Can bitter gourd and ginger juice heal damaged lungs of smokers?

Hyderabad: A post claims that just by drinking a concoction of bitter gourd and ginger, smokers can detox their lungs.

While the ingredients used in the drink are beneficial for overall health, can this concoction detox smokers’ lungs completely? Let’s find out.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

On the best way to heal years of damage caused to the lungs due to smoking, the American Lung Association writes, “There is a way to improve your lung health without pills and concoctions. Lungs are self-cleaning organs that will begin to heal themselves once they are no longer exposed to pollutants. The best way to ensure your lungs are healthy is by avoiding harmful toxins like cigarette smoke and air pollution, as well as getting regular exercise and eating well.”

You see, quitting smoking is the key, not these detox drinks.

Medical News Today added, “There are currently no medications or treatments to specifically clear the lungs. Instead, it is advisable for a person to try to avoid potential pollutants. This can include making behavioral changes, such as quitting smoking, to avoid exposure, or adjusting the diet and getting regular exercise to help improve lung health.”

It further said, “It is not advisable for a person to try any pills or methods of cleansing lungs that do not have any scientific evidence to support their claims.”

We reached out to our expert, Dr. Kishan Srikanth Juvva, consultant clinical and interventional pulmonologist at KIMS Hospitals, to debunk the claim. According to Dr. Juvva, ginger and ginger water can help to prevent lung damage in the following ways:

1. Ginger can exert anti-viral effects and interfere with inflammation.

2. Ginger modulates oxidative stress and prostaglandins in the body to prevent lung damage.

3. Ginger can modulate improper effector T cell responses in infections preventing inflammation.

4. Ginger and its bioactive component 6-Shogaol have the potential to combat asthma by acute smooth muscle relaxation and chronic inhibition of inflammation.

We further reached out to Dr. Narendranadh Meda, consultant vascular and endovascular surgeon at KIMS Hospitals, to shed light on whether the concoction detoxes the lungs.

He said, “Nicotine is the drug that makes people want to keep smoking. It is addictive and when one starts to smoke regularly, one’s body starts becoming used to nicotine and starts needing a regular dose of it. Thus, when a regular smoker tries to quit, he starts experiencing withdrawal symptoms, which can be very uncomfortable.”

Ginger water may help in alleviating withdrawal symptoms such as nausea if one decides to quit, but there is no proof it will reverse lung damage, Dr. Meda added.

Quitting smoking itself can help heal the damaged lung in the early stages.

From this, it is evident that while it is considered safe to drink detox concoctions, depending on them to detox your lungs and continuing to smoke will lead you nowhere.