Could Ginger Compounds be Effective in Treating Asthma?

A new study suggests that ginger compounds may be effective in treating asthma symptoms.

Asthma, also characterized as bronchoconstriction, or a tightening of the bronchial tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs, is often treated with various medications called beta-agonists, which are among the most common types of asthma medications. They work by relaxing the airway smooth muscle ASM tissues.

The study examined whether or not specific components of ginger can help enhance relax effects of bronchodilators.

"Asthma has become more prevalent in recent years, but despite an improved understanding of what causes asthma and how it develops, during the past 40 years few new treatment agents have been approved for targeting asthma symptoms," said lead author Elizabeth Townsend, PhD, post-doctoral research fellow in the Columbia University Department of Anesthesiology, according to a press release. "In our study, we demonstrated that purified components of ginger can work synergistically with β-agonists to relax ASM."

To conduct their study, the researchers took human ASM tissue samples and caused the samples to contract by exposing them to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitting compound that causes bronchoconstriction. Next, the researchers mixed the β-agonist isoproterenol with three separate components of ginger: 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol or 6-shogaol. Contracted tissue samples were exposed to each of these three mixtures as well as unadulterated isoproterenol and the relaxation responses were recorded and compared.

At the conclusion of their study, the researchers found that tissues treated with the combination of purified ginger components and isoproterenol exhibited significantly greater relaxation than those treated only with isoproterenol; of the three ginger components, 6-shogaol appeared most effective in increasing the relaxing effects of the β-agonist.

Researchers hope that future studies can determine the relaxation benefits of the compound. 

The results for the study will be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference.