Arthritis is one of the most common diseases, which affects up to 20 percent (%) of human population. It goes without saying that living with sympthoms of can be very difficult. Luckily, there are ways to deal with the pain and stiffness caused by this disease.

While most sufferers use prescription-based medicine to get a relief from arthritis symptoms, there are others who use natural arthritis pain relievers. This is because natural treatments generally have way less side-effects than pharmaceutically produced drugs.

Ginger is one of these natural arthritis pain remedies. Read this article if you would like to find out how ginger helps treat arthritis symptoms naturally.

What is ginger and how can it help with arthritis?

Ginger (root) is basically an underground part of the natural plant known as Zingiber officinale. While this herb does originate from Asia, it is nowadays being cultivated almost everywhere.

People in asian countries have actually been using ginger as a spice and as a natural remedy for all sorts of health issues for more than a thousand years.

The main reason why ginger has proven itself to be very effective in treating various diseases are the ingredients that you can find in this herbal plant. Ginger contains hundreds and hundreds of different health promoting vitamins and minerals.

But when it comes to getting relief from arthritis symptoms like pain and stiffness, the most important substance that can be found in ginger are so called gingerols.

These oily compounds are especially beneficial for sufferers from osteoarthritis (as well as rheumatoid arthritis) because they act as natural anti-inflammatories. If you're suffering from any of these two types of arthritis, you may want to give ginger a try.

The fact that ginger can help relieve arthritis symptoms to a certain degree was also confirmed in a recent study…

Osteoarthritis sufferers with pain in their knee were taking ginger extract two times per day. Most of them were satisfied with the results at the end of the study. And some of them were even able to cut down on prescription (NSAID) drugs!

How to treat arthritis symptoms with ginger?

There are many ways to use ginger and benefit from its natural anti-inflammatory abilities.

In case you have access to fresh ginger roots, you can make tea out of it. All you need to do is chop the herb into small pieces and wait for them to dry out. Then put these dry chunks into the hot water and drink it.

You can also get ginger in form of a powder, extract, tinture and pills. If you don't like the taste of this herb, you can also use it topically as an oil. In this case, rub the oil into the joint that is causing you pain.

Take (or apply) ginger twice per day for best results. Just make sure not to take more than 4 (four) grams per day as that can cause negative side-effects.

Should you use ginger to treat arthritis symptoms?

Ginger root is an excellent alternative to prescription drugs because it has no side-effects when you consume it in the right amount. In addition, this herb also helps prevent and treat many other health problems as well.

However, it is hard to tell if ginger will actually help you treat arthritis symptoms. The only way to find that out is to try it for yourself.

In case you're currently taking any prescription drugs, it would be best to discuss the use of ginger with your doctor before you actually start taking it. This is because Ginger can interfere with certain prescription-based drugs.