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Ginger, the common spice has been acknowledged as a healing agent with ability to combat number of diseases and conditions. A new study clams that the herb might have powers to regulate blood sugar diabetic patients.

The study by University of Sydney reveals that using muscle cells, ginger can control blood glucose.  According to lead researcher Basil Roufogalis, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, ginger extracts obtained from Buderim Ginger were able to increase the uptake of glucose into muscle cells independently of insulin. 

"This assists in the management of high levels of blood sugar that create complications for long-term diabetic patients, and may allow cells to operate independently of insulin," says Roufogalis. 

"The components responsible for the increase in glucose were gingerols, the major phenolic components of the ginger rhizome."

"Under normal conditions, blood glucose level is strictly maintained within a narrow range, and skeletal muscle is a major site of glucose clearance in the body," he added. 

Analysis by colleagues in the University's Faculty of Pharmacy Dr Colin Duke and Dr Van Tran showed that one fraction of the whole ginger rhizomes extracted from Buderim Ginger was rich in gingerols.

How ginerols worked towards increasing glucose uptakes

Gingerols increases the surface distribution of the protein GLUT4, which localizes on the surface of muscle cells and allows transport of glucose into cells.

In patients with Type 2 diabetes, the capacity of skeletal muscle to uptake glucose is markedly reduced due to impaired insulin signal transduction and inefficiency of the GLUT4, Medical Xpress reported. 

"It is hoped that these promising results for managing blood glucose levels can be examined further in human clinical trials," said Professor Roufogalis.

The study was published in the natural product journal Planta Medica.