Taiwanese scientists have isolated a bioactive compound in ginger called zingerone that effectively treats bacteria-triggered diarrhea, the number one cause of infant death in the developing world."The ginger extracts don't actually kill the bacteria, but work by binding to the toxin the bacteria release," said Hsiang Chien-Yun of the China Medical University in Taichung. The toxin, known as LT, is usually taken up by cells in the gut, where it triggers a cascade response resulting in a huge loss of fluid and ions from the cells. Zingerone prevents LT from interacting with receptors on the cell surface by binding to the toxin, so the toxin doesn't get taken up.
"I've not seen any compounds before that can disrupt this interaction," Simon Gibbons, who studies antibacterial natural products at the School of Pharmacy at the University of London, England, told Chemistry World. "I was surprised that they didn't further fractionate their extracts to find the most active compound, instead of just looking at the major compounds in the extract. But in general they present good data. Ginger itself could be an effective treatment — you could promote people making crude extracts of ginger at home."
Complementary Medicine | Natural Health | Nutrition | Herbal Supplements | Nutritional Supplements | Dr. David Ross, ND, CNHP | DrDavidRoss.com
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