The Effect of Ginger Hydroalcoholic Extract on Blood Glucose in Hypothyroidism and Normal Rats

Hypothyroidism among patients with endocrine glands is the most common disease after diabetes. In hypothyroidism, the secretion of the hormone that regulates the metabolism is reduced. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hydro-alcoholic ginger extract as the drug to increase the metabolism on the amount of glucose in normal and hypothyroidism rats.

To perform this test, 60 male Wistar rats were divided into six groups, and the control group did not receive any material. The controls received 0.1 mL of saline solution for 24 days. The experimental group 1 received 60 mg/kg of methimazole for 24 days. The experimental group 2 received ginger hydroalcoholic extracts of 400 mg/kg, experimental groups 3 and 4 received methimazole 60 mg/kg and simultaneously ginger hydroalcoholic extract with doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg for 24 days, respectively. Moreover, 48 h after the first injection, anesthesia was performed using ether, and the blood sample of their heart was collected. The amount of glucose was measured by an autoanalyzer machine. The collected data was analyzed in SPSS software using ANOVA.

There was a significant increase in the amount of glucose in the blood sample of experimental group 1, compared to the control group. A significant decrease was observed in groups 3 and 4 after using hydro-alcoholic ginger extract.

Based on the results, it can be predicted that using ginger can decrease the amount of glucose in the blood of patients with hypothyroidism.