What does the research show about ginger?

Ginger

Two meta-analyses of pregnancy trials report less nausea with ginger than placebo, and vomiting did not differ. Pooled trials also report less nausea after surgery, small drops in osteoarthritis and period pain, and lower inflammation markers. Chemotherapy reviews disagree on vomiting. Osteoarthritis patients on ginger were twice as likely to stop treatment. Platelet trials were split.

Add to Bio HackChecked 2026-11-09

Status: Dietary supplement and food spice in the US. Not approved as a drug for any use.
Also called: Zingiber officinale, ginger root, ginger extract, gingerols, shogaols, ginger powder
Taken for: nausea, morning sickness, motion sickness, chemotherapy nausea, period pain, heavy periods, joint pain, osteoarthritis, muscle soreness, inflammation, digestion, migraine, PMS

Strong several reviews agree · Moderate one review or consistent trials · Limited one or a few small studies · Untested no study in people, listed with what it rests on

Shown to help9

StrongShown to improve nausea scores in pregnant women over placebo. Vomiting episodes did not differ significantly.
ModerateShown to lower nausea scores in the 12 hours after surgery. Vomiting and anti-nausea drug use did not differ outside the recovery room.
ModerateShown to reduce osteoarthritis pain and disability modestly in adults over placebo.
ModerateShown to lower period pain scores in women with primary dysmenorrhea when taken in the first 3 to 4 days of the cycle.
ModerateShown to lower CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 in adults, more in people with health conditions. These are blood markers, not clinical outcomes.
LimitedSmall trials found 2 g a day lowered arm muscle pain about 25% a day after eccentric exercise.
LimitedOne trial found a steamed ginger extract improved gut symptom scores over 12 weeks in adults with functional dyspepsia.
LimitedLimited evidence: added to a preventive drug, ginger lowered headache severity at 3 months. Reviewers call any acute or preventive benefit too uncertain.
LimitedOne small trial found PMS symptom scores fell more on ginger than placebo over 3 cycles in female students.

Reported risks2

ModerateShown to raise stopping treatment for adverse events, more than twice as often as on placebo, in osteoarthritis trials.How often is not known
LimitedLimited evidence: half of 8 trials found less platelet clumping, and one small study found no change in INR with warfarin in healthy men.How often is not known

What people take it for, and what was found

Shown to help9

Strong

Nausea in pregnancy

Shown to improve nausea scores in pregnant women over placebo. Vomiting episodes did not differ significantly.

The numbers and sources

Effect: In 12 RCTs (1,278 pregnant women), ginger improved nausea scores against placebo (MD 1.20, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.84, I² 0%). Vomiting episodes did not differ significantly (MD 0.72, 95% CI -0.03 to 1.46) [1]. In 6 placebo-controlled trials (508 women), about 1 g a day for at least 4 days was associated with 5 times the odds of improvement [2].
Population: Pregnant women with nausea and vomiting [1][2].
Sources: [1], [2]
Caveats: Review [1] rated the evidence low quality with variable outcome reporting. Review [2] notes heterogeneity among trials. Review [1] included English-language trials only.

Moderate

Nausea after surgery

Shown to lower nausea scores in the 12 hours after surgery. Vomiting and anti-nausea drug use did not differ outside the recovery room.

The numbers and sources

Effect: In 14 RCTs (1,506 patients), nausea scores were lower with ginger than placebo at 2, 6 and 12 hours after surgery (SMD -1.10, -1.54 and -2.04). Outside the recovery room, vomiting, combined nausea and vomiting, and use of anti-nausea drugs did not differ [3].
Population: 1,506 surgical patients [3].
Sources: [3]
Caveats: Confidence intervals were wide, for example -3.67 to -0.41 at 12 hours [3].

Moderate

Osteoarthritis pain

Shown to reduce osteoarthritis pain and disability modestly in adults over placebo.

The numbers and sources

Effect: In 5 placebo-controlled trials (593 patients), ginger reduced pain (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.50 to -0.09, I² 27%) and disability (SMD -0.22, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.04) [6].
Population: Adults with osteoarthritis [6].
Sources: [6]
Caveats: The authors rated the evidence moderate quality because trials were small and lacked proper intention-to-treat analysis [6].

Moderate

Period pain

Shown to lower period pain scores in women with primary dysmenorrhea when taken in the first 3 to 4 days of the cycle.

The numbers and sources

Effect: In 4 placebo-controlled RCTs, ginger during the first 3 to 4 days of the cycle lowered pain scores (reported as -1.85, 95% CI -2.87 to -0.84) [7].
Population: Women with primary dysmenorrhea in 7 RCTs, 4 pooled [7].
Sources: [7]
Caveats: Four pooled trials. The search included Korean, Chinese and Indian databases [7].

Moderate

Inflammation markers

Shown to lower CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 in adults, more in people with health conditions. These are blood markers, not clinical outcomes.

The numbers and sources

Effect: In a 2025 GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 29 RCTs, ginger lowered CRP by 0.86 mg/L (95% CI -1.10 to -0.62), TNF-α by 1.90 pg/mL (95% CI -2.61 to -1.18) and IL-6 by 1.15 pg/mL (95% CI -1.90 to -0.41). Malondialdehyde fell, and total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase rose [8].
Population: Adults in 29 RCTs [8].
Sources: [8]
Caveats: Blood markers, not clinical outcomes. The authors report high heterogeneity among trials and larger effects in people with underlying health conditions [8].

Limited

Muscle soreness after exercise

Small trials found 2 g a day lowered arm muscle pain about 25% a day after eccentric exercise.

The numbers and sources

Effect: In two randomized, placebo-controlled experiments (34 and 40 volunteers), 2 g of raw or heat-treated ginger a day for 11 days lowered arm muscle pain 24 hours after eccentric exercise by 25% and 23% against placebo. Effects on other measures were smaller [9].
Population: 74 adult volunteers [9].
Sources: [9]
Caveats: One research group, one elbow-flexor exercise model.

Limited

Indigestion

One trial found a steamed ginger extract improved gut symptom scores over 12 weeks in adults with functional dyspepsia.

The numbers and sources

Effect: In one 12-week placebo-controlled trial of a steamed ginger extract, 480 mg a day improved total gastrointestinal symptom scores and the abdominal pain, constipation, indigestion and reflux sub-scores against placebo. The abstract reports p-values, not effect sizes [10].
Population: 80 adults with mild to moderate functional dyspepsia [10].
Sources: [10]
Caveats: One trial of one branded extract.

Limited

Migraine

Limited evidence: added to a preventive drug, ginger lowered headache severity at 3 months. Reviewers call any acute or preventive benefit too uncertain.

The numbers and sources

Effect: A 2026 review found 8 RCTs (594 patients). Added to an active drug for prevention, ginger lowered headache severity at 3 months (MD -3.18, 95% CI -3.94 to -2.42, 2 studies, 183 participants, low certainty). For acute attacks, comparisons rested on single trials and were rated low or very low certainty [11].
Population: 594 patients with migraine in 8 RCTs [11].
Sources: [11]
Caveats: The authors concluded it is too uncertain whether ginger helps as an acute or preventive treatment. Several trials combined ginger with other herbs or drugs [11].

LimitedStudied in women

PMS symptoms

One small trial found PMS symptom scores fell more on ginger than placebo over 3 cycles in female students.

Compared with placebo capsules [16]

The numbers and sources

Effect: Ginger 250 mg every 12 hours, from 7 days before to 3 days after the start of bleeding for 3 cycles, lowered PMS symptom scores more than placebo at 1, 2 and 3 months (P < 0.0001), across mood, physical and behavioral symptoms. Scores did not differ before treatment [16].
Population: 70 female university students with PMS in Tehran, 35 per group [16].
Sources: [16]
Caveats: One small trial. The abstract gives no effect size [16].

Mixed results2

Limited

Vomiting with chemotherapy

Limited evidence: one review found 60% lower odds of acute vomiting with chemotherapy at 1 g a day or less, and a larger review found no change.

The numbers and sources

Effect: Across 18 articles, ginger at 1 g a day or less for more than 3 days cut the odds of acute vomiting by 60% (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.81, 3 studies, 301 participants, moderate certainty). Overall and delayed vomiting and nausea severity showed no significant association with ginger [4]. A 2026 meta-analysis of 13 RCTs (1,265 participants) found no significant change in acute vomiting (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.51 to 1.06) or delayed vomiting (RR 1.17, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.83). In subgroups, the effect was larger in patients under 50 [5].
Population: Adults receiving chemotherapy [4][5].
Sources: [4], [5]
Caveats: The acute vomiting result in [4] rests on 3 studies, and the larger review [5] did not reproduce it. Review [4] was funded by Cancer Council Queensland.

LimitedStudied in women

Heavy menstrual bleeding

Small trials found mixed results: one found ginger cut menstrual blood loss more than placebo in teenage girls, another found no difference in amount added to ibuprofen.

Compared with placebo capsules [14]; ibuprofen with placebo [15]

The numbers and sources

Effect: In 92 high school girls whose heavy bleeding was confirmed on a pictorial blood loss chart over 3 cycles, blood loss fell more on ginger capsules than on placebo over the next 3 cycles (P < 0.001), and few adverse effects were reported. The abstract gives no effect size or dose [14]. In 102 women with heavy bleeding, all given ibuprofen 200 mg, adding 300 mg of ginger 3 times a day for the first 7 days of 2 cycles shortened bleeding by 1.8 days, against 0.52 days with placebo. The amount of bleeding fell in every group, with no difference between groups, and quality of life improved more with ginger than placebo [15].
Population: 92 high school girls with heavy periods [14]; 102 women of reproductive age with heavy periods, one third given frankincense instead [15].
Sources: [14], [15]
Caveats: Two small trials over 2 to 3 cycles. In [15] every group also took ibuprofen, and the change in bleeding days was tested within each group. The abstract of [14] gives no effect size.

Doses studied

Pregnancy trials used about 1 g a day for at least 4 days, and subgroup results favored less than 1,500 mg a day for nausea [1][2]. Chemotherapy trials with a vomiting effect used 1 g a day or less for more than 3 days [4]. Period pain trials used 750 to 2,000 mg of ginger powder during the first 3 to 4 days of the cycle [7]. The muscle pain trials gave 2 g a day for 11 days [9].

Risks

Reported risks1

ModerateHow often is not known

Stopping treatment in arthritis trials

Shown to raise stopping treatment for adverse events, more than twice as often as on placebo, in osteoarthritis trials.

The numbers and sources

How common: How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
Effect: Patients given ginger were more than twice as likely to stop treatment as those on placebo (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.04 to 5.22) [6].
Population: 593 osteoarthritis patients in 5 RCTs [6].
Sources: [6]
Caveats: The abstract measures harm as withdrawals due to adverse events and does not list which events [6].

Mixed results1

LimitedHow often is not known

Platelets and warfarin

Limited evidence: half of 8 trials found less platelet clumping, and one small study found no change in INR with warfarin in healthy men.

The numbers and sources

How common: How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
Effect: In a systematic review of 8 clinical trials, 4 reported reduced platelet aggregation and 4 reported no effect. Two observational studies were also mixed [12]. In 12 healthy men, 7 days of ginger did not change INR, platelet aggregation or warfarin clearance [13].
Population: 10 studies [12]. 12 healthy men given one 25 mg warfarin dose [13].
Sources: [12], [13]
Caveats: The warfarin study used a single dose in healthy volunteers, not patients on long-term warfarin [13]. The review authors called the evidence equivocal [12].

Checked, no increase found1

Moderate

Outcomes in pregnancy

Miscarriage did not differ significantly from placebo in pregnant women, but the wide interval does not rule out a raised risk.

The numbers and sources

How common: How often is not known: the sources give no rate.
Effect: Spontaneous abortion did not differ significantly from placebo (RR 3.14, 95% CI 0.65 to 15.11) or vitamin B6 (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.42). Heartburn and drowsiness did not differ [1].
Population: 1,278 pregnant women in 12 RCTs [1].
Sources: [1]
Caveats: The interval against placebo is very wide, so a raised risk is not ruled out. Trials were not sized to detect rare events.

Claims tested and not found

That ginger reduces vomiting in pregnancy. Vomiting episodes did not differ significantly from placebo in 12 RCTs [1].
That ginger reduces nausea during chemotherapy. No significant association with nausea likelihood or severity was found across 18 articles [4]. In 13 RCTs, acute nausea (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.15) and delayed nausea (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.28) did not differ significantly [5].

Sources

Viljoen E, Visser J, Koen N, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting. Nutrition Journal. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-13-20
Thomson M, Corbin R, Leung L. Effects of Ginger for Nausea and Vomiting in Early Pregnancy: A Meta-Analysis. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2014. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2014.01.130167
Lu C, Chen X, Yan X, et al. The preventive and relieving effects of ginger on postoperative nausea and vomiting: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104094
Crichton M, Marshall S, Marx W, et al. Efficacy of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in Ameliorating Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting and Chemotherapy-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review Update and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2019.06.009
Li M, Li Q, Zeng X, et al. The efficacy of ginger for treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian Biomedicine. 2026. https://doi.org/10.2478/abm-2026-0030
Bartels EM, Folmer VN, Bliddal H, et al. Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2014.09.024
Daily JW, Zhang X, Kim DS, et al. Efficacy of Ginger for Alleviating the Symptoms of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Pain Medicine. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/pme.12853
Rjabi S, Barbarz H, Makhtoomi M, et al. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of ginger supplementation in adults: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Inflammopharmacology. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10787-025-01994-6
Black CD, Herring MP, Hurley DJ, et al. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Reduces Muscle Pain Caused by Eccentric Exercise. The Journal of Pain. 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2009.12.013
Baek HI, Ha NR, Kim C, et al. Efficacy and safety of steamed ginger extract for gastric health: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-center clinical trial. Food & Function. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5fo01172h
Atkins T, Manger S, Albarqouni L. Ginger for the treatment and prevention of migraine headaches: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2025-114382
Marx W, McKavanagh D, McCarthy AL, et al. The Effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) on Platelet Aggregation: A Systematic Literature Review. PLOS ONE. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141119
Jiang X, Williams KM, Liauw WS, et al. Effect of ginkgo and ginger on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of warfarin in healthy subjects. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2005. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2005.02322.x
Kashefi F, Khajehei M, Alavinia M, et al. Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on heavy menstrual bleeding: a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.5235
Eshaghian R, Mazaheri M, Ghanadian M, et al. The effect of frankincense (Boswellia serrata, oleoresin) and ginger (Zingiber officinale, rhizoma) on heavy menstrual bleeding: A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2018.09.022
Khayat S, Kheirkhah M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, et al. Effect of treatment with ginger on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/792708

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