Ginger

Other Names:

Black Ginger, Shen-jiang, Ardraka, Chiang, Gan-jiang, Nagara, Sunthi

• Antioxidant
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antitumor
• Anthelmintic
• Gastroprotective
• Immunity

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is an important crop that is widely used as a spice and in traditional medicine to treat a wide range of ailments. The root is what contains the bioactive compounds responsible for its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds consist of shogaol, ginger-diol, gingerdione, and gingerols.

The Chemistry of Ginger Infographic by CompoundChem.com

Specific applications studied in chickens include:

• Gastrointestinal health: Ginger root extract has been shown to reduce intestinal oxidative stress and enhance intestinal mucosal development in chicks. It helps neutralize free radicals, activates antioxidant enzymes, mitigates inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory pathways and enzymes,
  and promotes digestion through enzyme stimulation and gastroprotective effects. Ginger was found to stimulate appetite.
• Egg quality:
  Adding 10-15 g/kg of supplemental ginger root powder to the diet of laying hens was shown to improve laying performance and serum egg yolk antioxidant status and enhance dietary oxidation stability.

1. EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) et al.. "Safety and efficacy of essential oil, oleoresin and tincture from Zingiber officinale Roscoe when used as sensory additives in feed for all animal species " EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority vol. 18,6 (2020)
2. Mountzouris, Konstantinos C et al.. "Priming of intestinal cytoprotective genes and antioxidant capacity by dietary phytogenic inclusion in broilers " Animal nutrition (Zhongguo xu mu shou yi xue hui) vol. 6,3 (2020)
3. Abd El-Hack, Mohamed E et al.. "Ginger and Its Derivatives as Promising Alternatives to Antibiotics in Poultry Feed " Animals (2020)
4. Ibtisham, Fahar et al.. "The effect of ginger powder and Chinese herbal medicine on production performance, serum metabolites and antioxidant status of laying hens under heat-stress condition " Journal of thermal biology vol. 81 (2019)
5. Qorbanpour, Mehdi et al.. "Effect of Dietary Ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and Multi-Strain Probiotic on Growth and Carcass Traits, Blood Biochemistry, Immune Responses and Intestinal Microflora in Broiler Chickens " Animals (2018)
6. Karangiya VK, Savsani HH, Patil SS, Garg DD, Murthy KS, Ribadiya NK, Vekariya SJ.. "Effect of dietary supplementation of garlic, ginger and their combination on feed intake, growth performance and economics in commercial broilers." Vet World. (2016)
7. medicinalherbinfo.org. "Ginger" Medicinal Herb Info Website (2016)
8. El-Bahy NM, Bazh EK.. "Anthelmintic activity of ginger, curcumin, and praziquentel against Raillietina cesticillus (in vitro and in vivo)." Parasitol Res. (2015)
9. S Sierralupe, C Hunter.. "Ginger: King of Stomachaches, Nausea, and Inflammation" The Practical Herbalist (2015)
10. Habibi R, Sadeghi G, Karimi A.. "Effect of different concentrations of ginger root powder and its essential oil on growth performance, serum metabolites and antioxidant status in broiler chicks under heat stress." Br Poult Sci. (2014)
11. Akhlaghi A, Ahangari YJ, Navidshad B, Pirsaraei ZA, Zhandi M, Deldar H, Rezvani MR, Dadpasand M, Hashemi SR, Poureslami . "Improvements in semen quality, sperm fatty acids, and reproductive performance in aged Cobb 500 breeder roosters fed diets containing dried ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale)." Poult Sci. (2014)
12. Bazh EK, El-Bahy NM.. "In vitro and in vivo screening of anthelmintic activity of ginger and curcumin on Ascaridia galli." Parasitol Res. (2013)
13. Zhao X, Yang ZB, Yang WR, Wang Y, Jiang SZ, Zhang GG.. "Effects of ginger root (Zingiber officinale) on laying performance and antioxidant status of laying hens and on dietary oxidation stability." Poult Sci. (2011)
14. Incharoen T, Yamauchi K, Thongwittaya N.. "Intestinal villus histological alterations in broilers fed dietary dried fermented ginger." J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (2010)
15. Zhang GF, Yang ZB, Wang Y, Yang WR, Jiang SZ, Gai GS.. "Effects of ginger root (Zingiber officinale) processed to different particle sizes on growth performance, antioxidant status, and serum metabolites of broiler chickens." Poult Sci. (2009)