26/07/2025
After thyroid hormone replacement therapy, approximately 15% of patients remain symptomatic despite achieving normal serum TSH levels. The pathophysiology of persistent hypothyroid symptoms despite adequate hormone replacement therapy is not well understood. Ginger has long been used in traditional medicines as a hot remedy for the treatment of cold temperament symptoms and signs such as tiredness, constipation, obesity and menstrual irregularities. Since these are quite like hypothyroid symptoms, scientists in Iran aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ginger in relieving such persistent symptoms in treated hypothyroid patients.
In this randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 60 overt hypothyroid patients on hormone replacement therapy aged 20 to 60 years and with normal serum TSH concentrations were randomly allocated to ginger (500 mg twice a day of dried powder) or placebo for 30 days. Hypothyroid symptoms were evaluated as the primary outcome using the Thyroid Symptom Rating Questionnaire (ThySRQ) before and after the intervention. Anthropometric measures and laboratory indices including TSH, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TChol), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were assessed as secondary outcomes.
A significant lower mean total ThySRQ score (8.63 ± 5.47 vs. 15.76 ± 6.09, P < 0.001) was observed in the ginger group compared to the control group. Ginger led to significant improvements in the mean scores of the weight gain, cold intolerance, constipation, dry skin, appetite, memory loss, concentration disturbance and feeling giddy or dizzy domains (P < 0.001). However, no significant improvements were observed for hair loss, nail fragility, hearing, hoarseness, speech, and depression or feeling down (P > 0.05).
Ginger also led to a significant decreases in body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, serum TSH, FBS, TG, and TChol levels compared to the placebo. Generally, these changes were of a magnitude that is clinically relevant. For example, TSH fell by an average of 0.89 in the ginger group versus an increase of 0.95 in the placebo group. Similarly, body weight fell by an average of 2.43 Kg for ginger versus an increase of 1.12 Kg for placebo.
For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35096113/
