Ginger
Zingiber officinale
Time-tested root for nausea, with modest joint-pain support.
Moderate evidence
🛡️Gut & Immune
Evidence tier
Moderate
Research weight
Citations
18 verified / 18
Classification
Gut & Immune
❝
What the evidence says. Several controlled trials; effects real but modest or context-dependent.
What is Ginger?
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a gut and immune supplement used for reduces nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, often outperforming placebo and at least matching vitamin b6. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Moderate. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a culinary rhizome whose pungent gingerols and shogaols underlie its best-established use: relieving nausea and vomiting. Meta-analyses support its benefit for pregnancy-associated nausea (superior to placebo and comparable to or better than vitamin B6) and for postoperative nausea, with more limited and dose-dependent effects in chemotherapy-induced vomiting. For knee osteoarthritis, pooled evidence is mixed: some meta-analyses show a small reduction in pain and disability, while others find the evidence insufficient and note higher dropout from GI side effects. Overall the human evidence is best characterized as moderate—genuinely useful for nausea but modest and inconsistent for pain. Ginger is generally well tolerated, but it can affect platelet function and may add to bleeding risk, so caution is warranted with anticoagulants and around surgery.
Purported Benefits
✓Reduces nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, often outperforming placebo and at least matching vitamin B6
✓May lessen acute vomiting from chemotherapy at modest doses, though effects on nausea overall are inconsistent
✓Helps reduce postoperative nausea and the need for rescue antiemetics
✓Provides modest relief of osteoarthritis pain and disability in some trials (effect is small and not seen in all reviews)
✓Commonly used for motion sickness and general digestive upset, though high-quality data here are weaker
Evidence by outcome
The same supplement can be well-proven for one use and unproven for another — here is the human evidence graded outcome by outcome.
| Outcome | Evidence | Effect | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea/vomiting in pregnancyMultiple meta-analyses (large GRADE-high effect) show ginger beats placebo for nausea; effect on vomiting episodes less consistent. | Strong | ↑ benefit · moderate | 4 |
| Postoperative nausea / rescue antiemetic needUmbrella reviews support reduced postoperative nausea and rescue-antiemetic use; underlying review quality varies. | Moderate | ↑ benefit · moderate | 2 |
| Chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomitingNo significant overall effect in one 23-RCT review; benefit only in low-dose acute-vomiting subgroup. Inconsistent. | Mixed | ↔ mixed · small | 3 |
| Osteoarthritis pain/disabilitySome meta-analyses show small pain reduction; others find insufficient evidence and note doubled GI dropout. | Mixed | ↔ mixed · small | 3 |
| Glycemic control (T2D)Earlier meta-analysis showed HbA1c/glucose drops, but a 2024 5-RCT analysis found no significant effect; low-quality base. | Mixed | ↔ mixed | 2 |
| Blood pressureOne 6-trial meta-analysis showed lowered systolic/diastolic BP, larger at higher doses; small evidence base. | Preliminary | ↑ benefit · small | 1 |
| Bleeding / platelet riskMonograph cites platelet inhibition and case reports of raised INR with anticoagulants; healthy-volunteer data reassuring. | Preliminary | ⚠ risk | 1 |
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
1–1.5 g/day of dried ginger powder in divided doses (typically 250 mg, 2–4x daily); doses at or below ~1 g/day are most studied for nausea, with up to ~2 g/day used short-term for osteoarthritis.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Generally well tolerated at culinary and supplemental doses; the most common side effects are mild heartburn, belching, and GI upset, which drive higher discontinuation in some trials. Ginger can inhibit platelet aggregation (via thromboxane synthetase) and may increase bleeding risk—use caution and consider stopping ~1–2 weeks before surgery, and avoid combining high doses with anticoagulants/antiplatelets (warfarin, DOACs, aspirin, clopidogrel) without medical supervision and INR monitoring. It may also lower blood glucose and blood pressure, so monitor if on antidiabetic or antihypertensive medication. For pregnancy, doses up to ~1 g/day appear reasonably safe and effective for nausea, but use higher doses only under clinician guidance; safety in breastfeeding is less established. People with gallstones or active bleeding disorders should be cautious, and anyone on chronic medications should consult a clinician before using concentrated extracts. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Ginger with any medicine.
Ginger drug interactions
Known or theoretical interactions between Ginger and common medications — educational, not exhaustive. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Ginger with any medicine.
Monitor
Warfarin & antiplatelet drugs
High-dose ginger may modestly add to bleeding risk with anticoagulants or antiplatelets.
Ginger can inhibit platelet aggregation (thromboxane synthesis), theoretically compounding blood thinners. NCCIH — Ginger
Key Studies ★ 18 studies
Systematic review
Sharifzadeh-style HG review 2025
✓ PubMed
In a 2025 systematic review/meta-analysis of 10 RCTs and comparative studies in hyperemesis gravidarum, ginger significantly reduced nausea and vomiting symptoms (pooled OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.22-0.79, p=0.008) and lowered nausea severity vs placebo (SMD -0.66, 95% CI -1.10 to -0.22, p=0.003), with minimal side effects.
Systematic review
Ginger in pregnancy umbrella review 2024
✓ Full text
A 2024 evidence scan and umbrella review of existing meta-analyses (search through Dec 2023) found ginger is effective at reducing nausea in pregnancy, though included studies had substantial heterogeneity and low methodological quality.
Meta-analysis
CAM for NVP meta-analysis 2023
✓ Source
A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of complementary/alternative therapies for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy found ginger was as effective as diphenhydramine and outperformed placebo for symptom relief.
Systematic review
Paudel 2025
✓ PubMed
Systematic review of meta-analyses (2010-2025): ginger supplementation significantly reduced inflammatory markers (CRP, hs-CRP, TNF-alpha), lowered HbA1c and fasting blood glucose in T2DM, reduced oxidative stress (lower malondialdehyde, higher glutathione peroxidase), and alleviated pregnancy nausea without significant effect on vomiting frequency. Typical doses 1-3 g/day; high heterogeneity (I2 up to 98.1%) noted.
Meta-analysis
Schumacher 2024
✓ PubMed
Systematic review/meta-analysis of 5 RCTs (1.2-2 g/day, 4-12 weeks) in type 2 diabetes: pooled analysis found NO statistically significant effect of ginger on fasting blood glucose or HbA1c, though 2 individual trials showed significant FBS reductions; tempers earlier positive glycemic meta-analyses and underscores limited, low-quality evidence base.
Systematic review
Crichton (umbrella review) 2022
✓ PubMed
AMSTAR-2/GRADE umbrella review of 24 systematic reviews: strongest evidence (GRADE high) for antiemetic effect in pregnant women (large effect size) and analgesic effect in osteoarthritis (small effect size); glycemic control benefit (none-to-very-large, GRADE very low-moderate); significant positive effects also on blood pressure, weight, dysmenorrhea, postoperative nausea, and chemotherapy-induced vomiting. Effective dose 0.5-3 g/day in capsule form up to 3 months; appears safe.
Meta-analysis
Chang & Tseng 2019
✓ PubMed
Meta-analysis of 10 RCTs: ginger significantly reduced the likelihood of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting vs control (pooled OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.54-0.94, p=0.015), indicating a modest protective effect.
Meta-analysis
Viljoen 2014
✓ PubMed
12 RCTs, 1278 pregnant women: ginger significantly improved nausea symptoms vs placebo (MD 1.20, 95% CI 0.56-1.84, p=0.0002, I2=0%); trend but no significant reduction in vomiting episodes (MD 0.72, 95% CI -0.03-1.46, p=0.06). No significant increase in spontaneous abortion (RR 3.14, 95% CI 0.65-15.11) or side-effects; doses <1500 mg/day favored for nausea relief.
Overview of systematic reviews/meta-analyses
15 meta-analyses (umbrella review)
✓ PubMed
An overview of 15 meta-analyses concluded ginger is effective for reducing nausea and vomiting across pregnancy, chemotherapy, and postoperative settings, reducing the need for rescue antiemetics, while flagging variable methodological quality of the underlying reviews.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs
23 RCTs
✓ Full text
In a systematic review of 23 RCTs, ginger showed no significant overall effect on chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting, but a subgroup taking ≤1 g/day for more than four days had significantly less acute vomiting (OR 0.30; 95% CI 0.12–0.79).
Systematic review and meta-analysis
12 RCTs, 1,278 pregnant women
✓ Full text
A meta-analysis of 12 RCTs in 1,278 pregnant women found ginger significantly improved nausea symptoms versus placebo, though it did not significantly reduce vomiting episodes and overall evidence quality was low.
Meta-analysis of RCTs
5 RCTs, 593 patients
✓ PubMed
A meta-analysis of 5 placebo-controlled RCTs (593 osteoarthritis patients) found ginger produced a small but statistically significant reduction in pain (SMD -0.30) and disability (SMD -0.22), but patients on ginger were more than twice as likely to discontinue.
Systematic review and meta-analysis
7 trials (4 pooled)
✓ PubMed
A PRISMA systematic review of knee osteoarthritis trials found only a small pain reduction with oral ginger capsules (mean difference -7.88 mm) and concluded there was insufficient evidence to support oral ginger over placebo for pain or function.
meta-analysis
10 RCTs, 490 participants
✓ PubMed
A meta-analysis of 10 RCTs (490 participants) found ginger significantly lowered HbA1c (pooled weighted mean difference -1.00%; 95% CI -1.56 to -0.44) and, in type 2 diabetes subgroups, reduced fasting blood glucose by about 21 mg/dL (WMD -21.24; 95% CI -33.21 to -9.26).
meta-analysis
6 RCTs, 345 participants
✓ PubMed
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 6 clinical trials (345 participants) found ginger supplementation significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (-6.36 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (-2.12 mmHg), with larger effects at doses of 3 g/day or more and in participants aged 50 or younger.
meta-analysis
Meta-analysis of clinical trials
✓ PubMed
A systematic review and meta-analysis found ginger intake significantly reduced total cholesterol (SMD -0.44; 95% CI -0.86 to -0.02) and triglycerides (SMD -0.61; 95% CI -1.14 to -0.08), with no significant effect on LDL or HDL cholesterol.
RCT
RCT, 100 patients
✓ PubMed
A double-blind randomized trial in 100 adults with acute migraine without aura found ginger powder relieved headache severity at 2 hours comparably to sumatriptan, with fewer clinical adverse effects in the ginger group.
Reference monograph (StatPearls)
Reference monograph
✓ Full text
A pharmacology reference summarizes that ginger may inhibit thromboxane synthetase and platelet aggregation, with case reports of raised INR alongside warfarin/phenprocoumon, supporting bleeding-risk caution despite reassuring healthy-volunteer data.