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Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant native to Asia. The ginger spice comes from the roots of the plant. It's used as a food flavoring and medicine.
Ginger contains chemicals that might reduce nausea and swelling. These chemicals seem to work in the stomach and intestines, but they might also help the brain and nervous system to control nausea.
People commonly use ginger for many types of nausea and vomiting. It's also used for menstrual cramps, osteoarthritis, diabetes, migraine headaches, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these uses. There is also no good evidence to support using ginger for COVID-19.
- Antiretroviral-induced nausea and vomiting. Oral ginger seems to improve nausea and vomiting in patients using antiretroviral agents.
Login for details - Dysmenorrhea. In people with dysmenorrhea, taking oral ginger seems to reduce pain. Clinical research shows that ginger might be comparable to ibuprofen or mefenamic acid. In addition, taking ginger seems to be beneficial when used as an adjunct to mefenamic acid 250 mg twice daily.
Login for details - Osteoarthritis. Most clinical research shows that taking ginger extract by mouth improves pain in some patients with osteoarthritis. Topical ginger, on the other hand, has not shown benefit for knee osteoarthritis in low quality research.
Login for details - Pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting. Oral ginger seems to reduce the severity of nausea and vomiting in some people during pregnancy. Ginger seems to be more effective than placebo, comparable to vitamin B6 or dimenhydrinate, and less effective than metoclopramide.
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- Exercise-induced muscle soreness. Most research shows that oral ginger in single or multiple doses does not prevent or treat exercise-induced muscle soreness.
Login for details - Motion sickness. Most research shows that oral ginger does not prevent or treat motion sickness.
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- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Some small clinical studies show that giving ginger with tube feeds to hospitalized patients might reduce the duration of serious sequelae from ARDS.
Login for details - Allergic rhinitis (hay fever). It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial in allergic rhinitis.
Login for details - Asthma. Login for details
- Back pain. Login for details
- Burns. Login for details
- Cancer-related anorexia. It is unclear if oral ginger improves appetite in people with cancer-related anorexia.
Login for details - Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Most clinical research shows that oral ginger does not reduce acute or delayed CINV. The effect of ginger might depend on the dose, the other antiemetics used, or the specific chemotherapy regimen.
Login for details - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for managing symptoms of COPD.
Login for details - Colic. Login for details
- Constipation. Login for details
- Diabetes. Some preliminary clinical studies suggest that oral ginger might have a small beneficial effect on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes.
Login for details - Diarrhea. Login for details
- Dry mouth. It is unclear if rinsing the mouth with ginger extract is beneficial for dry mouth.
Login for details - Dyspepsia. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for dyspepsia.
Login for details - Erectile dysfunction (ED). It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for erectile dysfunction.
Login for details - Gastroenteritis-associated nausea and vomiting. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for children with gastroenteritis-associated vomiting.
Login for details - Hangover. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for managing symptoms of hangover.
Login for details - Hyperlipidemia. Oral ginger may be modestly beneficial for some patients with hyperlipidemia.
Login for details - Hypertension. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for lowering blood pressure.
Login for details - Insect bite. It is unclear if topical ginger is beneficial for reducing the size of insect bites.
Login for details - Intraoperative nausea and vomiting (IONV). It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for preventing IONV.
Login for details - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Oral ginger might reduce symptoms of IBS when used in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Joint pain. Oral ginger has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Menorrhagia. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for menorrhagia.
Login for details - Menopausal symptoms. Login for details
- Migraine headache. Small clinical studies suggest that oral ginger may modestly reduce migraine pain severity and duration. However, taking ginger doesn't seem to PREVENT migraines.
Login for details - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for NAFLD.
Login for details - Obesity. Oral ginger has primarily been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Parturition. It is unclear if bathing in a ginger bath is beneficial for shortening the duration of labor.
Login for details - Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Evidence for the use of oral ginger for preventing PONV is inconclusive and conflicting. Reasons for the conflicting findings may relate to the ginger formulation used and the outcomes measured. It is unclear if ginger aromatherapy is beneficial for PONV.
Login for details - Postoperative recovery. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for postoperative recovery.
Login for details - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One small clinical study suggests that oral ginger may improve some symptoms of RA.
Login for details - Swallowing dysfunction. The effects of oral ginger for treating swallowing dysfunction are inconclusive. Reasons for the conflicting findings may relate to the route of administration or the number of treatments provided.
Login for details - Toxin-induced liver damage. Oral ginger might help to prevent liver damage in patients using antimycobacterial drugs.
Login for details - Ulcerative colitis. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for improving symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
Login for details - Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Login for details
- Vertigo. It is unclear if oral ginger is beneficial for improving symptoms of vertigo.
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When taken by mouth: Ginger is likely safe. It can cause mild side effects including heartburn, diarrhea, burping, and general stomach discomfort. Taking higher doses of 5 grams daily increases the risk for side effects.
When applied to the skin: Ginger is possibly safe when used short-term. It might cause skin irritation for some people.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy: Ginger is likely safe when eaten in foods. It is possibly safe when taken by mouth as medicine during pregnancy. It might increase the risk of bleeding, so some experts advise against using it close to the delivery date. But it appears to be safe to use for morning sickness without harm to the baby. Talk to your healthcare provider before using ginger during pregnancy.Breast-feeding: Ginger is likely safe when eaten in foods. There isn't enough reliable information to know if taking larger amounts of ginger is safe when breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Children: Ginger is possibly safe when taken by mouth for up to 4 days by teenagers around the start of their period.
Bleeding disorders: Taking ginger might increase your risk of bleeding.
Heart conditions: High doses of ginger might worsen some heart conditions.
Surgery: Ginger might slow blood clotting. It might cause extra bleeding during and after surgery. Stop using ginger at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)
Interaction Rating=Minor Be watchful with this combination.
Ginger might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking ginger along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Medications for high blood pressure (Calcium channel blockers)
Interaction Rating=Minor Be watchful with this combination.
Ginger might reduce blood pressure in a way that is similar to some medications for blood pressure and heart disease. Taking ginger along with these medications might cause your blood pressure to drop too low or an irregular heartbeat.
Some medications for high blood pressure and heart disease include nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan), diltiazem (Cardizem), isradipine (DynaCirc), felodipine (Plendil), amlodipine (Norvasc), and others.
Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Ginger might slow blood clotting. Taking ginger along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), phenprocoumon (an anticlotting medicine available outside the US), and others.
Phenprocoumon
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Phenprocoumon is used in Europe to slow blood clotting. Ginger can also slow blood clotting. Taking ginger along with phenprocoumon might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. Be sure to have your blood checked regularly. The dose of your phenprocoumon might need to be changed.
Warfarin (Coumadin)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Warfarin (Coumadin) is used to slow blood clotting. Ginger can also slow blood clotting. Taking ginger along with warfarin (Coumadin) might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. Be sure to have your blood checked regularly. The dose of your warfarin (Coumadin) might need to be changed.
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar: Ginger might lower blood sugar. Taking it with other supplements with similar effects might lower blood sugar too much. Examples of supplements with this effect include aloe, bitter melon, cassia cinnamon, chromium, and prickly pear cactus.
Herbs and supplements that might slow blood clotting: Ginger might slow blood clotting and increase the risk of bleeding. Taking it with other supplements with similar effects might increase the risk of bleeding in some people. Examples of supplements with this effect include garlic, ginkgo, nattokinase, and Panax ginseng.
There are no known interactions with foods.
Ginger is commonly consumed in foods and as a flavoring in drinks. As medicine, ginger is available in many forms, including teas, syrups, capsules, and liquid extracts. Ginger has most often been used by adults in doses of 0.5-3 grams by mouth daily for up to 12 weeks. Ginger is also available in topical gels, ointments, and aromatherapy essential oils. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what type of product and dose might be best for a specific condition.
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