The ginger you buy is not a root. The part we eat is a rhizome, an underground stem. It comes from a plant in the family Zingiberaceae, the same family as turmeric and cardamom. Ginger is a cultigen, which means no wild form is known, and it most likely began as a crop in maritime Southeast Asia.
Fresh and dried ginger are different products. Fresh ginger is rich in gingerols, and heat or acid turns them into shogaols, the main compounds in dried ginger. One review argues that these shifts in processing are a reason why human trials of ginger disagree.
At kitchen amounts, ginger adds almost no nutrition. A tablespoon of fresh ginger (6 g) has about 5 calories and 0.1 g of fiber. No vitamin or mineral reaches 5% of your daily need.
The trials below mostly used 0.5 to 2 g of dried ginger powder a day in capsules. That is about a quarter to one teaspoon of ground ginger (a teaspoon weighs about 2 g).
Health benefits of ginger
The top findings from 29 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★★Less nausea in pregnancyPooled trials in pregnant women found ginger eased nausea more than placebo, but vomiting did not clearly change. Ginger worked about as well as vitamin B6.
- ★★Slightly milder nausea after surgeryPooled trials found nausea a little less severe than with placebo, and vomiting did not clearly differ. One review found 0.71 times the risk of needing a rescue anti-nausea drug, but another said that drop could be chance.
- ★★Less period pain than placeboGinger powder in the first days of a period eased pain (pain scores fell by 1.85 points). One review found it no different from ibuprofen-type painkillers.
- ★★Modestly less osteoarthritis painOral ginger reduced pain a little more than placebo in osteoarthritis. People taking ginger were more than twice as likely to stop treatment.
- ★★Lower triglycerides (a type of blood fat)Ginger supplements lowered triglycerides in pooled trials (by 17.59 mg/dL in one review). LDL and HDL cholesterol did not clearly change.
All 29 studies, strongest evidence first
Ginger eased nausea in pregnancy more than placebo, not clearly vomiting
This meta-analysis (a study pooling earlier trials) covered 12 randomized trials in 1,278 pregnant women taking oral ginger. Nausea scores improved by 1.20 points on average, but vomiting episodes did not clearly change. The benefit looked larger at under 1,500 mg a day (about three-quarters of a teaspoon of ground ginger). The authors rate the evidence as low quality, and ginger did not clearly raise the risk of miscarriage.
Ginger eased pregnancy nausea more than placebo, not clearly beating B6
This meta-analysis pooled 13 randomized trials in 1,174 women. Against placebo, ginger improved overall symptoms and nausea but not vomiting. Against vitamin B6 there was no clear difference on any measure, and the trials disagreed widely on vomiting.
Ginger worked about as well as vitamin B6 for pregnancy nausea
This randomized equivalence trial included 291 women less than 16 weeks pregnant. They took 1.05 g of ginger a day, a little over half a teaspoon of ground ginger, or 75 mg of vitamin B6. Over 3 weeks, ginger matched vitamin B6 for nausea, retching and vomiting. There was no placebo group.
Ginger made nausea after surgery milder, but not clearly less common
This meta-analysis pooled 10 placebo-controlled trials (918 patients) of ginger given by mouth around surgery. Severity scores fell by a small amount (a standardized difference, or effect size, of -0.247). The drops in how many people felt sick and in anti-nausea drug use could be chance. The authors suggest the doses may have been too low.
Ginger lowered nausea after surgery, and fewer needed rescue drugs
This meta-analysis pooled 14 randomized trials (1,417 people), comparing ginger with placebo. Nausea was less severe, and the risk of needing a rescue anti-nausea drug was 0.71 times as high. Nausea in the first 6 hours was less common (0.68 times the risk), but vomiting did not clearly differ (0.78).
Ginger cut acute vomiting odds by 60% in chemotherapy, in some trials
This meta-analysis covered 18 articles in adults having chemotherapy, and the authors point to differences between the trials. The 60% drop came from 3 studies (301 people) that used ginger for more than 3 days. They gave 1 g a day or less, about half a teaspoon of ground ginger. Overall vomiting, delayed vomiting, and the likelihood or severity of nausea showed no clear link with ginger.
Ginger capsules eased nausea severity on the first day of chemotherapy
This double-blind trial analyzed 576 cancer patients, all taking a standard anti-nausea drug. They took 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 g of ginger a day, or placebo, for 6 days, starting 3 days before chemotherapy. These doses are about a quarter to three-quarters of a teaspoon of ground ginger. Every dose lowered acute nausea, with the largest drops at 0.5 and 1.0 g.
Ginger powder early in a period eased period pain more than placebo
This meta-analysis pooled 4 placebo-controlled trials in primary dysmenorrhea (painful periods without another cause). They used 750 to 2,000 mg of ginger powder in the first 3 to 4 days of the cycle. That is about a third of a teaspoon to a full teaspoon of ground ginger, and pain scores fell by 1.85 points. Six of 7 trials reviewed had low to moderate risk of bias, and the authors call the evidence suggestive.
Ginger beat placebo for period pain and matched NSAID painkillers
This meta-analysis pooled 12 trials, from 24 reviewed. Pain intensity was lower than on placebo (standardized difference -1.13), though results varied a lot between trials (I2 of 81%). Ginger did not differ from anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (0.01), or from exercise. The authors note risk of bias and say safety data were rarely reported.
Oral ginger modestly reduced osteoarthritis pain compared with placebo
This meta-analysis pooled 5 placebo-controlled trials (593 people). Pain fell by a standardized difference of 0.30 and disability by 0.22. People taking ginger were more than twice as likely to stop treatment (2.33 times the risk). The authors judged the evidence to be of moderate quality.
Ginger capsules cut knee pain 7.88 mm on a pain scale
This meta-analysis pooled 4 trials in knee osteoarthritis (7 trials met the criteria). Knee function did not clearly change, and ginger applied to the skin did not beat standard treatment. The authors judged the evidence insufficient, heterogeneous and of poor methodological quality.
Ginger supplements lowered triglycerides by 17.59 mg/dL
This meta-analysis pooled 12 trials (586 people). Total cholesterol and HDL did not clearly change overall. In trials using 2 g a day or less (about one teaspoon), triglycerides fell by 38.42 mg/dL and total cholesterol also fell. Trials above 2 g a day showed no such effect, and the authors ask for larger, better studies because the trials differed a lot.
Ginger lowered total cholesterol and triglycerides, but not LDL or HDL
This meta-analysis pooled randomized trials. The pooled drops were a standardized -0.44 for total cholesterol and -0.61 for triglycerides. Changes in LDL (-0.34) and HDL could be chance. Triglycerides fell more in people with obesity or diabetes.
In type 2 diabetes, ginger lowered fasting sugar and HbA1c
This meta-analysis pooled 10 randomized trials of ginger supplements. The pooled drops were 18.81 for fasting blood sugar and 0.57 for HbA1c, and systolic blood pressure fell by 4.20. Blood fats did not change, and the trials disagreed widely, so the authors call for larger trials.
Ginger capsules had no clear effect on blood sugar in diabetes
This meta-analysis pooled 5 randomized trials in type 2 diabetes. Capsules of ginger powder were taken twice a day, 1.2 to 2 g a day in total, for 4 to 12 weeks. That is about two-thirds of a teaspoon to a full teaspoon of ground ginger. Two single trials found lower fasting blood sugar, but the pooled results for fasting blood sugar and HbA1c could be chance.
Raw or heated ginger cut post-exercise muscle pain by about a quarter
In two double-blind placebo-controlled experiments, 34 and 40 volunteers took 2 g of raw or heated ginger daily for 11 days. That is about one teaspoon of ground ginger, and they then did elbow exercises that cause soreness. Pain 24 hours later was 25% lower with raw and 23% lower with heated ginger. Effects on other measures were smaller.
Ginger supplements lowered weight 1.52 kg on average, low certainty
This meta-analysis pooled 27 randomized trials (1,309 adults). BMI fell 0.58 kg/m² and waist size 1.04 cm. Certainty was low for weight and very low for waist and BMI. The benefit looked largest at about 2 g a day (one teaspoon of ground ginger) and after more than 8 weeks.
Standardized ginger powder improved nausea-related quality of life in chemotherapy
In this double-blind trial, 103 adults starting moderately or highly nausea-causing chemotherapy took four capsules a day or placebo. The capsules held 84 mg of gingerols and shogaols in total, taken for 5 days in each of three cycles. Delayed vomiting was less common with ginger in cycle 2 (4% vs 27%) and cycle 3 (2% vs 23%). There was no effect on anticipatory or acute nausea and vomiting.
Ginger capsules did not reduce delayed nausea or vomiting from chemotherapy
In this placebo-controlled trial, 162 patients, all taking anti-nausea drugs, got 1 g or 2 g of ginger a day or placebo for 3 days. That is about half to one teaspoon of ground ginger. There were no differences in acute or delayed nausea and vomiting. People who took ginger with aprepitant had more severe acute nausea than those on aprepitant alone.
Ginger reduced nausea and delayed its start in a spinning-chair test
In this double-blind crossover trial, 13 volunteers with a history of motion sickness took 1,000 or 2,000 mg of ginger. That is half to one teaspoon of ground ginger. Ginger also lowered abnormal stomach rhythms and a hormone, vasopressin, and shortened recovery after the spinning stopped. It was a lab test, not travel.
1 g of powdered ginger reduced vomiting and cold sweating at sea
In this double-blind trial, 80 naval cadets unused to heavy seas took 1 g of powdered ginger root (about half a teaspoon) or placebo. They reported symptoms for 4 hours, and the protection index for vomiting was 72%. Nausea and vertigo were lower too, but not clearly.
Ginger did not prevent motion sickness in a rotating-chair test
In this trial, 28 volunteers made head movements in a rotating chair until they felt sick. Ginger powder (500 or 1,000 mg) and fresh ginger root (1,000 mg) did not help. The drug scopolamine allowed 147.5 more head movements than placebo.
Two ginger doses did not prevent nausea and vomiting after keyhole surgery
This randomized, double-blind trial included 180 patients having gynecologic laparoscopy (keyhole surgery). Ginger by mouth failed to lower the share of patients with nausea and vomiting afterward. The abstract does not give the doses.
500 mg ginger three times daily lowered period pain against placebo
This randomized trial took 120 students with moderate or severe period pain, and 46 on placebo and 56 on ginger root powder were analyzed. The 1.5 g a day is about three-quarters of a teaspoon of ground ginger. Pain severity was lower with ginger when started 2 days before the period or on its first 3 days. But pain duration only improved with the earlier start.
In migraine, ginger made being pain-free at 2 hours more likely
This small meta-analysis pooled only 3 randomized trials; ginger made being pain-free 1.79 times as likely. Pain scores at 2 hours were also lower, but there was no clear effect on treatment response (2.04 times, with a very wide range). Nausea and vomiting were less common with ginger. With so few trials, the result is tentative.
Ginger extract did not beat placebo across the whole study in osteoarthritis
This double-blind crossover study in hip or knee osteoarthritis tested ginger extract, ibuprofen and placebo, each for 3 weeks. For pain, ibuprofen ranked first, ginger extract second and placebo last. Ginger differed from placebo only in exploratory tests of the first period. This was a concentrated extract, not kitchen ginger.
Concentrated extract of two ginger species helped 63% versus 50% on placebo
This six-week trial included 261 patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis pain. It used a highly concentrated extract of Zingiber officinale and Alpinia galanga (galangal), far more than food holds. Knee pain on standing fell 24.5 mm vs 16.4 mm. More mild digestive side effects occurred with ginger (59 patients vs 21).
Older adults eating the most ginger had lower sarcopenia risk
This cohort followed 2,415 older adults in Tianjin, China, for a median of 4 years, with ginger intake from a food questionnaire. There were 426 new cases of sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength with age. The highest daily intake went with 0.66 times the risk, while the two middle intake groups showed no difference (0.97). The authors say the cause is unproven.
Ginger extract and 6-gingerol blocked an anti-nausea drug target in cells
This lab study used human 5-HT3 receptors grown in kidney cells and samples of human gut nerve tissue. Ginger extracts and the compounds 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol blocked the receptors at low micromolar concentrations. It may help explain the nausea results, but it was not tested in people.
Who should be careful with ginger
Most people can eat ginger freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The NHS says foods and drinks containing ginger may ease morning sickness. It advises checking with a pharmacist before taking ginger supplements. The European Medicines Agency advises against ginger herbal medicines in pregnancy and breastfeeding; that advice covers medicines, not cooking.
- Blood thinners. A review of 10 studies found mixed results on whether ginger affects platelets, so the effect is unclear. If you take a blood thinner and want ginger capsules, ask your clinic first. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises talking to your health care provider before using ginger if you take any medicine.
- Large amounts. Ginger by mouth can cause stomach discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea and irritation of the mouth and throat. In the 261-person knee trial above, a concentrated extract caused more mild digestive side effects than placebo.
How to choose, store and eat ginger
- Fresh: a tablespoon (6 g) has about 5 calories. Its main compounds are gingerols, and the raw-ginger experiment above used 2 g a day, about a teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Dried or ground: heat turns gingerols into shogaols, so dried ginger has a different mix. About half a teaspoon of ground ginger is 1 g, the dose in the seasickness trial of 80 cadets.
- Capsules and extracts: most trials used these, at set doses. Concentrated extracts hold far more than a meal, and none of the studies above used tea, candy or ginger ale.
Choose a large, firm, plump piece with visible bud nodes. Store-bought ginger may be treated to stop it sprouting, so pick organic ginger if you want to grow your own from it.
Sources
- Vomiting and morning sickness. NHS. Reviewed April 2024.
- Zingiberis rhizoma – herbal medicinal product. European Medicines Agency.
- Ginger. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH. Updated February 2025.
- Marx W, McKavanagh D, McCarthy AL, et al. The effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on platelet aggregation: a systematic literature review. PLoS One. 2015.
- Sang S, Snook HD, Tareq FS, Fasina Y. Precision research on ginger: the type of ginger matters. J Agric Food Chem. 2020.
- Ginger: 2023 Herb of the Year. Penn State Extension, Master Gardeners of York County.
- Spices, ginger, ground. USDA FoodData Central (a teaspoon is about 2 g).
History of ginger
Ginger began in maritime Southeast Asia. Austronesian peoples most likely domesticated it first, and their voyages carried it across the Indo-Pacific from about 5,000 years ago, as far as Hawaii. It probably reached India around 3,500 years ago.
The first written record in China is in the Analects, from the Warring States period (475 to 221 BCE). There, Confucius is said to have eaten ginger with every meal. In the year 406, the monk Faxian wrote that Chinese ships grew ginger in pots to prevent scurvy.
Traders carried ginger from India to the Middle East and the Mediterranean by about the 1st century CE. The Greek physician Dioscorides and the Roman writer Pliny the Elder both described it. Arab traders introduced ginger to the Mediterranean.
In 14th-century England a pound of ginger cost as much as a sheep. The Danish-Norwegian flagship Gribshunden, which sank in 1495, carried ginger along with cloves, saffron and pepper.
Ginger was smuggled to the Caribbean islands from Asia in the 16th century. By the end of that century it was the leading export crop on Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Sugar pushed it aside in the 17th century.
The English word dates from the mid-14th century and traces back through Medieval Latin and Greek to the Sanskrit śṛṅgavera.
Today India grows about 45% of the world’s ginger: 2.2 million tonnes of a global total of about 4.9 million tonnes in 2023. A 1998 review of ginger’s history and use notes that most people meet it as ginger sticks or ginger ale. Its main medicinal use today, the review says, is against travel sickness.
Sources
- Ginger. Wikipedia.
- Langner E, Greifenberg S, Gruenwald J. Ginger: history and use. Adv Ther. 1998.
- Sang S, Snook HD, Tareq FS, Fasina Y. Precision research on ginger: the type of ginger matters. J Agric Food Chem. 2020.
Frequently asked questions about ginger
Is ginger good for you?
It can help with some things, mainly nausea. A tablespoon of fresh ginger (6 g) has about 5 calories, 0.1 g of protein and 0.1 g of fiber. No vitamin or mineral reaches 5% of your daily need, so its case rests on compounds such as gingerols. Pooled trials found less nausea in pregnancy (a 1.20-point improvement) and after surgery. But none of the 29 studies here reaches strong evidence, and most tested capsules or extracts.
Does ginger help with nausea?
Often, but not every time. In pregnancy, 12 trials of 1,278 women found less nausea with ginger but no clear drop in vomiting. After surgery, one review found milder nausea, yet a trial of 180 patients found no prevention. For motion sickness, 1 g of ginger cut vomiting in 80 naval cadets at sea, but a 28-person chair test found no protection.
How much ginger can you take a day?
No daily limit appears in the sources used here, and the NIH and European Medicines Agency pages give no dose. Trials mostly used 0.5 to 2 g of dried ginger a day, about a quarter to one teaspoon of ground ginger. More was not clearly better: the pregnancy benefit looked larger under 1,500 mg a day, and triglycerides fell more at 2 g or less. Ginger by mouth can cause heartburn or diarrhea.
Is ginger safe during pregnancy?
The NHS says foods and drinks containing ginger may ease morning sickness. A review of 12 trials found no clear rise in miscarriage with ginger. The NHS advises checking with a pharmacist before taking ginger supplements. The European Medicines Agency advises against ginger herbal medicines in pregnancy and breastfeeding. If vomiting is severe, talk to your midwife or doctor.
Is fresh or ground ginger better?
Neither is clearly better, because they differ in chemistry. Fresh ginger is rich in gingerols, and heat or acid turns them into shogaols, the main compounds in dried ginger. In a muscle-pain trial, 2 g a day of raw ginger lowered pain by 25% and heated ginger by 23%. So heating did not weaken the effect there. Most nausea trials used dried powder.
Does ginger lower blood sugar?
Maybe, but the evidence conflicts. A meta-analysis of 10 trials in type 2 diabetes found lower fasting blood sugar and HbA1c. Another, of 5 trials of ginger capsules, found no clear effect. If you use diabetes medicine, talk to your care team before adding ginger supplements.
Is ginger good for weight loss?
Possibly a little, but the evidence is weak. A pooled analysis of 27 trials found an average loss of 1.52 kg with ginger supplements, rated low to very low certainty. A tablespoon of fresh ginger has only about 5 calories, so it adds flavor without adding calories. But no study here shows that cooking with it causes weight loss.
Does ginger help with period pain?
Probably somewhat. A meta-analysis of 12 trials found less pain than placebo and no difference from NSAID painkillers, though the trials varied a lot. An earlier review of 4 placebo-controlled trials used 750 to 2,000 mg of ginger powder in the first days of a period. That is about a third to a full teaspoon of ground ginger, and the authors note bias in the studies.