It’s often cried that while eating an acne-friendly diet would be nice, it’s simply too expensive and inconvenient. Well there’s one food found in every Western supermarket which disproves this – ginger.
Ground ginger root is one of the most powerful, yet mindlessly simple foods for acne. Buy a bulk packet, and a teaspoon daily can cost just $2 monthly. If you’re addicted to acne-friendly recipes, ginger is a flavouring you can add to countless meals. You can even add ground ginger to unhealthy recipes to soften the damage, in little more than five seconds.
There’s no complexity with ginger. Tomatoes have potential with their vitamin C and lycopene, but a chance of an inflammatory reaction from the glycoalkaloids. Apples are antioxidant-rich, but occasionally cause outbreaks due to their FODMAPs. Ginger is a rare acne-friendly food with no downsides.
For a clear skin maniac, ginger is as cheap as sand, but as valuable as diamond dust.
A strong antioxidant spice
Like oregano, ginger is among the most convenient antioxidant bombshells an acne patient can deploy. The greatness is down to its high concentration, as all moisture in the raw ginger root is evaporated, leaving only the dense nutrition behind. Ginger has an ORAC score of 28,811, lower than turmeric and cinnamon, but still outstanding.
Ginger is also proven to accelerate the production of your own antioxidants. One study fed rats a daily diet consisting of 0.5-5% ginger, an easily achievable amount. After 1 month, levels of the three most important antioxidant enzymes increased: catalase by 37-94%, superoxide dismutase by 76-414%, and glutathione by 11-30%.
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Glutathione is the acne-clearing antioxidant which decreases massively during alcohol abuse. Interesting for people who can’t resist beer or wine, this study found that ginger specifically reversed the glutathione decrease caused by drinking ethanol. A human study on 43 cancer patients also found that ginger increased all three antioxidant enzymes.
The explanation may be identified too. Ginger root is especially rich in rarer antioxidants, including gingerols, paradols, zingerone and shogaols. Paradol or (6)-paradol is a phenolic antioxidant, which also appears in the closely related guinea pepper. This study treated some unfortunate rats with the toxic chemical DMBA, which caused a catastrophic decline in glutathione. However, feeding them (6)-paradol restored levels nicely.
Gingerols meanwhile, are the antioxidants which provide flavour in ginger. This study found that gingerols protected against the glutathione reduction from acetaminophen, AKA paracetamol. Glutathione depletion is the biggest reason why painkillers constantly give people acne – maybe this fate has befallen you.
Ginger combines its own plentiful antioxidants with a power to stimulate your own production.
The glorious result for acne will be stronger skin against free radicals, and a healthier tone. You can also conquer your genetics; if your skin is naturally oily, supercharging your antioxidant supplies will make it irrelevant.
A vicious inflammation slasher
Europeans have been aware of ginger for nearly 2000 years, as legendary Roman physician Galen (born 129AD) called it a “useful root” from a “barbaric land”. It’s known that Indian and Chinese medicine used the native ginger for aching joints for at least 2500 years. Today, ginger is still popular for arthritis, and this offers great hints for acne, as ginger functions by preventing the immune system from attacking joint tissue via its anti-inflammatory properties.
Firstly, we have a study where ginger had equal anti-inflammatory properties to the pharmaceutical drug indomethacin. This study fed humans 500mg of ginger for 3 months, and observed a massive drop in c-reactive protein, the most accurate biomarker used to assess bodily inflammation levels.
Back in 2015, ginger deservedly gained entry to the top 18 foods for inflammation, but since then the floodgates have opened. This 2016 study concluded that eating just one gram of ginger daily decreased c-reactive protein by 27.6% in obese men after 3 months. I usually eat 3-5 grams daily.
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This 2016 review analysed 9 different studies from decades gone by and concluded that “ginger supplementation significantly reduces serum CRP“. The unique antioxidants have their own individual experiments, including gingerols (study) and shogaols (study).
There’s also endless studies on diseases caused by inflammation, such as this study on muscle stiffness. 20 martial art fanatics were fed ginger while exercising thrice weekly, and later experienced calmer and more relaxed muscles. They ate just 3 grams each day, a small and easily achievable amount.
Consider the pain and stiffness after a hard workout. Remember how the muscle tissue feels as it slowly calms down. Your pimples will calm down and disappear in exactly the same way.
The subject of inflammation is a complex one, and ginger works by inhibiting both COX-2 and 5-lipoxygenase, two master regulators which control numerous pro-inflammatory chemicals. Different remedies act on different pro-inflammatory agents. Sweet potatoes and olive oil also dampen COX-2, whereas lavender oil inhibits neutrophils.
Regardless, eating ginger will soothe the redness and swelling of your acne.
The enemy of oiliness
Ginger is similar to cinnamon, in that it lowers bloodstream insulin and glucose, which in turn reduces sebum (oil) production. It’s less powerful, but in a good way. Cinnamon was shown to lower blood glucose by 19-28%, which is such a large drop that you might get dizzy if you’re already on a low carb diet.
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3 grams of ginger decreased fasting blood sugar by 10.5% in this 8 week study on 88 diabetic patients. A placebo group experienced an increase, of 21%. Both insulin resistance and fasting insulin were lower in the lucky ginger recipients.
How exactly does it work? Ginger’s endless antioxidants can protect individual insulin molecules, making less insulin necessary, but ginger also has a bonus compound in the form of 6-gingerol. This study found that 6-gingerol increased glucose uptake at insulin-responsive energy stores, making existing insulin more efficient.
This later study confirmed that gingerol enhanced GLUT-4, the actual protein which transports glucose from the bloodstream into muscle stores. Gingerol increased GLUT-4 activation just slightly, but significantly enhanced its transportation powers, allowing existing GLUT-4 to bind to energy store cell membranes more effectively, before storing its glucose inside.
Since GLUT-4 is activated by insulin, this extra efficiency will allow insulin levels to fall. The best part is that gingerols are extremely well absorbed in humans and accumulate rapidly in tissues (study), unlike some antioxidants such as curcumin from turmeric.
Elevated insulin is a massive cause of oily skin. Improving insulin sensitivity allows insulin to remain lower while still fulfilling its energy regulation duties. After eating potatoes, fruit, or yogurt, the natural insulin spike will be shorter and more efficient.
Best product + brain enhancement
We now arrive at a benefit which is unrelated to acne – the acquisition of intelligence.
This study fed ginger to 60 healthy middle-aged women, and after 2 months, they experienced significant improvements in memory, attention and cognitive processing abilities.
A study on mice was similarly interesting, with ginger-fed mice enjoying improved memory and learning. Ginger significantly increased nerve growth factor (NGF), which stimulates the growth of new neurons, and synaptophysin and PSD-95, two indicators of higher synapse formation. All we can do now is pray that the scientists don’t take it too far and we wake up with mice as our leaders.
This time, the brain boosting benefits are almost entirely down to the shogaols. This study found that 6-shogoal suppressed neuro-inflammation and consequently degeneration of the brain, while another study on 6-shogaol matched the ginger study almost exactly, with increases in NGF and synapse markers. During digestion in humans, 6-shogaol is broken down into 16 different metabolites; any of them could be responsible.
Any antioxidant-packed food can improve your brain health, by defending neurons and neurotransmitters against free radicals, but ginger has unique properties. Ginger could improve both your mood and your intelligence. Of course, higher intelligence does have benefits for your skin, as McDonald’s won’t be able to convince you that a big mac is the real cure for acne.
If these benefits sound enticing to you, then I’d recommend this Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Ginger. This is a bulk, 1 pound bag of powder which you can deploy however you please. This bag is official certified as organic by the USDA.
Bonus benefit 2# – higher testosterone
The greatness of easily purchasable ginger continues with a mysterious power to increase testosterone levels. It started with two rat studies (one, two) in which ginger increased both testosterone and fertility. The investigation then moved onto 75 apparently infertile men, who were fed ginger daily.
After 3 months, the moment of truth arrived: total testosterone levels increased by an average of 17.7%.
Ginger also increased the secretion of leutinising hormone by 43.2%. Leutinising hormone is a hormone regulator secreted by the pituitary gland. In men, it kick-starts the synthesis of testosterone, by signalling leydig cells in your balls to manufacture it.
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Additionally, testosterone production in that location depends on certain enzymes, and one study speculated that ginger’s antioxidants protect these vital enzymes from toxic molecules.
Testosterone is partly why acne exists in the first place, but the antioxidants in ginger will balance out the damage. All you will be left with is extra concentration, sex drive, and muscles that explode from nowhere after lifting only a pebble. Factors related to fertility improved as well: sperm mobility and sperm count, and testicular weight in the rat studies (who cares if you can barely walk).
Will topically applied ginger achieve anything?
Topical ginger is now rampantly popular, as the internet is full of recipes combining it with honey, yogurt, lemon juice or oils. Ginger’s antioxidants are definitely promising for acne, if combined with a carrier oil for penetration, but that’s the only proven property.
That said, ginger is in my top 5 natural topical treatments to keep any eye on. Why? Because its fellow spices turmeric and cinnamon turned out to have surprising powers.
Like ginger, both are very high in antioxidants and unique compounds. In 2012, topically applied cinnamon was demonstrated to significantly increase collagen levels in human skin, thanks to its signature compound cinnamaldehyde. Topical turmeric, meanwhile, has been proven to decrease sebum production by 24.76% after 3 months.
Ginger has no standout powers like these – yet. Few topical studies have been conducted at all, except a couple showing mild wound cleansing properties. With ginger’s endless unique compounds like gingerols, zingerones, shogaols and paradols, the opportunity for a completely unexpected power is huge.
The greater the rare compounds, the greater the chance of a rare power. With shogaols enhancing your brain and gingerols enhancing your glucose stores, who knows what they could do to your skin.
Conclusion
Ginger is the spice equivalent of oregano: an inexpensive acne-clearing food which can be added freely to any meal you desire.
Ginger is less nutritious for acne than turmeric, but it has the huge advantage of versatility. Turmeric is limited to curries. With ginger, there’s opportunities in yogurt, milk, tea, coffee, and many homemade recipes using acne-friendly ingredients like honey and banana flour.
Oregano is the master of savoury foods like meat, while ginger is the ruler of the sweetness realm.
If a university student whose diet consisted solely of pizza and breakfast cereal swirled ginger into his milk daily, he could see huge improvements in his skin, just from a simple trick like that. The less antioxidants you eat, the more you stand to benefit.
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Thanks for reading!
Is it a good idea to make a spice drink? To combine spices like cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, oregano together in a cup of water or milk and drink it?
As long as you’re not sensitive to milk.
i=Is there a difference between fresh and ground ginger root for acne?
There’s no difference nutritionally Mary, but ground will be much more concentrated. Plus, it’s easier to sprinkle into whichever dish you feel like.
Can we make ginger tea as well from fresh ginger root and honey or will it be ineffective because the hot water destroys antioxidants?