Pharmacotherapeutic Properties of Ginger and its use in Diseases of the Oral Cavity: A Narrative Review

Aims and objective: The traditional system of medicine has been practiced successfully in countries such as India and China, for almost 3000 years and witnessed an exponential growth in recent times. These systems deal with preparations that are derivatives of medicinal plants and are a rich source of phytonutrients. Ginger is one such herb of considerable importance. This paper primarily aims to exhaustively review the available scientific literature concerning the salutary properties of ginger and its efficacy in treating a variety of diseases of the oral cavity. Method: A review was performed based on the available scientific literature concerning the salutary properties of ginger and its efficiency in treating oral diseases. Studies conducted in the last 10 years (2005-2016) were included in the review. Moreover, a book-based and literature-based review was performed from PubMed electronic database using the keywords “properties of ginger,” “uses of ginger in dentistry,” and “ginger extract in oral diseases.” Result: Ginger has remarkable pharmacologic and physiologic actions on the human body which is thought to exert therapeutic effects. Its medicinal properties are used in the field of Medicine as well as in dentistry for the treatment of several oral lesions. Conclusion: Ginger can be used for the management of several oral diseases yet more clinical trials are required to optimize its effects.