Centuries-old ginger extract suppressed cancer cell growth

If you were to visit Indonesia, and especially if you had the chance to visit an Indonesian home, you’d likely be offered a delicious, sweet, healthy drink called jamu.

Jamu is an herbal tincture that originated in Java’s royal courts more than 1,300 years ago. It is known throughout Indonesia for its positive effects on digestion, as an anti-inflammatory, and as an immune system booster.

Later, I’ll share the easy home recipe for this drink made of simple ingredients, rich both in history and health benefits.

But first, I want to tell you about research into one of the ingredients of jamu that has potential to be a cancer-killing bullet…

Kencur ginger may keep cancer cells from spreading

Previous research had already discovered Kencur ginger’s ability to fragment the nuclei of cancer cells, reducing their survival rate. But the mechanism was not known, until now…

Prof. Akiko Kojima of Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan and her colleagues demonstrated it was Kencur ginger’s main active component, ethyl p-methoxycinnamate (EMC), that significantly suppressed cancer cell growth at the cellular and animal levels. 

“EMC also decreases the expression of TFAM, a regulator of mitochondrial function that is closely associated with cancer cell proliferation,” she says.

The reduced expression of TFAM, induced by EMC, might inhibit cancer cell proliferation by regulating the expression of the nuclear genes cyclin D1 and p21, which cause cancer.

“Our results indicated that low-dose EMC (100 μM) suppressed cell proliferation without inducing apoptosis [cell death] and could safely provide anti-cancer effects,” the researchers add.

Prof. Kojima and her colleagues are proud to emphasize the breakthrough nature of their research.

“To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report that the natural compound-induced decrease in TFAM expression correlates with the expression levels of cyclin D1 and p21.”

How to make jamu at home

Here is a short video where Prof. Kojima and graduate student Yutaro Sasaki, the study’s lead author, talks about the health benefits and ingredients of jamu.

If you click on “transcript” you can read that the drink is made with orange juice, but first kencur ginger and turmeric are cut into small pieces and boiled in water to which a little sugar is added. After cooling, that is added to orange juice.

The researchers caution that further studies — including clinical trials —  are required to confirm that Kencur’s bioactive compounds have the same anti-cancer effects in human patients.

Kencur is a special type of ginger that may not be readily available in the U.S. But ginger root in general is both delicious and beneficial. In fact, ginger and its active components, including 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol, are believed to exert anticancer activities against several gastrointestinal cancers.

Ginger tea or ginger chews are considered soothing treats for stomach upset as well.

A traditional ginger drink that was popular among American colonists in the 17^th and 18^th centuries is called switchel. It was considered a great refresher while working the fields.  In addition to helping to hydrate, switchel is believed to provide an energy boost and kick-start your immune system.

Apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and fresh ginger are the three ingredients.

Here, my colleague Jenny Smiechowski tells you exactly how to make switchel at home for pennies.

Sources:

Kencur Ginger’s Anti-Cancer Effects Revealed Technology Networks Biopharma

New study reveals anti-cancer properties in Kencur ginger Medical Express

Kaempferia galanga L. extract and its main component, ethyl p-methoxycinnamate, inhibit the proliferation of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells by suppressing TFAM expression Heliyon