Antibacterial Activity of Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Rosc.) Rhizome: A Mini Review

Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale), is a famous plant product consumed as a spice as well as many uses in food industries and traditional medicine. Numerous studies have been conducted on its antibacterial potential, which showed varied results. The objective of the current mini-review is to highlight the antibacterial propereties of ginger rhizome, based on the published data. It was found that, out of 40 published papers on the antibacterial properties of ginger rhizome, 2 reported negative results, while 38 exhibited positive results against all or some of the tested bacteria. Even though, most of the positive results were not a competitor to the tested antibiotics (as positive controls). However, there were wide differences and contradictions between the positive results themselves even against the same bacterial species, indicating that the efficacy of this plant product is greatly affected by many reasons such as the method of extraction, antibacterial assay conditions, genetic variations among bacterial strains and its sources. Also, the source of plant sample is an important factor, since plants affected by geographic variations, environmental conditions and physiological factors which influence its bioactive phytochemical compounds. Accordingly, this mini-review suggests that the antibacterial properties of ginger rhizome have yet to be adequately explored using advanced multidisciplinary approach (in vitro and in vivo).