A study by researchers from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia revealed that ginger and rosemary oil can significantly improve cholesterol levels. This finding, which was published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, was based on the results of in vivo experiments involving female albino rats.

High cholesterol levels, also called hypercholesterolemia, is a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, acute myocardial infarction, and high blood pressure.

There is an increasing number of people suffering from this metabolic problem due to unhealthy lifestyle choices, which include eating fatty foods and getting little physical activity. Moreover, health problems like polycystic ovary syndrome, diabetes, thyroid gland diseases, and kidney disease contribute to the rise in cholesterol levels.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is widely used as a food additive and a traditional remedy for diseases, including arthritis, nausea, bacterial infections, cancer, inflammatory diseases, and hyperlipidemia. These therapeutic applications can be attributed to phytochemicals like terpenes, gingerol, shagaols, zingerone, and paradol.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), which is great for enhancing the flavor of food, exhibits potent antioxidant and antiviral properties. Moreover, studies have shown that this herb can be used to treat inflammatory disorders as well as liver and kidney toxicity.

In this study, the researchers determined the ability of rosemary and ginger oil to reduce cholesterol levels in rats given a high-fat diet.

Results showed that a high-fat diet increased glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and alkaline phosphatase levels while it reduced concentrations of good cholesterol. Treatment with ginger and rosemary oil, either separately or together, modulated the changes in these parameters.

From this study, the researchers concluded that rosemary and ginger oil significantly reduce cholesterol levels. Moreover, they attributed this effect to the components found in rosemary oil, which include alpha-pinene, camphor, cineole, and borneol, as well as the compounds linalool, terpineol, borneol, and eucalyptol in ginger oil.

Source:
courtesy of NATURALNEWS

by Ellaine Castillo

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