Omnia SanaCommon names in 20 European languages →
The complete database record: 1 documented constituent, 5 pharmacological actions, 12 traditional / indicated uses, with 17 cited sources.
Botanical Description
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 & Distribution
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
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.
Key Constituents
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 analgesic action
inferred from digestive action
more plants for cardiovascular / heart health →detailed sources →
inferred from analgesic action
inferred from digestive action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from antispasmodic action
inferred from antispasmodic action
Traditional Use & History
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
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.
Safety, Cautions & Contraindications
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).
Herb-Drug Interactions
Harvest Readiness
[3]
[3]
External Identifiers
References & Sources
- 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 - Fern, Ken 'Zingiber officinale (Useful Tropical Plants)'. Available at: https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Zingiber+officinale Traditional / reference
https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Zingiber+officinale - 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
Selected studies & references
All 17 studies in the Knowledge Finder →
This profile is assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database, which we curate by hand. How this site is built.