong healthy lifespan. Ginger, a well-known natural product, has been demonstrated to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties, as well as an outstanding antiviral activity due to a high concentration of antiviral compounds. In this review, the current evidence on the potential role of ginger and its active compounds in the prevention of ageing is discussed.

Figure 1

Illustration of the wide range of the health effects of ginger. A great range of those natural products' beneficial effects for the human organism have been verified and investigated at a molecular and mechanistic basis. Emphasis is given in this review on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties of ginger.

Figure 2

Ginger rhizome active compounds.

Figure 3

Network depicting the semantic relationships of the top 100 words most closely related to “ginger.” The words are represented by nodes, and the semantic associations between words are denoted by connecting lines.