Can sitting on the ground and chewing ginger help with a sudden heart attack?

Health experts debunk viral claim that chewing ginger can help during a heart attack, urging immediate medical attention instead.(Image: Pexels)

When it comes to offering solutions to health issues, the internet has a lot to say. In an old YouTube video posted by HIIMS, Acharya Manish, an Ayurvedic health expert, shared how a person experiencing a heart attack can be saved simply by making them sit down and giving them ginger to chew.

For it to work effectively, the ginger needs to be chewed properly, until tears begin to roll down the person’s cheeks. Acharya Manish added that this remedy has apparently helped “99 percent of people recover or stabilise before the ambulance arrives.” While it may be true that consuming ginger has several health benefits, how it helps someone during a heart attack is medically unproven.

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Addressing the claim, Dr Varun Bansal, consultant, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, told Hindustan Times that the information provided is far from the truth.

Dr Bansal shared that while ginger has the potential to prevent ‘hypertension or cardiovascular disease’ due to its antioxidants, it ‘has no role to play’ when it comes to relieving someone experiencing a sudden heart attack. Moreover, ginger’s benefits are only accrued over a period of time. They are of no help when it comes to a crisis like this.

He told HT, “As shown in the video, making the person sit or asking them to chew ginger is not advisable. In fact, during such an emergency, the patient should be made to lie down, rest, and emergency medical services should be activated immediately. Some medications can be taken at home in such situations, but if we are strictly discussing home remedies, it must be clearly understood that these medications should only be taken under medical guidance — preferably under a telephonic prescription from a specialist.”

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Be it the positioning of the patient or chewing ginger, Dr Bansal ruled out their effectiveness in helping the patient. Instead, he shared that it could give them ‘a false sense of doing something helpful and cause euphoria, but it will not prevent or improve the condition’. The same goes for chewing ginger.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis