Impact of Ginger Suppository on Post-Cesarean Pain Relief: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Cesarean section (C-section) is one of the most frequent surgeries with acute postoperative pain influencing the early recovery. Recently, positive analgesic effects have been detected in ginger extracts, comparable with paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Methods: The 242 patients were allocated into one of the two groups (intervention vs. control group). Immediately after the C-section, patients received either one suppository capsule of ginger containing 250 mg of the powdered granule of ginger rhizome or placebo. The pain severity with numerical scale was recorded at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 12th hour after C-section.

Results: Most participants were 30 years or older, had high school diploma, and had a BMI of more than 30 (obese range). Beside age and BMI, no significant difference was observed in the time of C-section and vital signs between the two groups. All patients receiving ginger reported to have grade 1 pain during the 1st hour of surgery whereas, 24.8% and 20.7% of the control group had grade 2 or 3 pain (p<0.001). We also developed a variable describing any increase in the pain intensity after the 1st hour up to the 12 hours following C-section. The result revealed that the pain worsened in 62% (75 cases) of patients in the control group vs. 4.1% (5 cases) of patients in the intervention group (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Ginger could be a safe alternative or adjuvant drug for common post-cesarean analgesic regimen, especially in cases experiencing mild-to-moderate pain. However, the exact dose and rout of ginger administration for the maximum effect needs to be further elucidated.