Ginger

Ginger is the underground rhizome of Zingiber officinale, used both as a culinary ingredient and medicinally for thousands of years. The active compounds — gingerols, shogaols, and paradols — are well studied for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and prokinetic (motility-stimulating) effects.

Among herbal remedies, ginger has one of the strongest evidence bases. It is consistently effective for several types of nausea: morning sickness in pregnancy, postoperative nausea, motion sickness, and chemotherapy-related nausea (as an adjunct). It also speeds gastric emptying, which can help people with slow digestion or functional dyspepsia.

Evidence base

Multiple randomized trials and systematic reviews support ginger for nausea, with typical doses in the 1–1.5 g/day range (split across doses). For osteoarthritis pain, ginger extract has shown small-to-moderate benefit. For period pain, studies suggest it may match ibuprofen for some people. For digestive comfort and reflux the evidence is more mixed — most people tolerate it, but in larger amounts it can worsen reflux in some.

Dose and forms

Fresh ginger root, ginger tea, ginger ale (with real ginger), and standardized extracts all work. Practical guidance: for nausea, 1–2 g/day in divided doses. Pregnant people should stay under ~1 g/day and check with their clinician. Ginger has mild blood-thinning properties — high doses with anticoagulants or before surgery warrant caution.