Today’s episode epitomizes the phrase “food as medicine” and builds the most wonderful bridge between natural and allopathic medicine. When those forces combine, such radical positive change can happen.
We’re discussing new research pointing to a compound in dried ginger that is 10,000 times more effective at killing cancer stem cells than chemotherapy.
Here to talk about it with me is Dr. Rajesh Grover, an Assistant Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology and an Immunologist at Scripps Research Institute.
Raj and I became friends a few years ago, both sharing a passion for preventative care so when he reached out about teaming up on this topic, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.
In this episode, he explains that cancer is not just bad luck.
“A landmark study published in the January 2016 issue of Nature Magazinehighlights the contribution of external factors (almost 70% including diet, tobacco, and environmental factors) to Cancer.
1/3 of all cancers are diet-related (see appendix below).
The remaining 10 -30 % are due to mutations.”
One of our biggest problems with cancer is not the cancer itself, but the relapse rate or reoccurrence.
This relapse means that the cancer comes back even when you get rid of the tumor mass.
The reason it comes back is that cancer consists of 2 kinds of cells:
1: Cancer Cells (99%)
These are uncontrolled fast-growing cells that are the offspring of cancer stem cells.
2: Cancer Stem Cells (0.2 to 1%)
Cancer stem cells are “the mother” of cancer cells which is why killing them is essential to eliminate the root source to prevent reoccurrence.
Chemotherapy kills cancer cells and which destroys tumors but the relapse depends on the much smaller, yet often more powerful minority of cancer stem cells (0.2 to 1%).
Again, they are the root cause of the cancer and chemotherapy does not kill these cells.
Enter Ginger
Many clinical trials have been done to evaluate the health benefits of ginger in different diseases and it is concluded that ginger can be used for Chemoprevention, meaning used to treat a precancerous condition or used as prevention to keep cancer from starting.
The most abundant compound in ginger is 6-gingerol. It is safe and efficacious in preventing cancer meaning could be used to treat a precancerous condition.
However, you’ll want to consume dried ginger over fresh because when you dehydrate fresh ginger into powder, gingerols are converted into compounds called shogaols (the Japanese name for ginger).
6-Shogaol specifically is the most potent compound for killing cancer stem cells. Fresh ginger contains much less 6-Shogaol.
A recent breakthrough study found that 6-Shogaol; the active component of driedginger is 10,000x more effective than traditional chemotherapy for breast cancer research model.
When tested, it kills cancer cells more effectively (which traditional chemotherapy can also kill), but the difference is that it can also kill cancer stem cells, (where traditional chemo is not effective) without adversely affecting healthy tissue.
According to Dr. Grover, ginger has been tested on different kinds of cancers including breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancer with a very positive outcome.
One of the clinical trials on colon cancer revealed the safe dose of ginger, because everything, even natural substances, can be toxic at high doses.
Consumption of dried ginger is safe and effective at a dose between 100mg – 2 grams/day.
So what does that look like for your everyday meals?
This is equivalent to 1/2 -1 teaspoon of dried ginger daily on and in your food and drink.
For example, use 1 teaspoon mixed in hot water with a squeeze of lemon for homemade ginger tea.
Heat up coconut oil, ghee, or butter and blend in one teaspoon of dried ginger into the oil before pan searing veggies, fish or chicken.
Mix ½ teaspoon into salad dressings or top your rice with dried ginger or blend it with your broth into a soup.
One bottle of dried ginger contains around 46 grams, which means it will last you anywhere 23-80 days. It can be found at any health food store.
We suggest purchasing an organic brand likely Simply Organic or Spicely because you’ll want to ensure it hasn’t been heated above 85 degrees Fahrenheit so that it retains its potency.
The cost is around $6/bottle (for organic), which means anyone can consume this cancer-fighting compound on a regular basis. We all have stressed cells in our body that can turn into cancer so this is a most powerful prevention on a daily basis.
References and Appendix:
Extrinsic Factors
Recent research has highlighted a strong correlation between tissue-specific cancer risk and the lifetime number of tissue-specific stem-cell divisions. Whether such correlation implies a high unavoidable intrinsic cancer risk has become a key public health debate with the dissemination of the ‘bad luck' hypothesis. Here we provide evidence that intrinsic risk factors contribute only modestly (less than ~10-30% of lifetime risk) to cancer development. First, we demonstrate that the correlation between stem-cell division and cancer risk does not distinguish between the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We then show that intrinsic risk is better estimated by the lower bound risk controlling for total stem-cell divisions. Finally, we show that the rates of endogenous mutation accumulation by intrinsic processes are not sufficient to account for the observed cancer risks. Collectively, we conclude that cancer risk is heavily influenced by extrinsic factors. These results are important for strategizing cancer prevention, research and public health.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26675728
1/3 of all cancers are diet-related
The evidence indicates that of all cancer-related deaths, almost 25–30% are due to tobacco, as many as 30–35% are linked to diet, about 15–20% are due to infections, and the remaining percentage are due to other factors like radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental pollutants, etc.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18626751
Cancer Stem Cells
http://www.mcancer.org/research/stem-cells
6-Shogaol as a potent anti-cancer agent
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26355461
http://healthimpactnews.com/2015/ginger-10000x-stronger-than-chemo-taxol-in-cancer-research-model
Gingerol and Shogaol
The most abundant gingerol found in ginger is 6-gingerol, but there are also smaller quantities of analogs such as 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol. All gingerol compounds have a similar structure and behave very similarly in the body, but their potency can vary slightly.
6-Shogaol, a dehydrated form of 6-gingerol, is a minor component in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and has recently been reported to have more potent bioactivity than 6-gingerol. Taken together, the current study shows for the first time that a maximized production of 6-shogaol can be achieved during practical drying and extraction process of ginger by increasing both drying and extracting temperatures.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=10.3746%2Fpnf.2012.17.2.166
6-Shogaol has exhibited the most potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can be attributed to the presence of alpha, beta-unsaturated ketone moiety. The carbon chain length has also played a significant role in making 10-gingerol as the most potent among all the gingerols. This study justifies the use of dry ginger in traditional systems of medicine.
I am a Phase 4 tubular prostate cancer patient. For the past month I drink honeyed ginger tea plus I add about a quarter teaspoon of ginger powder. Three times a day. I am very positive it will help as a second line treatment.
You’re positive attitude is contagious, Thinus! We’re sending you lots of good energy for a full recovery. Thank you for being part of our tribe!
Thank you for including safe daily dosage, which most sites neglect, along with info on the most effective form of ginger. Your article is well written, and answered all my questions.
Have to use it everday?
We all have stressed cells in our body that can turn into cancer so this is a most powerful prevention on a daily basis.
Thanks a lot!
I have been diagnose with breat cancer just to weeks back pls I want to put a trier to this. How do I purchase it. Which country is this from.
Hi Sally, We are sorry to hear about your diagnosis. You can purchase dried ginger in the spice section of your local grocery store. Please also check out Christa’s blog segment on ways you can detoxify the breasts naturally. http://thewholejourney.com/4-ways-to-naturally-detoxify-the-breasts/. We wish many blessings for a full and speedy recovery.
Is dried ginger effective if I dry it myself using my Excalibur food dehydrator? I would first peak it and then run it thru my vitamix with a bit of filtered water to make a paste. Then spread the paste out on parchment on the dehydrator shelf and run the dehydrator to dry the puréed ginger into dry sheets.
If that is acceptable, are the fibers essential or may I leave them behind, since they cling to the vitamix blades?
Thanks very much for this article. We love ginger. I make a ginger jam with equal parts water, ginger and sugar (often I also add a bit of vanilla extract) all of which is puréed together in my vitamix and then simmered down to a spreadable thickness for raisin bread toast with home made nut butter or for topping on our oatmeal. We eat a lot of it!
I don’t suppose you could say if my ginger jam might qualify as a cancer fighting agent??? It is not technically “dried”, but it is heated on my stovetop and “reduced” by at least one third, along with the added sugar and water.
My apologies for the “peak” typo. I meant “peel it”
Hi Bonnie, Sugar feeds cancer so the ginger jam doesn’t qualify as a cancer fighting food. We can’t speak to whether or not your ginger drying process is comparable, but that’s great that you make your own. We do suggest purchasing an organic brand likely Simply Organic or Spicely because you’ll want to ensure it hasn’t been heated above 85 degrees Fahrenheit so that it retains its potency.The links to these spices are in the blog.
Hi Christa- Thanks for this information. My mom had breast cancer and my dad is suffering from lung cancer. Would be great for our whole family. I thought I heard you mention that cooking with it or consuming it after it is heated brings out the nutritional properties? Is that correct? Because it would be easier for me to consume in a capsule since I don’t care for ginger anything. Design for Health says it contains 5% gingerol (is that low?). What should we be looking for in a capsule?
Thank you again – you are awesome! – Diane
Hi Christa! GREAT info! What are your thoughts on mixing it into your daily moisturizer to put on your skin? My dad has skin cancer that keeps popping up in new areas. I thought it might be worth a try. He really doesn’t like the taste. Thanks for your help!
-your GT5 groupie, Lori
Hey Lori! I don’t think it would have the same effect putting it in moisturizer on your skin BUT I could be wrong. Would have to research that further. Too bad they don’t make a tasteless ginger like they do an odorless garlic.
Christa, thanks so much for this great information. My dearest friend is suffering with pancreatic cancer, advanced—and I shared this article with him but he said, “Well, it’s not for pancreatic cancer.”
I started to explain that I think it might be helpful with any cancer. Do you think that’s true?
Thanks for your great work…
Hi Jake,
I’m sorry about your friend. Pancreatic cancer is so tough. Ginger has mainly only been studied on prostate, colon, and breast cancer but that does not mean it wouldn’t also be beneficial for pancreatic cancer along with an integrative approach. Wishing your friend the best.
1tsp in hot water w/lemon is barely palatable, very hard to get down ? . May have to make weaker next time and work on acquiring a taste for it. Anyone have a better idea?
Christina, how about half a teaspoon or 1/4 teaspoon that way, 1/4 mixed in yogurt and the other half cooked in ghee or butter or coconut oil with a meal? That’s how I do it.
I just made a tea with 1 teaspoon of ginger (could do 1/2) and one Numi Amber Tumeric Tea bag and 1/2 teaspoon of local honey (since it is allergy season here). Yumm!!
I am curious about taking it via capsule, as well.
Certainly Anna, you can take it in capsule form.
Is it as effective to take the dried ginger in capsules or could you just encapsulate dried ginger yourself if you don’t prefer ginger?
Sure Carrie. You can take it in capsule form. I believe Designs for Health makes a high quality ginger supplement.
What about essential oils? I have ginger oil (CPTG) Pure Therapeutic Grade. It has no other fillers. Can I use that or is it not as potent as dried ginger (Zingiber officinale).
I would have to research this. As far as I know there haven’t been any studies on the oil, Justine.
Does putting the dried ginger in hot water which is above 85 degrees impact its efficacy?
No it doesn’t. It’s just the drying process/heat that affects potency. You should be safe to put it in hot water with lemon.