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  Background & objectives : Helicobacter pylori is considered as an important factor in chronic gastritis , peptic and duodenal ulcer, also probably in adenocarcinoma of distal stomach. H. Pylori infection can be led to chronic ulcers and ultimately to atrophy and stomach metaplasia. H. pylori shows an increasing resistance to the current antibiotics. For this reason the present research in which the anti bacterial effects of four food additive plants against ten strains of H. Pylori were investigated.

  Methods : The plants turmeric, ginger, clove and cardamom were selected to act against ten strains of H. Pylori. The effect of ether, ethanol and water extracts on H. Pylori specimens isolated from the patients was studied, using the agar diffusion method .

 Results: Considered water extracts for their antibacterial effects, turmeric had the most anti H. Pylori efficacy (mean of inhibitory growth zone diameter 21.5 mm). Ginger, clove and cardamom were respectively placed thereafter. Among ethanol extracts, ginger with diameter mean of 19.7 mm showed the most efficient effect as compare with turmeric and clove. Ether extracts of the mentioned plants had anti H. Pylori effects (Mean of inhibitory growth zone diameter were 19, 13, 11.1 and 10.5 mm respectively

 Conclusions: Water, ethanol and ether extracts of turmeric had higher anti H. Pylori activity. Recognition of the effective fraction 0f this plant as an efficient anti H. Pylori is further step to be investigated.

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 Background and objectives: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are the most important complications for cancer patients. Ginger is an effective herbal drug for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. It hasn’t any known side effects. In some countries, it is used for making of antiemetic drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ginger on the intensity of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients .

 Method: This study is a randomized, cross-over, double – blinded, clinical trial that was done on 44 cancer patients undergone chemotherapy. In the first cycle of the study, patients were assigned by four block random allocation to receive one of the antiemetic regimens regimen A (routine and 1gr ginger) and regimen B (routine and 1gr placebo). After 28 days, in the next cycle of chemotherapy, another regimen was administrated A or B plus chemotherapy drugs., the severity of the nausea and vomiting was measured in 4h (1, 2, 3, 4) after second dose and at the end of the 24h after receiving the first dose by using VAS and kortila tools .The data were analyzed by independent student t - test and non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U test) by using SPSS, version 16 software .

 Results: The results showed that the frequencies of nausea and vomiting in two regimen groups weren’t different, but nausea score was significantly decreased in ginger group, compared to placebo. Independent student t - test and Mann-Whitney U test also revealed a significant difference on nausea scores in 3rd and 24th hour post chemotherapy (p=0.06, p=0.01, respectively).

 Conclusion: In respect to low nausea score in ginger regimen, compared to placebo, it seems ginger using is a safe and simple method and it can be used as antiemetic drugs in patient undergoing chemotherapy

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Background & objectives: Considering the importance of liver toxicity due to drugs and toxins as a major cause of liver damage, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the combination of cinnamon and ginger extracts on serum biochemical parameters in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- intoxicated rats.
 Methods: In this experimental study, forty-two male Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups (n=6). Three control groups including normal control, combined extract control and damaged control were designated that received distilled water, a mixture of cinnamon and ginger extracts and distilled water respectively for 14 days.
 Other 4 groups were pre-treatment  groups which were treated with cinnamon (50 mg/kg/d), ginger (250 mg/kg/d), cinnamon + ginger (25+125 mg/kg/d) and silymarin (100 mg/kg/d) respectively for 14 days before being damaged by intraperitoneal injection of CCl₄ (1 ml/kg, 1:1 in olive oil). Fifty - two hours after CCl4 injection, blood sampling was performed and biochemical parameters were measured in serum of rats.
Results: The results of this study showed that the injection of CCl₄ significantly increased the ALT and AST enzymes activity ,cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL levels and decreased the blood albumin and HDL levels in damaged rats compared to the normal control group (p<0.001). However, pre-treatment with the cinnamon and ginger extracts, especially combination of extracts significantly improved these values ​​compared to the CCl₄ damage group (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The results suggest that simultaneous use of cinnamon and ginger extracts has more significant protective effects against CCl₄-induced hepatotoxicity.
 

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Background & objectives: Physical activity is one of the several factors which stimulate the secretion of growth and nerve growth factors in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 12 weeks of Pilates training and ginger consumption on serum level of BDNF and TNF-α in women with MS.
Methods: Forty women with MS were randomly selected from 85 women referred to the Welfare Office of Urmia city, in Iran, with the age range of 30-35 in the form of a pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental study design. Participants were divided into four groups including: exercise+ supplement, exercise+ placebo, ginger supplement and control group with 10 individuals in each group. The intervention groups performed Pilates exercises for 12 weeks, 3 sessions of 60 minutes every week, and the supplement groups took three ginger capsules of one gram daily. In order to analyze the data, analysis of covariance was done using SPSS-22 software.
Results: The results showed that ginger consumption combined with physical exercises increases BDNF in the intervention groups compared to the control groups, but this increase is more significant in the exercise+supplement group (p<0.05) than other groups. Also, the results showed that TNF-α level has a significant decrease in the intervention group compared to the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The results showed that ginger consumption as a non-invasive method can have a positive effect on increasing BDNF level and decreasing TNF-α level in women with MS.