Ginger effective in treating post-chemo nausea in cancer patients

Nov 16 2009

Reed's, Inc. (NASDAQ: REED), maker of the top-selling sodas in natural food stores nationwide, announced today that it will be exhibiting at the Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium XXVII New Perspectives in Oncology Practice Seminar, Saturday November 14th, at the Marriott Marquis in New York, NY.

Mr. Neal Cohane, Senior VP of Marketing and Sales for Reed's, Inc. will be attending the event, staffing a booth where he will be distributing samples of Reed's Ginger Brews and Ginger Candy, and product literature discussing the benefits of ginger for chemotherapy related nausea. "This event will attract a diverse cross-section of Oncology professionals, including Oncology Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Case Managers, Pharmacists and other non-physician members of the oncology clinical care team. These are 'front line' professionals who often counsel their patients more closely than even the physicians themselves," stated Mr. Cohane.

Reed's attended the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2009 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida earlier this year. At that time, Reed's reported on a recently released study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, which found that ginger can successfully treat post-chemo nausea in cancer patients. Some of the findings were:

-- Up to 70% of patients become nauseated after chemo, according to the study of 644 people

-- According to the study's author, "Although drugs... can prevent vomiting, they don't always relieve nausea"

-- Ginger reduced patients' nausea levels by half, according to the study

-- The most effective doses were 1 gram and 0.5 gram a day, which are equal to half a teaspoon or one-quarter of a teaspoon of ground ginger, according to the study

-- Reed's Ginger Brews contain between 8 and 26 grams of ginger per serving

-- Reed's is the ONLY commercial soft drink manufacturer using fresh, whole ginger in its products

-- Significantly, ginger caused no side effects, according to the study

Chris Reed, Founder and CEO of Reed's commented then that, "We've known for years that people have been using our Ginger Brews for post-chemo nausea, we've even been contacted by doctors who have had cancer and have told us they drank our Reed's Ginger Brew to relieve their own post-chemo nausea. With 8 to 26 grams of fresh ginger per bottle these drinks work quite well for any kind of nausea; from motion sickness to morning sickness to post chemo nausea. In fact, in medical tests ginger beats Dramamine, which is one of the top over the counter nausea medications."

The study's co-author, Julie Ryan, assistant professor of dermatology and radiation oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, commented in the study, "That's why we're so excited. This is something that people have access to, that won't harm them."

Reed added, "Other cultures have been using ginger as a folk remedy for thousands of years. It was only a matter of time until ginger would be tested for its effectiveness in treating post-chemo nausea." Richard Schilsky, Oncology Society President, who wasn't involved in the study, describes the trial's results as "conclusive."