The Gastro-protective Effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in Helicobacter pylori Positive Functional Dyspepsia

Purpose: The present study aimed to assess the effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) powder supplementation on Helicobacter pylori eradication and improvement of dyspeptic symptoms in patients with H. pylori positive functional dyspepsia (FD).

Methods: During this pilot study 15 patients with H. pylori positive FD received 3 g/d ginger powder as three 1-g tablets for 4-weeks. Dyspepsia symptoms were asked before and after the intervention using a questionnaire based on the Rome III criteria. H. pylori eradication was also assessed by a non-invasive stool antigen (HpSAg) test.

Results: Ginger consumption accompanied by significant H. pylori eradication rate of 53.3% (P = 0.019) and the odds ratio (95% CI) was 8 (1.07 to 357.14). Moreover, our results showed significant changes in most of the dyspepsia symptoms after ginger supplementation.

Conclusion: According to our findings, Z. officinale can be considered as a useful complementary therapy for FD. However, due to the small number of clinical trials in this area, further welldesigned clinical trials are needed to explicitly talk about its effectiveness especially about the eradication of H. pylori.