High-Potency Ginger Extract Improves Joint Pain, Function, and Inflammation: Study

A fermented, high-potency ginger extract marketed by Specnova as GingerT3 appeared to support measures of joint function in a clinical study involving adults with mild to moderate muscle and joint pain. The results, published in Nutrients, included significant reductions in perceived muscle pain; self-reported joint pain, stiffness, and functional capacity; and reductions in inflammatory markers including IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein.

The study was conducted in partnership with the exercise and sport nutrition laboratory at Texas A&M University and Increnovo, LLC.

In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers recruited 30 men and women with an average age of 56 years with a history of joint and muscle pain and inflammation. They were randomized to receive either 125 mg per day of GingerT3, which is standardized to 10% total gingerols and less than or equal to 3% shogaols, or a placebo for 58 days.

Participants completed pain, range of motion, and flexibility assessments at baseline, on day 30, and on day 56 of the treatment. After two days of recovery from exercise challenges, which included squats and deep knee-bends, participants were reassessed. They also completed a food log.

At 48 hours post-exercise,  and during nocturnal bed rest and stair use, participants in the treatment group reported significantly less pain than those in the placebo group.

“GingerT3 is the only fast-acting, low-dose ginger extract available with this unique compositional profile,” said Sebastian Balcombe, founder and CEO of Specnova. “It delivers statistically significant improvements in joint comfort and anti-inflammatory benefits with an exceptionally small 125 milligram-a-day dose.”

GingerT3 is produced with supercritical CO₂ extraction methods to extract and concentrate the gingerols out of the ginger oil. After this, the company ferments the non-oleoresin portions of the ginger rhizome, which increases stability and enables the concentration of bioactive compounds such as gingerols, shogaols, paradols, gingerdiones, and terpenes, which are studied for their roles in modulating inflammation and supporting joint health.

“These proprietary processes give us the highest possible gingerol content while still maintaining a flowable powder, ultimately allowing GingerT3 to perform better than other ginger extracts in the market, as our now-published clinical study supports,” said Balcombe.