The Effect of Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) Powder Supplement on Pain in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: a Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: There is limited evidence that ginger (Zingiber Officinale) powder consumption is effective to relieve the pain and inflammation due to special phytichemicals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ginger powder supplementation in pain improvement in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 120 outpatients with knee osteoarthritis of moderate pain. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: receiving ginger powder supplement and placebo. Ginger and placebo groups received two identical capsules per day for 12 weeks. Each capsule contained 500 mg ginger powder or starch. Pain severity was measured by VAS (Visual Analog Scale) at first and after 3 months. A responder was defined as a reduction in pain of > 1.5 cm on a visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Before intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in severity of pain. However, after ginger supplementation, pain score decreased in ginger group. After 12 weeks, Pain reduction was more significant in ginger group than placebo. Response to intervention was 88% and 14% in ginger and placebo groups, respectively. There was statistically significant difference between both groups in response to intervention (p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that ginger powder supplementation was effective in reducing pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, therefore it is recommended as a safe supplement for these patients