Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) has been used as a food, spice, supplement and flavoring agent and in traditional medicines due to its beneficial characteristics such as pungency, aroma, nutrients and pharmacological activity. Ginger and ginger extracts were reported to have numerous effects, such as those on diabetes and metabolic syndrome, cholesterol levels and lipid metabolism, and inflammation, revealed by epidemiological studies. To understand the beneficial characteristics of ginger, especially its physiological and pharmacological activities at the molecular level, the biological effects of ginger constituents, such as monoterpenes (cineole, citral, limonene and α/β-pinenes), sesquiterpenes (β-elemene, farnesene and zerumbone), phenolics (gingerols, [6]-shogaol, [6]-paradol and zingerone) and diarylheptanoids (curcumin), and the associated signaling pathways are summarized. Ginger constituents are involved in biological activities, such as apoptosis, cell cycle/DNA damage, chromatin/epigenetic regulation, cytoskeletal regulation and adhesion, immunology and inflammation, and neuroscience, and exert their effects through specific signaling pathways associated with cell functions/mechanisms such as autophagy, cellular metabolism, mitogen-activated protein kinase and other signaling, and development/differentiation. Estrogens, such as phytoestrogens, are one of the most important bioactive materials in nature, and the molecular mechanisms of estrogen actions and the assays to detect them have been discussed. The molecular mechanisms of estrogen actions induced by ginger constituents and related applications, such as the chemoprevention of cancers, and the improvement of menopausal syndromes, osteoporosis, endometriosis, prostatic hyperplasia, polycystic ovary syndrome and Alzheimer's disease, were summarized by a comprehensive search of references to understand more about their health benefits and associated health risks.

生姜（ Zingiber officinale Roscoe）因其辛辣、香气、营养成分和药理活性等有益特性而被用作食品、香料、补充剂和调味剂以及传统药物。据报道，流行病学研究表明，生姜和生姜提取物具有多种功效，例如对糖尿病和代谢综合征、胆固醇水平和脂质代谢以及炎症的功效。了解生姜的有益特性，特别是其在分子水平上的生理和药理活性，生姜成分的生物效应，如单萜（桉树脑、柠檬醛、柠檬烯和α/β-蒎烯）、倍半萜（β-榄香烯、金合欢烯）和姜酮）、酚类（姜酚、[6]-姜烯酚、[6]-paradol 和姜油酮）和二芳基庚烷类化合物（姜黄素）以及相关的信号传导途径进行了总结。生姜成分参与细胞凋亡、细胞周期/DNA损伤、染色质/表观遗传调节、细胞骨架调节和粘附、免疫学和炎症以及神经科学等生物活性，并通过与细胞功能/机制相关的特定信号通路发挥作用，例如如自噬、细胞代谢、丝裂原激活蛋白激酶和其他信号传导以及发育/分化。雌激素，例如植物雌激素，是自然界中最重要的生物活性物质之一，并且已经讨论了雌激素作用的分子机制及其检测方法。 综合查阅文献，总结生姜成分诱导雌激素作用的分子机制及相关应用，如癌症的化学预防、改善更年期综合征、骨质疏松、子宫内膜异位症、前列腺增生、多囊卵巢综合征、阿尔茨海默病等了解更多关于其健康益处和相关健康风险的信息。