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 p ressure 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 significan t 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 t he 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.