The safety of a ginger extract in the rat

In three different studies on rats, the effects of a patented standardised ginger extract, EV.EXT(TM) 33, on blood glucose, blood coagulation, blood pressure and heart rate were investigated. EV.EXT(TM) 33 had no significant effect on blood glucose levels at the doses used. It also had no significant effects on coagulation parameters or on Warfarin-induced changes in blood coagulation, indicating that it did not interact with Warfarin. EV.EXT(TM) 33 neither decreases systolic blood pressure nor increases heart rate in the rat. As also seen from the literature, ginger is thus pharmacologically safe regarding the investigated aspects. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.