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Ginger

Scientific names: Zingiber officinale, Amomum zingiber

Family: Zingiberaceae

Alternate names: African Ginger, Ardraka, Black Ginger, Cochin Ginger, Gan Jiang, Gingembre, Gingembre Africain, Gingembre Cochin, Gingembre Indien, Gingembre Jamaïquain, Gingembre Noir, Ginger Essential Oil, Ginger Root, Huile Essentielle de Gingembre, Imber, Indian Ginger, Jamaica Ginger, Jengibre, Jiang, Kankyo, Kanshokyo, Nagara, Race Ginger, Racine de Gingembre, Rhizoma Zingiberi, Rhizoma Zingiberis, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, Shen Jiang, Sheng Jiang, Shoga, Shokyo, Shunthi, Srungavera, Sunth, Sunthi, Vishvabheshaja, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zingiberis Siccatum Rhizoma, Zinzeberis, Zinziber Officinale, Zinziber Officinalis

Actions: Analgesic, Anthelmintic, Antibacterial, Anti-diabetic, Anti-emetic, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Anti-platelet, Blood pressure, Gastroprotective, Insecticidal, Lipid-lowering, Mutagenic, Respiratory, Sex hormone, Teratogenic, Weight loss

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Scientific names: Zingiber officinale, Amomum zingiber

Family: Zingiberaceae

View all 123 products

Background

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 menstrual cramps, osteoarthritis, and morning sickness. It is also used for diabetes, motion sickness, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses. There is also no good evidence to support using ginger for COVID-19.

Safety Safety definitions

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.

Effectiveness

NatMed Pro rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.

Possibly effective Effectiveness definitions

Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea). Taking ginger by mouth during the first 3-4 days of a menstrual cycle somewhat reduces painful menstrual periods. It seems to work about as well as some pain medications, like ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, or Novafen. Taking ginger along with medicines such as mefenamic acid also seems to be helpful.
Osteoarthritis. Taking ginger by mouth can slightly reduce pain in some people with osteoarthritis. But applying ginger gel or oil to the knee doesn't seem to help.
Morning sickness. Taking ginger by mouth seems to reduce nausea and vomiting in some people during pregnancy. But it might work slower or not as well as some drugs used for nausea.

Possibly ineffective Effectiveness definitions

Nausea and vomiting caused by cancer drug treatment. Taking ginger by mouth doesn't reduce nausea or vomiting caused by chemotherapy.
Muscle soreness caused by exercise. Taking ginger by mouth doesn't reduce or prevent muscle pain from exercise.
Motion sickness. Taking ginger by mouth up to 4 hours before travel doesn't prevent motion sickness.

There is interest in using ginger for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Dosing & administration

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.