The Antiviral Potential of Zingiber officinale (Ginger): A Comprehensive Literature Review

Abstract

Herbal medicine has gained massive popularity among researchers worldwide. The leading causes of this rapid development are lower side effects, lower prices, and higher availability of plant extracts compared to synthetic drugs. Ginger (Zingiber officinale), from the Zingiberaceae family, is one of the most commonly used and popular plants utilized as a dietary spice, herbal medicine, and food preservative. Its biologically active components, such as shogaol, paradol, zingerone, and especially gingerol, can be highly effective for the treatment of several illnesses through various anti-inflammatory, anti-neoplastic, anti-emetic, anti-oxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hyperglycaemic activities. Ginger can also be used as an antiviral agent. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the antiviral efficacy of ginger on several viruses; for instance, severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-COV-2), influenza, dengue, hepatitis, herpes, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Chikungunya virus and so on. This review summarizes the efficacy of ginger in preventing or treating several viral diseases and its mechanism of action, emphasizing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to the current high burden of disease worldwide.