Searching for Evidence to Support the Use of Ginger in the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
Publication: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Volume 22, Issue Number 6
Abstract
Patients with cancer frequently use dietary supplementation and herbal therapies to control symptoms of disease and adverse effects of cancer therapy. Despite the widespread use of dietary supplementation and herbal therapies in oncology, robust scientific evidence in this area is lacking. Not only do these products need to be tested in large and well-designed observational or randomized studies, but their manufacturing process must be improved to achieve higher levels of standardization in product quality. Ginger is frequently used to counteract chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and some suggestions that it might be effective against CINV come from randomized and/or crossover clinical trials. However, several limitations in the methods of these studies limit their power and generalizability. The authors are conducting a randomized, double-blind study with a large sample size and homogeneous inclusion criteria in order to evaluate the efficacy of a well-standardized ginger extract in reducing nausea in patients with cancer. The widespread use of standardized herbal therapies and natural components among patients requires that scientific and rigorous research strategies are applied in this field to guide the physicians and the patients in safer use.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Volume 22 • Issue Number 6 • June 2016
Pages: 486 - 488
PubMed: 27115042
Copyright
Copyright 2016, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
History
Published online: 17 June 2016
Published in print: June 2016
Published ahead of print: 26 April 2016
Topics
Authors
Author Disclosure Statement
Fabio Macchi is the head of Scientific and Clinical Portfolio Development at Helsinn Integrative Care, a division of Helsinn Healthcare SA, Lugano, Switzerland. For all other authors, no competing financial interests exist.
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