Ginger compounds can help relieve asthma in breathing, scientists from Columbia University have found, whose work was presented at the international conference of the American Thoracic Society (American Thoracic Society) in Philadelphia.

Asthma is characterized by constriction of the bronchioles, which carry air to and from the lungs.. The most common asthma medications called beta-agonists aim to relax the smooth muscles of the airway walls..

“Asthma has become more and more widespread in recent years, but despite the understanding of its nature and mechanisms of development, over the past 40 years, only a few drugs have been found that can alleviate the symptoms of this disease.. In our study, we show that purified components of ginger can work in conjunction with beta-agonists to relax airway muscles,” says Dr. Elizabeth Townsend, in the Department of Anesthesiology at Columbia University..

Researchers studied samples of airway tissue by exposing them to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that causes bronchospasm.. The scientists then mixed the beta-agonist isoproterenol with three separate components of ginger: 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, or 6-shogaol..

All tissue samples were exposed to each of the three mixtures, the muscle relaxation response was recorded for comparison.. The combination of ginger components with a traditional medicine gave a better effect than using the drug alone. Of the three components of ginger, the third showed the best results..

“By understanding the mechanisms by which ginger compounds affect the respiratory tract, we can use this knowledge for therapeutic methods to relieve asthma symptoms,” the authors note..

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