Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
        
(Message started by: floridian on Jan 5^th, 2005, 3:02pm)

Title: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by floridian on Jan 5^th, 2005, 3:02pm

Ginger is found to be a calcium channel blocker. Could there be an interaction between ginger and Verapamil? Not sure, but you may want to be careful if you take verap or any other calcium channel blocker.

Ginger is a traditional treatment for migraines that many swear by, although it's effectiveness has not been rigorously tested. It also affects Substance P.

Quote:

J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2005 Jan;45(1):74-80.

Ginger lowers blood pressure through blockade of voltage-dependent calcium channels.

Ghayur MN, Gilani AH.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), a well-known spice plant, has been used traditionally in a wide variety of ailments including hypertension. We report here the cardiovascular effects of ginger under controlled experimental conditions. The crude extract of ginger (Zo.Cr) induced a dose-dependent (0.3-3 mg/kg) fall in the arterial blood pressure of anesthetized rats. In guinea pig paired atria, Zo.Cr exhibited a cardiodepressant activity on the rate and force of spontaneous contractions. In rabbit thoracic aorta preparation, Zo.Cr relaxed the phenylephrine-induced vascular contraction at a dose 10 times higher than that required against K (80 mM)-induced contraction. Ca channel-blocking (CCB) activity was confirmed when Zo.Cr shifted the Ca dose-response curves to the right similar to the effect of verapamil. It also inhibited the phenylephrine (1 muM) control peaks in normal-Ca and Ca-free solution, indicating that it acts at both the membrane-bound and the intracellular Ca channels. When tested in endothelium-intact rat aorta, it again relaxed the K-induced contraction at a dose 14 times less than that required for relaxing the PE-induced contraction. The vasodilator effect of Zo.Cr was endothelium-independent because it was not blocked by L-NAME (0.1 mM) or atropine (1 muM) and also was reproduced in the endothelium-denuded preparations at the same dose range. These data indicate that the blood pressure-lowering effect of ginger is mediated through blockade of voltage-dependent calcium channels.

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by nani on Jan 5^th, 2005, 3:20pm

Do you think that's an issue with ginger in your diet? Or just ginger supplements? I use ginger in cooking a lot. I'm not worried for me though. My 360 mgs of Verap serve only to keep my blood pressure in "normal" range. :-/

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by floridian on Jan 5^th, 2005, 3:26pm

I would think its not a problem if both the verap and ginger in the diet are constant and your pulse and b.p. are ok.

Problems would be possible if one suddenly increased the amount of ginger - this is just theoretical, not sure about the dose of ginger needed, but thought y'all might want to keep an eye on this. The amount of ginger in a good Thai curry can be on par with a capsule or two of the dried stuff.

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by nani on Jan 5^th, 2005, 3:34pm

Thanks for the info... :)

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by Kris_in_SJ on Jan 5^th, 2005, 8:11pm

Interesting article, Floridian.

I rarely worry about my B/P on Verapamil since I have hypertension. But one of my primary menopause difficulties has been dizziness (much like sea-sickness). The recommended natural remedy for that is Ginger. When in the throes, I drop 2-4 tabs of the stuff a day. Works wonders for the dizziness, but I never thought about what it might be doing to my B/P.

In my case it was probably helping - but others need to be aware. Thanks.

Kris

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by vig on Jan 7^th, 2005, 1:04pm

They make this super strong hot ginger ale down here.
I love it.
Blenheim's
http://theacf.com/blenheim/

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by floridian on Jan 7^th, 2005, 2:02pm

Yeah, Blennums hot, aright. They bottle it near South of the Border.

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by vig on Jan 7^th, 2005, 2:23pm

Hamer, SC

Title: Re: Ginger / Ca++ Channels / Verapamil Interaction
Post by pam s on Jan 17^th, 2005, 1:55pm

Ginger is also an anti-inflammatory. I have used it when my arteries get tender/swollen -- the kind of low-grade shadowing that I will get periodically between episodes -- and it seems to work.