Osteoarthritis and Ginger and Asian spice galanga

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A 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 247 individuals with osteoarthritis of the knee evaluated a combination herbal product containing ginger and the Asian spice galanga (Alpinia galanga).⁹⁴ The results showed that participants in the ginger/galanga group improved to a significantly greater extent than those receiving placebo. However, despite news reports claiming that this study proves ginger effective for osteoarthritis, it only provides information on the effectiveness of the herbal combination. The two double-blind studies performed on ginger alone were small and produced contradictory results.^95,127 Furthermore, another study found that massage combined with the topical application of essential oils made from ginger and orange was no better than massage plus olive oil in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.¹⁹⁹

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95. Bliddal H, et al. A randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study of ginger extracts and ibuprofen in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2000;8:9-12
127. Wigler I, Grotto I, Caspi D, Yaron M. The effects of Zintona EC (a ginger extract) on symptomatic gonarthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2003;11:783-789.
199. Yip YB, Tam AC. An experimental study on the effectiveness of massage with aromatic ginger and orange essential oil for moderate-to-severe knee pain among the elderly in Hong Kong. Complement Ther Med. 2008;16:131-138.