Well-researched herb with strong evidence for nausea/vomiting and promising data for pain conditions. Used across multiple cultures for over 200 years, with modern trials confirming traditional anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory uses.
Traditions: Traditional Chinese Medicine, European herbalism, German phytotherapy
Multiple traditions agree on use.
Over 200 years documented use in Traditional Chinese Medicine as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-emetic, analgesic, and antimicrobial.
Approved for motion sickness prevention, nausea management, postoperative nausea, and digestive complaints.
Community Herbal Monograph based on long-standing traditional use. Approved for prevention of nausea/vomiting in motion sickness (adults and children 6+) and mild gastrointestinal complaints (bloating, flatulence).
Nausea evidence is exceptionally strong with 35 RCTs for chemotherapy-induced nausea showing 81% reduction in grade 3 acute nausea when combined with standard antiemetics [1]. Dysmenorrhea evidence is robust with 7 studies showing significant pain reduction (p=0.0003) at 750-2000 mg/day [2]. Migraine evidence shows ginger comparable to sumatriptan for acute treatment with fewer side effects [3]. Inflammatory marker reduction is well-documented with 16 RCTs showing significant CRP and TNF-α decreases [4]. Body weight management shows moderate evidence with 27 RCTs finding 1.52 kg reduction at 2 g/day for >8 weeks [5]. Quality matters significantly - most research uses standardized 5% gingerol extracts or pharmaceutical-grade powder, not traditional tea preparations.
35 RCTs analyzed. With standard antiemetics (22 trials): Grade 3 acute nausea reduced 81% (RR 0.19, p<0.001), high-grade vomiting reduced 53% (RR 0.47, p=0.01). Only 2.8% experienced dizziness.
7 studies (4 RCTs, n=120): 750-2000 mg/day for 3-5 days. Pain severity reduction RR -1.85 (95% CI -2.87 to -0.84, p=0.0003). Pain duration also significantly reduced (p=0.017).
100 adults with acute migraine: Ginger powder comparable to sumatriptan at 2 hours. Clinical adverse effects of ginger were less than sumatriptan. Patient satisfaction did not differ.
16 RCTs, n=1010: CRP reduction SMD -5.11 (95% CI -7.91 to -2.30), hs-CRP reduction SMD -0.88 (95% CI -1.63 to -0.12), TNF-α reduction SMD -0.85 (95% CI -1.48 to -0.21).
27 RCTs, n=1309: 2 g/day for >8 weeks. Body weight -1.52 kg, BMI -0.58 kg/m², waist -1.04 cm, body fat -0.87%. Nonlinear dose-response.
5 trials, n=593: 480-2000 mg/day for 12 weeks. Pain reduction SMD -0.30 (95% CI -0.50 to -0.09, p=0.005). Disability reduction SMD -0.22 (95% CI -0.39 to -0.04, p=0.01). Discontinuation rate higher with ginger vs placebo (RR 2.33, p=0.04).
For dysmenorrhea. Start 2 days before menstruation through day 3 (5 days total), OR first 3 days only. Strong evidence: 4 RCTs, pain reduction RR -1.85 (p=0.0003) [2].
For chemotherapy-induced nausea. Initiate before chemotherapy, continue throughout cycle. Strong evidence: 35 RCTs, 81% reduction in grade 3 acute nausea [1].
For pregnancy-induced nausea. Take as needed throughout day. Good evidence: 4 trials, significantly more effective than placebo for vomiting frequency and nausea intensity [6].
For acute migraine, can combine with NSAID. Comparable efficacy to sumatriptan at 2 hours with fewer adverse effects [3]. Prophylaxis (200 mg 3x daily) showed limited efficacy.
For body weight management. Moderate evidence: 27 RCTs, 1.52 kg weight reduction, 0.58 kg/m² BMI reduction [5]. Nonlinear dose-response - higher doses not necessarily better.
For osteoarthritis. Steaming increases shogaol content. Moderate evidence: pain and disability reduction, but higher discontinuation rate than placebo (RR 2.33) [7]. Consider tolerability.
Traditional preparation for mild digestive complaints, motion sickness. EMA and German Commission E recognized. Lower bioavailability than capsules/extracts - not equivalent to clinical trial dosing.
Ginger is one of the most thoroughly studied herbs you’ll find - and the research actually backs up what your grandmother told you. We’re talking about meta-analyses covering 100+ randomized controlled trials across multiple conditions, with clear winners and honest limitations.
Nausea and Vomiting - This Is Where Ginger Shines
If you’re going through chemotherapy, here’s a number that matters: 81% reduction in severe nausea when you add ginger to your standard anti-nausea medications [1]. That’s from a 2025 meta-analysis of 35 trials. The difference between feeling mostly human and spending your days hunched over - for only 2.8% experiencing any dizziness as a side effect.
For pregnancy nausea, four trials found ginger at 750-2000 mg/day significantly reduced both how often you vomit and how intensely nauseated you feel [6]. It’s considered safe (standard doses, not mega-doses), and adverse effects were mild and uncommon.
Motion sickness and post-surgery nausea have enough traditional backing that both German Commission E and the European Medicines Agency officially approve ginger for these uses.
Menstrual Pain - Surprisingly Strong Evidence
This one caught researchers off guard. Seven studies (four of them rigorous RCTs) found ginger can genuinely reduce menstrual pain - not just a little, but meaningfully [2]. If you take 750-2000 mg daily starting a couple days before your period, you’re looking at significant pain reduction compared to going without.
What this means in practice: the difference between curling up with a heating pad all day and actually going about your life. Not elimination, but manageable instead of debilitating.
Migraine - As Good As Sumatriptan
Here’s an unexpected finding: in a head-to-head trial with 100 adults, ginger powder worked as well as sumatriptan (a standard migraine drug) at the 2-hour mark [3]. Similar relief, but with fewer side effects. Adding ginger to an NSAID at migraine onset made nearly twice as many people pain-free at 2 hours [8].
Important caveat: this is for acute treatment - stopping a migraine in progress. As a daily preventive, ginger didn’t beat placebo. Use it when you feel a migraine coming on, not as ongoing prevention.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects - Lab Markers Respond
Sixteen RCTs with over 1,000 people showed ginger significantly reduces inflammatory markers like CRP and TNF-α [4]. Whether this translates to feeling better depends on your condition, but the biochemistry is solid.
Body Weight - Modest But Real
Don’t expect miracles. Twenty-seven trials found that 2g daily for 8+ weeks led to about 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) weight loss and a centimeter off your waist [5]. Not dramatic, but statistically significant. Interestingly, higher doses didn’t work better - more evidence that more isn’t always more.
Osteoarthritis - Mixed Picture
The pain reduction is real - about 30% improvement after 12 weeks [7]. But here’s the catch: people taking ginger were more than twice as likely to quit the trial as those on placebo. The tolerability issue is real for this use case. Start low and see if your stomach can handle it.
Ginger has an unusually strong paper trail - health authorities on three continents have formally recognized it, and the documented history stretches back over 200 years.
What’s remarkable here is how consistently the traditional uses line up with modern findings. TCM practitioners were using ginger for nausea and digestive complaints centuries ago. European herbalists landed on the same applications independently. Now clinical trials have confirmed these exact uses - that kind of convergence doesn’t happen by accident.
The WHO, German Commission E, European Medicines Agency, US Pharmacopeia, and British Herbal Pharmacopoeia all have formal monographs on ginger. The core approved uses across all of them: nausea (especially motion sickness), digestive complaints, and anti-inflammatory effects.
A note on preparation: Traditional medicine used dried rhizome, powdered or steeped as tea (~0.25-1g per cup). Modern clinical trials use concentrated capsules and extracts at 500-2000 mg. These aren’t equivalent - if you’re trying to match trial results, you’ll need the concentrated forms, not grandma’s ginger tea. The tea is fine for mild digestive complaints and general wellness, but it won’t deliver therapeutic doses for conditions like dysmenorrhea or chemotherapy nausea.
The right protocol depends entirely on what you’re trying to address. Ginger has strong evidence for several distinct uses, but the dosing, timing, and preparation vary significantly.
If you’re going through chemotherapy: Add 500-2000 mg daily ginger (capsules or powder) to your standard anti-nausea medications. Start before your treatment and continue throughout the cycle. This is exactly what achieved that 81% reduction in severe nausea [1].
If you’re pregnant and dealing with morning sickness: 750-2000 mg daily, spread throughout the day whenever you need it. Four trials found this significantly reduces both how often you vomit and how nauseated you feel [6]. Stick to standard doses - mega-doses haven’t been studied for safety, and let your obstetrician know what you’re taking.
For motion sickness: Take 500-1000 mg before travel, or use traditional tea (0.25-1g per cup). This is one case where the traditional preparation has regulatory backing - both German Commission E and the EMA approve it.
Take 750-2000 mg daily (split into three doses of 500-1000 mg) during your period. You have two options that both work:
Either way, you’re looking at meaningful pain reduction - not just statistically significant, but the kind of difference you’ll actually feel [2]. Try one protocol for a couple cycles and see how you respond.
This is for stopping a migraine in progress, not preventing them. Take 400 mg of standardized extract (5% gingerols) at the first sign of a migraine. You can combine it with an NSAID for better results [8]. On its own, ginger matched sumatriptan at 2 hours with fewer side effects [3].
As daily prevention, ginger didn’t beat placebo. Don’t waste your time there.
2g daily for at least 8 weeks. Set realistic expectations: you’re looking at about 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) of weight loss and a centimeter off your waist [5]. It’s real, but it’s modest. Higher doses didn’t work better, so don’t think you can speed things up by taking more.
480-2000 mg daily for 12 weeks. Start on the lower end. The pain reduction is real (about 30%), but here’s the thing - more people quit ginger than quit placebo in these trials because of stomach issues [7]. Your stomach might not tolerate it. Give it a couple weeks at a low dose and see how you feel.
For chronic conditions, if you’re not seeing any benefit by 4 weeks, you’re probably a non-responder for that use.
Before you start, get a baseline. A week of measurements gives you something real to compare against.
For nausea: How often does it hit? How intense (1-10)? Can you eat normally?
For menstrual pain: How bad was last month (1-10)? How many days did it last? Could you function?
For migraine: Pain severity at onset. How long until you can function?
For weight: Weigh yourself (same time, same conditions). Measure your waist. Don’t obsess over daily fluctuations - you’re tracking trends.
For arthritis: Daily pain level (1-10). How far can you walk? Morning stiffness - how long does it last?
Nausea: Does relief come within 30-60 minutes? Has frequency dropped? Can you eat more normally?
Menstrual pain: Compare this cycle to previous ones without ginger. Is the pain manageable enough to work, go about your day?
Migraine: Check your pain at 1 hour and 2 hours after taking ginger. Are you functional? Did you need rescue medication?
Weight: Track weekly, not daily. After 8 weeks, is the trend downward by 1-2 kg?
Arthritis: By week 12, is daily function improving? Are you reaching for less rescue medication?
Most people tolerate ginger well, but GI symptoms are common: bloating (about 15%), heartburn (about 13%), diarrhea (about 11%) [10]. These usually pass. If heartburn gets bad, reduce the dose or take it with food.
Stop immediately if you notice: allergic reaction signs (rash, hives, facial swelling, trouble breathing), unusual bleeding or bruising (especially if you’re on blood thinners), or severe dizziness.
You’re going through chemotherapy and want to reduce nausea beyond what standard meds provide. You’re pregnant and dealing with morning sickness (it’s considered safe at standard doses). You have painful periods and want something other than popping ibuprofen every month. You get migraines and want an acute treatment with fewer side effects than sumatriptan. You’re working on weight loss and want every modest edge you can get.
What successful users report: “Nausea improved within an hour.” “My period pain went from debilitating to manageable.” “Migraine was gone at 2 hours.” “Lost a few pounds over several months alongside diet changes.”
You want dramatic, rapid weight loss - you’re looking at 1-2 kg over 8+ weeks [5]. You have severe GERD - about 13% of people get heartburn from ginger [10], and you don’t need more of that. You want complete pain elimination - ginger offers reduction (about 30% in osteoarthritis [7]), not elimination. You want to prevent migraines - it works for stopping them, not preventing them. You hate taking pills multiple times a day - ginger’s short half-life means you need 2-3 doses daily for chronic conditions.
You have bleeding disorders or surgery scheduled within 1-2 weeks (precautionary - the antiplatelet effects are theoretical but worth respecting). You have active gallstones. You’re on blood thinners without medical supervision.
Pregnancy note: Considered safe for nausea at 750-2000 mg/day, but stick to standard doses and tell your obstetrician [6].
Drug interactions to watch: Blood thinners (monitor your INR), blood pressure medications (ginger can lower BP, especially at higher doses [9]), diabetes medications. Ginger is safe with chemotherapy - in fact, that’s where it shines [1].
Here’s the thing: the trials that showed 81% nausea reduction [1] and migraine relief matching sumatriptan [3] used pharmaceutical-grade products. Standardized extracts with 5% gingerols, or USP-grade powder with at least 1.5% volatile oils. What you grab off a random supplement shelf might not be anywhere close to that.
What to look for:
Why form matters for acute vs. chronic use:
Liquid suspensions absorb fastest - peak concentration in 30-38 minutes [11]. If you’re taking ginger for an acute migraine or sudden nausea, this gets it working quickly.
Standardized extracts and powders work well for most uses and are what the clinical trials used.
Traditional tea has the lowest bioavailability. Fine for general digestive wellness, but don’t expect it to match trial results.
Avoid products with: no standardization info, “proprietary blends” hiding actual amounts, bleached ginger (not medicinal-grade), or claims that sound too good to be true.
Ginger is unusually well-studied for an herb - we’re talking 100+ trials across multiple conditions, not preliminary research. And the results are clear: it genuinely works for some things, modestly helps with others, and isn’t magic for anything.
Where ginger really delivers: Nausea. Whether it’s chemotherapy (81% reduction in severe nausea [1]), pregnancy, or motion sickness - this is ginger’s wheelhouse. Menstrual pain is a strong second (meaningful reduction, not just statistical noise [2]). Acute migraine treatment rivals sumatriptan with fewer side effects [3].
Where it helps but don’t expect miracles: Weight management (1-2 kg over 8+ weeks [5]). Osteoarthritis (about 30% pain reduction, but watch your stomach [7]). Inflammatory markers (they drop, but whether you feel different varies [4]).
The honest limitations: For chronic conditions, effects are modest and take time. You need to commit to multiple daily doses because ginger doesn’t stick around long in your system. Your stomach might complain. It prevents nothing - works for acute treatment only.
If you decide to try it: Use standardized products, not whatever’s cheapest. Match your dose to what the trials actually used for your condition. Give it a fair trial (4 weeks minimum for chronic uses, 8+ weeks for weight). If you’re on blood thinners or have surgery coming up, skip it or talk to your doctor first. And if it’s not working by week 4, you’re probably a non-responder - move on.
This is a tool that works for specific things, not a cure-all. Know what you’re trying to achieve, use the right protocol, and track your results honestly.
Duration: 3-5 days per menstrual cycle for dysmenorrhea. Throughout chemotherapy cycle for CINV. As needed during pregnancy (but maximum safe duration uncertain). 8+ weeks for body weight management. 12 weeks for osteoarthritis. Acute dosing for migraine. For most chronic conditions, assess benefit at 4 weeks - if no response, likely a non-responder.
What to notice:
You're tracking: Does nausea decrease within hours of taking it? For menstrual pain, is intensity manageable compared to previous cycles without treatment? For migraine, are you pain-free or significantly improved at 2 hours? For chronic conditions like weight or osteoarthritis, track measurements objectively - effects are modest (1-2 kg weight loss, 30% pain reduction) not dramatic. Common side effects are mild GI symptoms: bloating (14.9%), heartburn (12.8%), diarrhea (10.6%) - usually transient and don't require stopping. What you won't see: immediate overnight changes for chronic conditions, dramatic weight loss, complete pain elimination. If severe heartburn develops, reduce dose or take with food.
Generally considered: safe
Contraindications:
Pregnancy/Nursing: Pregnancy: Considered safe and effective for pregnancy-related nausea/vomiting (4 trials analyzed). Adverse events generally mild and infrequent. Typical doses: 750-2000 mg/day divided throughout day. Important limitations: maximum safe dosage not fully established, appropriate duration uncertain, consequences of over-dosage unknown, potential drug-herb interactions require further study. Use standard clinical doses only, avoid mega-doses. Lactation: Limited specific data. Long traditional use (>200 years) with no documented contraindications, but modern clinical data sparse. Consult healthcare provider before use during lactation.
Overall well-tolerated with mild, transient adverse effects. No serious adverse effects in clinical trials up to 2.0 g/day (dose-escalation study, n=27). Most common side effects are GI: bloating 14.9%, heartburn 12.8%, diarrhea 10.6% - none required discontinuation in trials. Osteoarthritis concern: patients given ginger were more than twice as likely to discontinue treatment vs placebo (RR 2.33, p=0.04) - condition-specific tolerability issue. Comparative safety: ginger had fewer adverse effects than sumatriptan for migraine (n=100 trial). Drug interactions mostly theoretical: monitor patients on anticoagulants (warfarin, aspirin), antihypertensives (BP reduction of 6.36/2.12 mmHg at ≥3 g/day), antidiabetics (metabolic effects). Safe with chemotherapy in 35 RCTs. Short half-life (1-3 hours) and minimal tissue accumulation reduce toxicity risk. Animal studies: no toxicity up to 5000 mg/kg (70 g human equivalent - clinical doses <5% of this). Long-term safety: appears safe up to 12 weeks in trials, very long-term data (>3 months) limited. Children: EMA approved for motion sickness ages 6+, use age-appropriate doses with medical supervision.