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ANECDOTES about the painkilling properties of ginger may be close to the mark, according to research by Australian scientists. When they injected ginger into rats stomachs, then heated their tails, they found the animals that were given the spice showed a higher tolerance to the pain. According to Basil Roufogalis of Sydney University’s Herbal Medicine Research and Education Centre, the active ingredient is likely to be a compound called gingerol. It has a similar structure to capsaicin, a known painkiller found in chilli peppers and capsicums.