You may have heard the expression knowledge is power.

Well, today we're gonna give you more power to control your diet and lifestyle by giving you

the facts. Welcome to the Nutrition Facts Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

Today on the show Ginger, and no, I'm not talking about a certain hair color I am talking

about that crazy-looking twisted root that brings a host of health benefits.

In our first story, an eighth of a teaspoon of ground ginger powder is tested ahead to head

against the leading drug for the alleviation of painful periods. Here's the story.

I previously described how ginger works as well as the leading drug in the treatment of migraines.

Described as one of the most common pain syndromes affecting as much as 12% of the population.

You call that common? How about menstrual cramps to plague up to 90% of younger women?

You can tell this is written by a guy because he emphasizes the absenteeism and all the lost

productivity for our nation, but it also just really hurts. So can ginger help?

A quarter teaspoon of ground ginger, ginger powder, given three times a day during the first three

days of menstruation, and pain dropped from like a seven on a scale of one to ten down to a five

whereas in the placebo group there was no significant change. Most women in the placebo group

said their symptoms stayed the same whereas those unknowingly in the ginger group said they felt

much better. A subsequent study found that even just an eighth of a teaspoon three times a day

appeared to work just as well. Dropping pain from eight to a six, but then the second month down to a

three, the alleviation of menstrual pain was more remarkable during the second month of the

intervention and they'd only been taking the ginger for four days, not the whole month,

suggesting that it might work even better if women use ginger every period.

What about the duration of pain? A quarter teaspoon of ground ginger three times a day not only

...