Wood Fungus, Red Dates and Ginger: What Blood Circulation Research Says

This page’s old title said wood fungus, red dates and ginger are great for blood circulation. A PubMed search for wood ear fungus (Auricularia), ginger and jujube together found no records when this page was checked in October 2026. Each ingredient does have research of its own, and below is what it reports, along with what the NHS advises for poor blood flow.

Red dates are jujube, a different fruit from palm dates

“Red date” is another name for jujube. A 2020 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology says the fruit of Ziziphus jujuba is commonly known as jujube, red date or Chinese date, and is taken fresh or dried. In China, the review notes, jujube is traditionally used for treating “blood deficiency”. The beneficial effects its abstract describes come from cell and animal models.

Palm dates come from Phoenix dactylifera, the name a systematic review of date fruits uses for the date palm. Medjool is one palm date variety: large, very soft, with a rich caramel taste, and it originated in Morocco. Readers can also visit Kurma Medjool Palestine and Kurma Medjool. None of the jujube studies below involved palm dates.

Jujube and blood pressure in people

Two randomised trials of dried jujube reported blood pressure, and their results differ: one found a fall, the other found no change. The first, published in 2025, followed 48 people with type 2 diabetes and excess weight, 24 per group. Those given 30g of dried jujube fruit daily for three months saw systolic pressure fall by up to 7 mmHg and diastolic by up to 5 mmHg against the control group, after adjusting for baseline values.

The second, from 2024, enrolled people with metabolic syndrome: 30 took 30g of dried jujube powder a day and 30 took a placebo for eight weeks. Here jujube “failed to decrease” blood pressure. Waist circumference, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol improved, and the authors list weaknesses in blinding and in purity testing. Blood flow itself was not among the outcomes either abstract reports.

Wood ear fungus and platelets

Wood fungus is read here as wood ear, the Auricularia mushrooms. A 2026 review counts them among the most economically important edible and medicinal mushrooms worldwide, particularly in Asia. Studies of wood ear extracts have looked at platelets. In a 1982 paper, hot water extracts of Auricularia auricula (called Mo-er) strongly inhibited ADP-induced aggregation of human and rat platelets. The extracts kept that effect after their adenosine was broken down, so the authors concluded they contain another agent that blocks aggregation.

A 2019 screening of eight edible mushrooms tested hot water extracts in vitro. The Auricularia and Pleurotus eryngii extracts gave the most promising antiplatelet effect, while none of the extracts altered prothrombin time, prothrombin ratio or INR. The authors say experimental and clinical research is still needed. Neither abstract describes measuring circulation in people who ate the fungus.

Ginger in the research

On platelets, a 2015 systematic review included ten studies, eight clinical trials and two observational. Four trials found less platelet aggregation with ginger and four found no effect; the two observational studies were mixed. Its conclusion was that the evidence is “equivocal”.

On blood pressure, a 2026 meta-analysis pooled twelve randomised trials of ginger supplementation and found systolic pressure 5.03 mmHg lower and diastolic 2.03 mmHg lower. The authors saw potentially greater effects at doses of at least 2000 mg a day. Certainty was rated low, and the authors want longer, high-quality trials before definite dosing advice.

NHS advice on poor blood flow to the legs

The NHS page on peripheral arterial disease calls exercising regularly and not smoking the main lifestyle changes that can ease symptoms, then lists eating a healthy diet, losing weight if overweight and moderating alcohol. The PAD treatment page adds that evidence suggests regular exercise helps reduce how severe and how frequent symptoms are. No single food is named.

If you take warfarin or other blood thinners

Ginger’s possible effect on platelet aggregation is, in the words of the 2015 review, a widely cited concern, both in the published literature and to clinicians. The NHS warfarin page says to tell your doctor about any other medicines, herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements, and warns that some food and drink can affect how warfarin works. Check with a doctor before adding a daily wood fungus, jujube or ginger drink to that routine.

Palm dates and this site

Because the studies above are about jujube, wood ear and ginger, they say nothing either way about palm dates. Details on who runs this site are on the About page, and questions or orders can be sent through the contact page.

This page is general information, not medical advice.

References

1. Chen J, Tsim KWK. A review of edible jujube, the Ziziphus jujuba fruit: a heath food supplement for anemia prevalence. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:593655. PubMed 33324222
2. Farhadnejad H, et al. Effect of dried Ziziphus jujube consumption on plasma insulin, blood pressure, oxidative stress, and advanced glycation end products in diabetic patients with excess weight: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Prev Med. 2025;16:49. PubMed 40964206
3. Parastouei K, et al. The effects of jujube (Ziziphus jujube) on metabolic and mental health outcomes in patients with metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2024;82:103041. PubMed 38648942
4. Jatuwong K, et al. Wood ear mushrooms (Auricularia spp.): from biology and cultivation to nutritional value and future opportunities. Life (Basel). 2026;16(10):1730. PubMed 42942316
5. Agarwal KC, Russo FX, Parks RE Jr. Inhibition of human and rat platelet aggregation by extracts of Mo-er (Auricularia auricula). Thromb Haemost. 1982;48(2):162-5. PubMed 6983740
6. Poniedziałek B, et al. The effect of mushroom extracts on human platelet and blood coagulation: in vitro screening of eight edible species. Nutrients. 2019;11(12):3040. PubMed 31842490
7. Marx W, et al. The effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on platelet aggregation: a systematic literature review. PLoS One. 2015;10(10):e0141119. PubMed 26488162 (correction: PubMed 26599766)
8. Karimi M, et al. Ginger supplementation and blood pressure in adults: a GRADE-based systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2026;39(4):e70329. PubMed 42566667
9. Pesticide residues in date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.): a systematic review. PubMed 42865094
10. NHS. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and PAD treatment.
11. NHS. Warfarin.