What is ginger?

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant within the ginger family that forms rhizomes growing underground. These rhizomes allow the plant to store nutrients and overwinter in the soil. Therefore, it is not surprising that the rhizome contains a lot of nutrients and secondary plant compounds. Ginger originated in South Asia and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic healing for over 2,500 years. The rhizome contains a whole range of substances, which in their entirety are responsible not only for the pungent ginger taste, but also for the therapeutic potential of ginger. These are the phenolic compounds gingerol, shogaol, paradol and zingiberene. In Ayurveda, a basic distinction is made between dried ginger (“shunthi”) and fresh ginger (“ardraka”), as the composition of active ingredients can differ greatly. Gingerols are converted into shogaols by heat and aging, while paradols are formed from shogaols by hydrogenation.

Traditionally, the rhizome of the plant is used, among other things, to relieve arthritis, muscle pain, sore throat, nausea, indigestion and to reduce fever. Also, in modern medicine, ginger is valued as an effective remedy for flatulence and as a stimulant for the gastrointestinal tract, since the active ingredients from the ginger rhizome can promote the motility of the digestive system.
In recent years, a great deal of studies have been published using ginger extracts or isolated active compounds from the ginger rhizome. Many of these studies show that ginger can indeed have positive effects on the human body. For example, studies have shown that ginger can have a positive effect on the immune system, blood sugar levels and blood lipid levels. In addition, ginger seems to have anti-inflammatory properties, can relieve the symptoms of migraines, reduce nausea and weaken menstrual pain.

Bioavailability

Active ingredients from medicinal plants have very low water solubility. Such substances can be absorbed extremely poorly by our body into the systemic bloodstream. Therefore, very high doses of extracts from medicinal plants are often used in clinical studies in order to achieve therapeutic effects. In addition, the extracts are usually in a form enriched with active ingredients, or directly isolated active ingredients are used in high doses. Simple dietary supplements normally have too low a concentration of active ingredients to achieve any significant physiological effect. Why is this so? It is not uncommon for the active ingredients contained in medicinal plants to be subject to numerous “absorption barriers”, as a result of which 95–99 percent of the active substances taken perorally cannot reach the systemic bloodstream. Highly fat-soluble active ingredients distribute very poorly on the absorptive surface of the small intestine, which greatly reduces the likelihood of their absorption. Another factor contributing to the low uptake of such compounds is the “first-pass effect” of the liver. Enzymes are secreted in the liver that recognize and break down such fat-soluble compounds. This is a protective function of our body to keep potentially dangerous substances from entering the systemic bloodstream. In addition, many active ingredients are very unstable in the acidic environment of the stomach and are already eliminated during stomach passage. The percentage of an active ingredient that can be absorbed into the systemic bloodstream in its unchanged, biologically active form is referred to as being “bioavailable”. The bioavailability of curcumin, for example, is only about 0.5 percent, which means that correspondingly high doses must be taken for a therapeutic effect.

For this reason, Jala-Life goes the “water-soluble route”! We enclose high-quality plant extracts in water-soluble transporters. In this form, the active ingredients contained in the extract can be quickly and efficiently absorbed by the body. We achieve this without the use of piperine, synthetic additives or other questionable absorption enhancers. Our water-soluble transporter system releases 95–99 percent of the ingested active ingredients into the systemic bloodstream of the body, where they can act unhindered. This system also enables the intake of even very small doses to be completely sufficient, which does not unnecessarily burden the body with constant degradation processes.

Jala-Life Premium Ginger compared to conventional capsules, tablets or powders:

Why zinc?

Zinc is an invisible trace element, as it is involved in a variety of metabolic processes in our body. For example, zinc is involved in the formation of thyroid and sex hormones, promotes muscle development and plays an essential role in the functioning of the immune system. An undersupply of zinc can lead to decreased performance, reduced libido and increased susceptibility to infections.
Ginger and zinc may actually have a synergistic effect, especially when it comes to strengthening the immune system. Both ginger and zinc are known to boost the immune system. Ginger contains natural anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants, while zinc is essential for normal immune system function. The combination of ginger and zinc can help strengthen the body’s defenses and inhibit inflammatory responses.
In addition, ginger is traditionally used to relieve digestive problems, as active ingredients from ginger can aid digestion. Zinc also plays an important role in maintaining a healthy digestive system, which is why the combination of ginger and zinc can synergistically help to support digestion and alleviate possible digestive disorders.

Zinc contributes to

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