There are many supplements that can enhance male health and physical performance. One of them is a common spice with extremely powerful health benefits: ginger.
Today, we'll take a good look at what makes ginger an amazing natural supplement and how it may affect your testosterone.
Because yes, aside from being an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving compound, ginger is actually a testosterone booster. This makes it an excellent choice for men who want to improve their physique without resorting to artificial products.
Ginger as a Highly Beneficial Spice
Ginger is widely used all around thanks to its pungent flavor, outstanding versatility, and many uses in traditional medicine. It can be consumed fresh, cooked, dried, or powdered.
Much of ginger's health benefits come from its content of phytochemicals like gingerol, gingerdiol, shogaol, and gingerdione. All of them have scientifically confirmed potential benefits for health.
These compounds are biologically active nutrients that positively affect the human body. One possible effect includes—you guessed it—balancing hormonal levels. Testosterone levels, for example!
It’s obvious that ginger is great for your health and fitness, but it shouldn’t be written off for those benefits only. Recent studies have shown that it can boost your bodybuilding progress and physical performance.
So, how does ginger do it?
Fitness and Performance Benefits of Ginger
The bioactive compounds packed in spices like ginger aren’t just for show. They combat many unhalthy events within the body, such as indigestion and morning sickness. In short, they help to create the ideal environment for the body to perform well.
Powerful Healing Properties
Ginger’s main bioactive compound is gingerol. Studies indicate it has many potential uses and health benefits. After all, it has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties that would come in handy for anyone.
Lifestyle-based issues like diabetes and heart disease are examples of serious conditions that develop when the body can’t heal itself from harmful everyday factors (smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, etc.)
No, ginger won't make these factors less of a problem. However, it’ll combat some of their consequences (like inflammation and oxidative stress) that could cause the chronic conditions listed above.
Another threat that may be minimized by ginger consumption is the growth of cancer cells and the aging and death of healthy cells. Ginger does this by reducing the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which are chemically reactive unstable molecules that contain oxygen.
What does this have to do with fitness and performance, though? Well, antioxidants support muscle health and guard them from excess damage or strain, as seen in a study on arthritis in humans and one other study on rats.
Pain Relief for Joints and Muscles
Speaking of such studies, it may seem that ginger has more use for those suffering from arthritis and other chronic diseases, but bodybuilders and athletes have a lot to gain from this useful spice as well.
Ginger's anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties reduce joint and muscle pain that come with exercise and any physical exertion. Ginger is also a great vasodilator, which means it helps the body function properly by enhancing oxygen circulation in all organs and systems.
All these properties come together quite well. One study proves this, with more than 30 volunteers consuming 2 grams of ginger each day for 11 days and later reporting a significant reduction in muscle pain and soreness when performing biceps and elbow exercises.
Although ginger doesn’t make the pain and soreness disappear altogether, the day-to-day grind gradually becomes less painful. This can give way for harder and longer training sessions.
How Does Ginger Boost Testosterone?
But fitness and performance don’t revolve exclusively around muscle support and pain relief. An important hormone called testosterone plays a huge part in it too.
Basically, testosterone is an androgenic steroid hormone that supports the development of male traits in the body. It’s synthesized from cholesterol and regulates all the organs and tissues in the body. In men, some major effects of healthy testosterone levels include effective muscle building, fertility, libido, and a masculine appearance in general.
Research shows that ginger may affect testosterone. The question is, how?
The Ginger-Testosterone Relationship
In addition to the usual health benefits, ginger has been proven to increase sperm quality, promote fertility, and improve low testosterone levels.
In one study, scientists gave ginger to rats to find out how the spice boosts testosterone. Most likely, this effect is based on the reduction of oxidative stress, as well as the increase of luteinizing hormone (LH) and healthy cholesterol level in the testes.
Another study found that ginger increased testicular weight along with serum cholesterol and testosterone levels in healthy rats after daily intake for 8 days. Both studies used ginger rhizome powder.
Most studies on the matter have been on rats, with only one human study accessible online. In a preliminary study conducted at the Tikrit University, 75 infertile men took ginger supplements daily for three months. The results showed a 17% increase in testosterone levels and a 16% increase in sperm count.
All these studies are very promising in terms of the ginger-testosterone relationship. They have laid the groundwork for more widespread ginger use among those seeking a testosterone boost.
However, despite ginger’s reputation as a herbal medicine that comes jam-packed with health benefits, more studies on humans must be conducted in order to establish ginger’s effectiveness on the testosterone front.
In general, it’s a harmless natural supplement available all over the world.
The least it could do is make your throat feel nice due to its zesty flavor. It could also boost your sex drive, as ginger is considered one of the top natural aphrodisiacs.
Proper Dosage of Ginger
The usual dosage recommended by manufacturers and used by researchers is 2 grams daily, but this could vary between 1 to 4 grams. Ginger is usually taken as a powder or in capsules.
Ginger is widely available all around, and it's VERY affordable. For some $10 you could probably buy a supply that would last for several months. Most people take ginger supplements with a meal each day, while some split the dosage by taking one gram with breakfast and the other at dinner.
If you have a sensitive stomach, start with a lower dosage. Ginger can be a gastric irritant with side effects of mild diarrhea and heartburn.
Final Verdict
Ginger is a well-known spice with excellent health benefits, from disease fighting to muscle support to joint and pain relief. Because it’s widely available and affordable, it’s a perfect candidate for a long-term supplement that can help with fitness and performance.
Some studies reported that ginger may increase testosterone levels and sperm count. More of its effects on healthy humans have yet to be studied. Still, there’s no doubt that ginger and testosterone have a good relationship that may benefit you in the long run.
I have been impressed with this article on a WELL KNOWN medicinal compound, some of the other ones listed would not be my favourities. I was after an inflammatory and an ED fix all so I!ll see how it works out.
Bye for now,
NOEL Carey