Plant Comparison
Tansy vs Ginger
A side-by-side comparison of two medicinal plants — every documented constituent, action, use, safety note and cited source, assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana database.
At a glance
Tansy and Ginger: they share 7 indicated uses (arthritis / joint pain, bloating, indigestion, …); 4 pharmacological actions in common.
Evidence face-off — shared uses
| Condition | Tansy | Ginger | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis / joint pain | 1/10 | 10/10 | Stronger for Ginger |
| Bloating | 1/10 | 10/10 | Stronger for Ginger |
| Indigestion | 1/10 | 10/10 | Stronger for Ginger |
| Inflammation (general) | 1/10 | 10/10 | Stronger for Ginger |
| Menstrual cramps | 1/10 | 10/10 | Stronger for Ginger |
| Muscle spasm | 1/10 | 10/10 | Stronger for Ginger |
| Skin irritation | 1/10 | 10/10 | Stronger for Ginger |
Evidence scores (1–10) are computed from the tier of each cited source. “Comparable” means the two scores are within one point. Follow a score to its detailed sources.
Key Constituents
Thujone is the neurotoxic, safety-limiting constituent responsible for tansy's real internal-use toxicity.
Contribute to the plant's bitter taste and antimicrobial activity.
The pungent phenolic constituents of the rhizome (notably 6-gingerol, which dehydrates to 6-shogaol on drying) responsible for ginger's antiemetic and anti-inflammatory activity; a standardized regimen of 84 mg/day gingerols/shogaols was effective against chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Pharmacological Actions
Traditional & Indicated Uses
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from digestive action
inferred from antimicrobial action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from antispasmodic action
inferred from antispasmodic action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from analgesic action
inferred from digestive action
inferred from analgesic action
inferred from digestive action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from antispasmodic action
inferred from antispasmodic action
Safety, Cautions & Contraindications
CAUTION: Tansy is considered toxic in medicinal doses and is NOT recommended for internal use. Thujone can cause convulsions, liver and kidney damage. Contraindicated in pregnancy (uterotonic and abortifacient). External use (as insect repellent) is generally safe. For information and historical reference only — do not use internally.
Duke (2002) rates tansy as ++ but emphasizes important safety concerns. The plant contains thujone (a neurotoxic ketone) and camphor, making it potentially toxic with internal use. Documented activities include emmenagogue, abortifacient (score 1), and insecticide. Duke strongly cautions against internal use except under professional supervision, noting that historical cases of tansy poisoning have resulted in convulsions and death. Topical use as an insect repellent is safer but should still avoid prolonged skin contact due to the essential oil's sensitizing potential. Strictly contraindicated in pregnancy (Duke, 2002).
Ginger is widely considered safe at culinary and conventional supplemental doses. At high doses (>5 g/day), ginger may cause heartburn, acid reflux, mouth irritation, and mild gastrointestinal discomfort. Ginger may modestly inhibit platelet aggregation and enhance the effects of anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin) — clinical significance at dietary amounts is low, but caution is warranted with high-dose supplementation alongside blood-thinning medications (Shalansky et al., 2007). May lower blood sugar — monitor closely if combining with antidiabetic medications.
Pregnancy: Ginger is among the most studied herbal remedies for pregnancy nausea. At doses up to 1 g/day, it is generally considered safe and effective for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), based on multiple RCTs. The EMA monograph supports its use for NVP. Avoid doses >1.5 g/day during pregnancy due to theoretical concern about anticoagulant activity. Breastfeeding: generally considered safe at food amounts; limited data for medicinal doses (European Medicines Agency, 2012a).
Duke (2002) rates ginger as a triple-plus herb (+++) with strong clinical support (score 3) for antiemetic activity, including motion sickness, morning sickness, and postoperative nausea, and score 2 evidence for dyspepsia, diarrhea, and inflammation. Typical doses are 2-4 g dry rhizome per day or 500-1000 mg fresh root three times daily; Commission E approves ginger for dyspepsia and motion sickness. Ginger has antiplatelet properties and should be used with caution alongside anticoagulant medications (Duke, 2002).
External Ids
Botanical Description
Aromatic perennial herb (Asteraceae), 50-120 cm tall, with erect, reddish, ridged stems. Leaves are finely divided, fern-like and strongly camphor-scented. Flat-topped clusters of small, yellow, button-like flower heads lack ray florets (petals).[11]
Rhizomatous perennial herb with narrow, lance-shaped leaves arising in two ranks from slender, reed-like pseudostems. Pale yellow-green flowers with purple markings are borne in a dense, cone-like spike on a separate short stalk arising directly from the rhizome, though ginger rarely flowers in cultivation. The branching, knobbly rhizome has a pale yellow interior and a characteristic pungent, spicy aroma.[1]
Habitat
Native to Europe and temperate Asia, widely naturalised elsewhere; grows on roadsides, waste ground, riverbanks and disturbed grassland.[11]
Believed native to tropical Southeast Asia; cultivated extensively throughout the tropics and subtropics (India, China, Nigeria, the Caribbean) in warm, humid conditions on well-drained, fertile soil.
Harvesting
Flowering aerial parts are cut in summer, when in full flower, and dried for external/historical use; given this plant's real toxicity (thujone content) at internal doses, this record does not recommend or describe internal harvesting for medicinal consumption.[11]
The rhizome is dug 8-10 months after planting, once the leaves have died back, for mature ('old') ginger with the fullest pungency, or earlier for milder young ('green') ginger; cleaned and used fresh or dried and ground.
Traditional Uses
Tansy has a long European history as a strewing herb, insect repellent and, historically, an internal vermifuge and emmenagogue, but its thujone and camphor content make internal medicinal use unsafe by modern standards. Today it is used, with caution, mainly as an external insect repellent; the traditional internal uses are recorded here for historical reference only, not as a recommendation.[11]
Ginger rhizome has one of the longest and most widespread medicinal histories of any spice, used across Chinese, Ayurvedic and Western herbal traditions as a warming digestive carminative, an antiemetic for nausea and motion sickness, and an anti-inflammatory remedy for joint pain; this traditional reputation is now supported by an extensive clinical evidence base, particularly for nausea (including pregnancy and chemotherapy-related) and osteoarthritis.[1]
Preparations
Dried rhizome powder or standardised extract, taken as capsules for nausea or joint-pain studies.
Dosage
Tansy is NOT recommended for internal use at any dose given its thujone content and documented toxicity (convulsions, liver/kidney damage) - internal use recorded here is for historical reference only. External use (e.g. as an insect repellent) should avoid prolonged skin contact. Educational reference only, not a prescription; strictly avoid in pregnancy.
Clinical trials for nausea commonly use around 1-1.5 g of dried rhizome powder daily, in divided doses (up to 1 g/day in pregnancy); osteoarthritis studies commonly use similar or somewhat higher doses. Educational reference only, not a prescription.
References
Not documented
Lookalikes Review
Dangerous Lookalikes
Not documented
Drug Class Interactions
Not documented
References & Sources
- Kowalonek, J., Stachowiak, N., Bolczak, K. and Richert, A (2023) 'Physicochemical and Antibacterial Properties of Alginate Films Containing Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) Essential Oil', Polymers, 15(2), pp. 260. doi:10.3390/polym15020260 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020260 - Ak, G., Gevrenova, R., Sinan, K.I., Zengin, G. and others (2021) 'Tanacetum vulgare L. (Tansy) as an effective bioresource with promising pharmacological effects from natural arsenal', Food and Chemical Toxicology, 153, pp. 112268. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2021.112268 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2021.112268 - Paderin, N.M., Saveliev, Y.N. and Popov, S.V (2020) 'The effect of pectin of tansy, Tanacetum vulgare L., on anxiety and overeating food rich in fats and sugars in mice in modelling binge eating', Voprosy Pitaniia, 89(6), pp. 14-22. doi:10.24411/0042-8833-2020-10074 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.24411/0042-8833-2020-10074 - Babich, O., Larina, V., Krol, O., Ulrikh, E. and others (2023) 'In Vitro Study of Biological Activity of Tanacetum vulgare Extracts', Pharmaceutics, 15(2), pp. 616. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15020616 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15020616 - Puk, K. and Guz, L (2021) 'Parasiticidal effects of Tanacetum vulgare extract against Ichthyophthirius multifiliis', Polish Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 24(1), pp. 159-161. doi:10.24425/pjvs.2021.136805 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.24425/pjvs.2021.136805 - Roman, H., Niculescu, A.G., Lazar, V. and Mitache, M.M (2023) 'Antibacterial Efficiency of Tanacetum vulgare Essential Oil against ESKAPE Pathogens and Synergisms with Antibiotics', Antibiotics, 12(11), pp. 1635. doi:10.3390/antibiotics12111635 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12111635 - Sukele, R., Lauberte, L., Kovalcuka, L., Logviss, K. and others (2023) 'Chemical Profiling and Antioxidant Activity of Tanacetum vulgare L. Wild-Growing in Latvia', Plants, 12(10), pp. 1968. doi:10.3390/plants12101968 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12101968 - Korpinen, R.I., Valimaa, A.L., Liimatainen, J. and Kunnas, S (2021) 'Essential Oils and Supercritical CO2 Extracts of Arctic Angelica, Marsh Labrador Tea and Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)-Chemical Compositions and Antimicrobial Activities', Molecules, 26(23), pp. 7121. doi:10.3390/molecules26237121 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26237121 - Jovanovic, M. and Poljacki, M (2003) 'Compositae dermatitis', Medicinski Pregled, 56(1-2), pp. 43-49. doi:10.2298/mpns0302043j Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.2298/mpns0302043j - Rohloff, J., Mordal, R. and Dragland, S (2004) 'Chemotypical variation of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) from 40 different locations in Norway', Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52(6), pp. 1742-1748. doi:10.1021/jf0352430 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1021/jf0352430 - Grieve, M (1931) 'A Modern Herbal'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=A%20Modern%20Herbal - Kivilaan, A. and Bandurski, R.S (1981) 'The 1879 Beal seed viability experiment', 68(9), pp. 1290--1292. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=The%201879%20Beal%20seed%20viability%20experiment - Orav, A., Raal, A. and Arak, E (2006) 'Essential oil composition of Tanacetum vulgare L', 20(12), pp. 1129--1142. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Essential%20oil%20composition%20of%20Tanacetum%20vulgare%20L - Duke, J.A (2002) 'Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, Second Edition'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Handbook%20of%20Medicinal%20Herbs%2C%20Second%20Edition - Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board 'Tansy Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)'. Available at: https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/tansy-ragwort Traditional / reference
https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/tansy-ragwort - Schneider, J. and Tsegaye, Y. and W/Tensae, M. and G/Selassie, S. and Haile, T. and Bane, A. and Ali, A. and Mesfin, G. and Seboxa, T (2012) 'Veno-occlusive liver disease: a case report', Ethiopian Medical Journal, 50 Suppl 2, pp. 47-51. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22946295/ Clinical study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22946295/
- Crichton, M., Marshall, S., Isenring, E., Lohning, A., McCarthy, A.L., Molassiotis, A. and others (2023) 'Effect of a Standardized Ginger Root Powder Regimen on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial', Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 124(3), pp. 313--330. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2023.09.003 Randomized trial
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2023.09.003 - Mathieu, S., Soubrier, M., Peirs, C., Monfoulet, L.E., Boirie, Y. and Tournadre, A (2022) 'A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Nutritional Supplementation on Osteoarthritis Symptoms', Nutrients, 14(8). doi:10.3390/nu14081607 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14081607 - Ali, B.H., Blunden, G., Tanira, M.O. and Nemmar, A (2008) 'Some phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe): a review of recent research', 46(2), pp. 409--420. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.085 Clinical study
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.085 - European Medicines Agency (2012) 'European Union herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma (Zingiberis rhizoma)'. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-monograph/final-european-union-herbal-monograph-zingiber-officinale-roscoe-rhizoma_en.pdf Traditional / reference
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-monograph/final-european-union-herbal-monograph-zingiber-officinale-roscoe-rhizoma_en.pdf - Huang, F.Y., Deng, T., Meng, L.X. and Ma, X.L (2019) 'Dietary ginger as a traditional therapy for blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis', 98(13). doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000015054 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000015054 - Marx, W., McCarthy, A.L., Ried, K. et al (2017) 'Can ginger ameliorate chemotherapy-induced nausea? Protocol of a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled trial', pp. 65. doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1571-z Randomized trial
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-017-1571-z - Mashhadi, N.S., Ghiasvand, R., Askari, G., Hariri, M., Darvishi, L. and Mofid, M.R (2013) 'Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of ginger in health and physical activity: a review', pp. S36--S42. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3665023/ Traditional / reference
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3665023/ - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (n.d.) 'Zingiber officinale Roscoe'. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:http://ipni.org:names:798372-1 Traditional / reference
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:http://ipni.org:names:798372-1 - Shalansky, S., Lynd, L., Richardson, K., Ingaszewski, A. and Kerr, C (2007) 'Risk of warfarin-related bleeding events and supratherapeutic international normalized ratios associated with complementary and alternative medicine', 27(9), pp. 1237--1247. doi:10.1592/phco.27.9.1237 Clinical study
https://doi.org/10.1592/phco.27.9.1237 - Viljoen, E., Visser, J., Koen, N. and Musekiwa, A (2014) 'A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting', 13(1), pp. 20. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-13-20 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-13-20 - Xu, Y., Yang, Q. and Wang, X (2020) 'Efficacy of herbal medicine (cinnamon/fennel/ginger) for primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials', Journal of International Medical Research, 48(6). doi:10.1177/0300060520936179 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060520936179 - Zhang, Y., Gui, Y., Adams, R., Farragher, J., Itsiopoulos, C., Bow, K. and others (2025) 'Comparative Effectiveness of Nutritional Supplements in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Network Meta-Analysis', Nutrients, 17(15). doi:10.3390/nu17152547 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152547 - Hu, Y., Amoah, A.N., Zhang, H., Fu, R., Qiu, Y., Cao, Y. and others (2020) 'Effect of ginger in the treatment of nausea and vomiting compared with vitamin B6 and placebo during pregnancy: a meta-analysis', Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, 35(1), pp. 187--196. doi:10.1080/14767058.2020.1712714 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2020.1712714 - Huang, F.Y., Deng, T., Meng, L.X. and Ma, X.L (2019) 'Dietary ginger as a traditional therapy for blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis', Medicine (Baltimore), 98(13). doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000015054 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000015054 - Duke, J.A (2002) 'Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, Second Edition'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Handbook%20of%20Medicinal%20Herbs%2C%20Second%20Edition - Jiang, X., Williams, K.M., Liauw, W.S., Ammit, A.J., Roufogalis, B.D., Duke, C.C., Day, R.O. and McLachlan, A.J (2005) 'Effect of ginkgo and ginger on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of warfarin in healthy subjects', British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 59(4), pp. 425-432. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2005.02322.x Randomized trial
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2005.02322.x
Generated automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database and its cited sources. For educational purposes only — not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants.