Evidence review
Ginger for Nausea
Zingiber officinale
The short answer
Good clinical evidenceYes, for some kinds of nausea, and the evidence is strongest for morning sickness. Reviews of small trials find ginger eases pregnancy nausea more than placebo, and ACOG and NICE suggest it as a non-drug option, though its effect on vomiting is less certain and the trials are low quality. Results after chemotherapy and surgery are mixed, motion sickness studies are weak, and severe or persistent vomiting needs medical care.
7 key studies reviewed
Updated October 12, 2026
Key points
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01
Best evidence: morning sickness
Reviews of small trials find ginger eases pregnancy nausea more than placebo. ACOG and NICE suggest it as a non-drug option, but its effect on vomiting is less certain.
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02
Chemotherapy results are mixed
In a 576-patient trial, 0.5 to 1 g a day added to standard antiemetics eased day-one nausea, but other trials found no benefit and MASCC/ESMO made no recommendation.
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03
Surgery and travel: weaker support
Meta-analyses suggest ginger may lessen how bad nausea feels after surgery without clearly preventing vomiting. Motion sickness trials are old, small, and conflicting.
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04
Capsules, not ginger ale
Trials mostly used capsules of about 1 g a day. Ginger ale holds only very diluted ginger, ACOG advises choosing one made with real ginger, and the strength of tea is unknown.
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05
Heartburn, bleeding, and gallstones
Heartburn and stomach upset are common. Evidence of a warfarin interaction is weak, but MSKCC advises caution with blood thinners, gallstones, and surgery.
Ginger can help some kinds of nausea, and the best evidence is for nausea in early pregnancy. Several meta-analyses (studies that pool the results of several trials) find that women taking ginger, usually as capsules of about 1 g a day, report less nausea than women taking a placebo (dummy pill), and both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggest ginger as a non-drug option for morning sickness. The trials behind that advice are small, short, and of low quality, and ginger’s effect on vomiting is less certain than its effect on nausea. For nausea from chemotherapy or after surgery, trial results are mixed, and for motion sickness the studies are old, small, and contradictory.
Nausea is the queasy feeling that you might be sick; it may or may not lead to vomiting. It is a symptom rather than a diagnosis, with causes ranging from early pregnancy, travel, and stomach bugs to migraine, medicines, cancer treatment, and recovery from anesthesia. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is the knobby underground stem (rhizome) of a tropical plant and has long been used for an upset stomach. Regulators treat it differently by use: the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepts powdered ginger for preventing nausea and vomiting in motion sickness, but it does not list pregnancy nausea as an indication and, as a precaution, prefers that ginger medicines be avoided in pregnancy. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says ginger may help pregnancy nausea, that most motion sickness studies have not shown it to help, and that its value for chemotherapy and postoperative nausea is uncertain.
This page looks separately at each kind of nausea, because the evidence differs: pregnancy, chemotherapy, surgery, and motion sickness. It covers the products and doses tested, why ginger ale and candies are not the same as trial capsules, who paid for the key studies, and what is known about safety. Nothing here is medical advice. Nausea that is severe, lasts more than a day or two, or comes with other symptoms deserves a diagnosis, because it can signal dehydration, hyperemesis gravidarum (the severe form of pregnancy sickness), infection, poisoning, a head injury, or even a heart attack, and none of these is a job for ginger.
02 The trials
Key studies
The trials and reviews that carry the most weight for this question, with the product and dose each one tested. Results apply to the preparation studied.
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Viljoen et al., 2014
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials
- Who
- 1,278 pregnant women with nausea and vomiting
- What and how much
- Oral ginger in any form; most trials used powder capsules of 1,000–1,950 mg a day
- How long
- Trials of a few days to 3 weeks
In the two placebo trials that could be pooled, nausea scores improved 1.20 points more with ginger (95% CI 0.56 to 1.84); the fall in vomiting episodes was not significant (0.72, −0.03 to 1.46). No increase in miscarriage or heartburn. No competing interests declared.
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Matthews et al., 2015 (Cochrane)
Cochrane systematic review of all treatments for early pregnancy nausea
- Who
- 41 trials, 5,449 women (hyperemesis gravidarum excluded)
- What and how much
- Ginger products among many interventions, including acupressure, vitamin B6, and antiemetic drugs
- How long
- Pregnancy up to 20 weeks; searched to January 2015
Ginger may help, but the evidence was limited and inconsistent, though three recent trials favored it over placebo. Results could rarely be pooled, and no treatment had high-quality evidence.
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Ryan et al., 2012
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter; NCI-funded
- Who
- 744 adults on chemotherapy randomized; 576 analyzed
- What and how much
- Purified ginger root extract capsules (each equal to 250 mg of root), 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 g a day, plus a 5-HT3 antiemetic
- How long
- 6 days per cycle, starting 3 days before chemotherapy, for 2 cycles
All ginger doses together reduced day-one nausea severity versus placebo (p = 0.003); 0.5 g (p = 0.017) and 1.0 g (p = 0.036) did best, while 1.5 g was not significant on its own.
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Zick et al., 2009
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled; NCI- and NCCAM-funded
- Who
- 162 adults on chemotherapy who had nausea in an earlier cycle
- What and how much
- Ginger extract capsules (Pure Encapsulations), 1.0 or 2.0 g a day, with 5-HT3 antiemetics and/or aprepitant
- How long
- 3 days
No benefit for acute or delayed nausea or vomiting. People taking ginger with aprepitant had more severe acute nausea than those on aprepitant alone. Ginger was well tolerated.
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Tóth et al., 2018
Meta-analysis of 10 placebo-controlled randomized trials
- Who
- 918 surgical patients
- What and how much
- Oral ginger preparations with an explicitly described product, given around surgery
- How long
- Perioperative period
Ginger modestly reduced the severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting (SMD −0.247; −0.455 to −0.040), but the reductions in how often it occurred and in rescue antiemetic use were not significant.
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Vutyavanich et al., 2001
Randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled
- Who
- 70 women at or before 17 weeks of pregnancy (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
- What and how much
- Oral ginger, 1 g a day
- How long
- 4 days
Nausea scores fell 2.1 points with ginger versus 0.9 with placebo (P = .014), vomiting episodes fell 1.4 versus 0.3 a day (P < .001), and 28 of 32 versus 10 of 35 women felt better.
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Grøntved et al., 1988
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, at sea
- Who
- 80 naval cadets unused to heavy seas (Denmark)
- What and how much
- Powdered ginger root, 1 g single dose
- How long
- 4 hours of observation
Ginger reduced vomiting and cold sweating more than placebo (p < 0.05), but the differences in nausea and vertigo were not significant.
03 Evidence
What the research shows
Our rating for Ginger for Nausea, based on the studies below.
Pregnancy nausea has the most trials. In a placebo-controlled trial by Vutyavanich and colleagues (Obstetrics & Gynecology 2001), 70 women at or before 17 weeks of pregnancy took 1 g of ginger or placebo a day for four days; nausea scores on a visual analogue scale fell 2.1 points with ginger versus 0.9 with placebo, vomiting episodes fell by 1.4 versus 0.3 a day, and 28 of 32 women on ginger felt better, against 10 of 35 on placebo. Smith and colleagues (Obstetrics & Gynecology 2004) found 1.05 g of ginger a day equivalent to 75 mg of vitamin B6 over three weeks in 291 Australian women. Viljoen and colleagues (Nutrition Journal 2014), who declared no competing interests, reviewed 12 randomized trials with 1,278 women. Only two placebo trials reported nausea in a way that could be pooled; in those, nausea improved 1.20 points more with ginger, and the fall in vomiting episodes (0.72) narrowly missed significance. Hu and colleagues (Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine 2022) pooled 13 studies with 1,174 women and likewise found that ginger relieved nausea but not vomiting compared with placebo, with no significant difference from vitamin B6. An umbrella review (a review of reviews) by Tiani and colleagues (Advances in Nutrition 2024) found seven meta-analyses drawing on 22 trials; most showed less nausea with ginger, but the reviews were of critically low to low quality and the trials varied widely.
Independent reviewers and regulators are more cautious than the individual trials. The 2015 Cochrane review by Matthews and colleagues, covering 41 trials of every kind of treatment for early pregnancy nausea, concluded that ginger may help but that the evidence was limited and inconsistent, and that no treatment had high-quality evidence. EMA’s 2025 assessment found no pivotal study to support pregnancy nausea as a well-established use and judged five placebo-controlled trials to be of low quality, citing problems such as ginger biscuits whose taste could break blinding and high dropout. Guideline bodies have nonetheless judged the balance favorable. ACOG’s Practice Bulletin 189 (2018, reaffirmed 2024) states, as a Level B recommendation based on limited or inconsistent evidence, that ginger “has shown some beneficial effects in reducing nausea symptoms and can be considered as a nonpharmacologic option,” and lists ginger capsules, 250 mg four times a day, as a first-line non-drug option; it adds that in the reviews it cited, none of the trials showed a benefit for vomiting, although the Vutyavanich trial did report fewer vomiting episodes. NICE’s 2021 antenatal care guideline advises suggesting ginger to women with mild to moderate nausea and vomiting who prefer a non-drug option. For hyperemesis gravidarum, the evidence is one small 1991 Danish crossover trial in which 19 of 27 women preferred the period on 1 g of powdered ginger a day; Cochrane excludes hyperemesis from its review, and the condition needs medical treatment.
For chemotherapy-induced nausea, the largest trial is by Ryan and colleagues (Supportive Care in Cancer 2012), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and run through its community oncology program. It randomized 744 people, 576 of whom provided usable data, to placebo or 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 g a day of a purified ginger extract for six days around each chemotherapy cycle, on top of a standard 5-HT3 antiemetic (drugs such as ondansetron). Ginger reduced the severity of nausea on the day of chemotherapy, most clearly at 0.5 and 1.0 g; the highest dose was not significant on its own. A smaller trial by Zick and colleagues (Supportive Care in Cancer 2009), funded by NCI and NCCIH’s predecessor, gave 162 patients 1 or 2 g of ginger extract a day for three days and found no benefit for acute or delayed nausea or vomiting; people who took ginger with the antiemetic aprepitant had worse acute nausea. Marx and colleagues (Nutrients 2017) found better nausea-related quality of life in the first of three cycles in 51 patients taking 1.2 g a day of a standardized extract. Reviews disagree: Choi and colleagues (Nutrients 2022) found no significant effect on the incidence of nausea or vomiting across 23 trials, apart from less acute vomiting in a subgroup taking no more than 1 g a day, while Lin and colleagues (Cancer Nursing 2025) reported fewer severe episodes when ginger capsules were added to antiemetics. The 2023 MASCC/ESMO antiemetic guideline made no recommendation for swallowed ginger because the evidence conflicts. The Society for Integrative Oncology’s breast cancer guideline, endorsed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in 2018, says ginger can be considered alongside antiemetic drugs (Grade C, a small net benefit for selected patients), although ASCO noted that its own 2017 antiemetic guideline found the evidence insufficient for or against complementary therapies.
For nausea after surgery, meta-analyses have pointed in different directions. Chaiyakunapruk and colleagues (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2006) pooled five trials with 363 patients and found that at least 1 g of ginger lowered the risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting (relative risk 0.69), but Morin and colleagues (2004), pooling six trials with 538 patients, found a relative risk of 0.84 whose confidence interval included no effect and called ginger not clinically relevant. Tóth and colleagues (Phytomedicine 2018), with 10 trials and 918 patients, found a small reduction in severity but no significant drop in how often nausea and vomiting occurred or in the need for rescue antiemetics, and suggested the doses may have been too low. Lu and colleagues (International Journal of Nursing Studies 2022) found lower nausea scores at 2, 6, and 12 hours across 14 trials with 1,506 patients, again without clear effects on vomiting or rescue drugs, and a network meta-analysis by Zhao and colleagues (Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2023) of 18 studies with 2,199 participants found no ginger preparation better than placebo for nausea itself. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) advises against ginger supplements just after surgery because of a possible bleeding risk.
Motion sickness is the only nausea indication EMA accepts as well established, yet its own 2025 assessment calls the supporting studies weak by current standards and says the dose of 1 to 2 g was kept for regulatory consistency. In a Danish trial at sea, Grøntved and colleagues (Acta Oto-Laryngologica 1988) gave 80 naval cadets 1 g of powdered ginger or placebo; ginger reduced vomiting and cold sweating, but not nausea or vertigo significantly. In a Norwegian whale-safari study by Schmid and colleagues (1994), 203 of 1,475 evaluated tourists took 500 mg of ginger, and seasickness rates were similar to those with six motion sickness drugs, but there was no placebo group. In the laboratory, Stewart and colleagues (Pharmacology 1991) found that 500 mg or 1 g of powdered ginger, or 1 g of fresh ginger, gave 28 volunteers in a rotating chair no protection, while scopolamine did, whereas Lien and colleagues (American Journal of Physiology 2003) found that 1 or 2 g reduced nausea in 13 volunteers exposed to a spinning visual display. NCCIH says most studies of ginger for motion sickness have not shown it to help, and a 2026 article by Bond University evidence researchers in the Journal of Travel Medicine is titled “Evidence that ginger (Zingiber officinale) does not prevent motion sickness in adults.” Across all four settings, the open questions are the same: which preparation and dose work, whether ginger reduces vomiting as well as nausea, and how it compares with modern antiemetics.
04 In practice
How it was taken in studies
Most trials used capsules of dried ginger powder or extract, usually around 1 g a day in divided doses. In Viljoen’s review, eight of the 12 pregnancy trials used powder capsules giving 1,000 to 1,950 mg a day, one used ginger biscuits giving 2,500 mg, and others used a syrup or extract; ACOG’s algorithm lists 250 mg capsules four times a day. Viljoen’s analysis hinted that doses below 1,500 mg a day did better than higher ones, but only in comparisons with vitamin B6, not with placebo. In the Ryan chemotherapy trial, people took 0.5 to 1 g a day of a purified extract in two doses, starting three days before chemotherapy, and 1.5 g did no better. For motion sickness, EMA’s well-established dose for adults is 1 to 2 g of powdered ginger about an hour before travel, as a single dose. Its traditional-use monograph gives 500 to 750 mg half an hour before travel from age 12, or 250 to 500 mg for children aged 6 to 12, with a further dose every four hours on long journeys up to 2.5 g (or 1.5 g for children) a day. EMA does not recommend the higher well-established dose under 18 or any medicinal ginger under 6.
Ginger ale, candies, and tea are not the same as trial capsules. ACOG suggests ginger capsules, ginger candies, ginger ale made with real ginger, or tea made from freshly grated ginger for morning sickness, but the trials that support it mostly tested capsules. The Society for Integrative Oncology notes that ginger ale contains ginger only in very diluted quantities, and a laboratory analysis by Schwertner and Rios (Journal of Chromatography B 2007) found that the gingerol content of ginger spices, teas, and beverages varied widely. Even capsules differ: in a study of 10 ginger supplements by Schwertner and colleagues (Obstetrics & Gynecology 2006), 6-gingerol (a main pungent compound) ranged from none to 9.43 mg per gram, and suggested servings ranged from 250 mg to 4.77 g a day. Trial products also differed; Ryan’s capsules held a concentrated extract, each equal to 250 mg of root, so “1 g” on a label is not necessarily the dose a trial tested. No trial has measured how much ginger a cup of homemade tea delivers.
In the chemotherapy and motion sickness studies, ginger was started before nausea was expected, before a journey or in the days before chemotherapy, rather than once vomiting had begun. In pregnancy it is a reasonable first step for mild symptoms alongside small, frequent meals and plenty of fluids. If heartburn appears, a smaller dose or stopping makes sense. Ginger should be added to, not substituted for, antiemetics prescribed for chemotherapy, surgery, or pregnancy, and anyone on cancer treatment should tell their oncology team before taking supplements.
05 Caution
Before you try ginger
Ginger is generally well tolerated in trials, but it has predictable digestive side effects. EMA lists stomach upset, belching, indigestion, heartburn, and nausea as common, affecting between 1 in 100 and 1 in 10 people, and NCCIH adds abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and mouth and throat irritation. In the pregnancy trials pooled by Viljoen, heartburn was not significantly more common than with placebo. In the Ryan chemotherapy trial, nine people withdrew because of side effects judged related to ginger, including heartburn, bruising or flushing, and rash. People allergic to ginger should not use it; hypersensitivity is EMA’s only formal contraindication.
Pregnancy safety data are reassuring but limited. In the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, Heitmann and colleagues (European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2013) found that the 1,020 of 68,522 women who used ginger in pregnancy had no increased risk of birth defects, stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, or low Apgar scores, though the products and doses were not recorded. EMA notes 300 to 1,000 recorded pregnancy outcomes with no sign of harm to the baby but still considers it preferable to avoid ginger medicines in pregnancy as a precaution, and does not recommend them while breastfeeding. NCCIH says ginger supplements may be safe in pregnancy and to consult a health care provider, while MSKCC advises avoiding ginger supplements in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Viljoen’s review found no significant increase in miscarriage, but the estimate was imprecise (relative risk 3.14, 95% CI 0.65 to 15.11). The NHS advises checking with a pharmacist before taking ginger supplements in pregnancy, and it is sensible to agree a product and dose with your midwife or obstetric provider.
The bleeding concern is real enough to respect but weakly supported. Ginger inhibits platelets in laboratory studies, and MSKCC advises against ginger supplements with warfarin, other blood thinners, or NSAIDs, in people with bleeding disorders or gallstones (because ginger may increase bile flow), and for two weeks before surgery; it also notes that ginger may add to the glucose-lowering effect of insulin and diabetes medicines, with unknown clinical relevance. On the other hand, in a study by Jiang and colleagues (British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2005), a week of ginger at recommended doses did not change clotting or warfarin levels in 12 healthy men, and EMA judged the few case reports of bleeding with anticoagulants unconvincing and lists no known interactions. Some German ginger products nonetheless carry warnings about gallstones, bleeding tendency, and planned surgery. If you take an anticoagulant, an antiplatelet drug, insulin, or other prescription medicines, check with your doctor or pharmacist before using ginger capsules; ginger in food is a different matter.
Some nausea needs a doctor rather than a herb. The NHS advises calling for urgent advice if you keep being sick and cannot keep fluids down, have been vomiting for more than two days, or still have signs of dehydration after using rehydration drinks; ACOG lists dark urine, passing little or no urine, a racing heartbeat, and feeling dizzy or faint when standing as warning signs. Call emergency services or go to an emergency department for vomit containing blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, green vomit, a sudden severe headache or tummy ache, a stiff neck with pain looking at bright lights, possible poisoning, confusion, or nausea with chest pain or shortness of breath, which can signal a heart attack. Vomiting after a recent head injury needs urgent medical advice. In pregnancy, ACOG and the NHS advise contacting your provider if you cannot keep food or fluids down, are losing weight, feel faint, or have abdominal pain or fever, and nausea that starts after nine weeks may have another cause. Hyperemesis gravidarum affects up to 3% of pregnancies, according to ACOG, and needs medical treatment, sometimes in hospital.
06 Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
For many women it does, modestly. Small trials and several meta-analyses find that ginger, usually about 1 g a day in capsules, eases pregnancy nausea more than a placebo, though its effect on vomiting is less certain and the trials are of low quality. ACOG and NICE both suggest ginger as a non-drug option, and it performed about as well as vitamin B6 in head-to-head trials. If you cannot keep food or fluids down or are losing weight, contact your provider.
The evidence is reassuring but limited. A Norwegian study of more than 68,000 pregnancies found no increase in birth defects or other problems among 1,020 women who used ginger, and ACOG and NICE suggest it for morning sickness. EMA still considers it preferable to avoid ginger medicines in pregnancy as a precaution, and MSKCC advises avoiding supplements. Cooking with ginger is a food amount. Before taking capsules, agree a product and dose with your midwife or obstetric provider, especially if you take other medicines.
Trial doses depended on the type of nausea. Pregnancy trials mostly used about 1 g a day of ginger powder in divided doses, and ACOG lists 250 mg capsules four times a day. A large chemotherapy trial found clear benefits at 0.5 and 1 g a day of an extract, but not at 1.5 g. For motion sickness, EMA gives adults 1 to 2 g of powdered ginger about an hour before travel. More is not clearly better, and heartburn and stomach upset are common side effects. Check with your provider before using capsules alongside medicines.
Probably not much. Ginger ale contains ginger only in very diluted quantities, and a laboratory analysis found that the gingerol content of ginger drinks, teas, and spices varies widely. ACOG lists ginger ale for morning sickness but specifies one made with real ginger, and the trials behind ginger mostly used capsules. If you want to try ginger, a capsule with a stated dose is closer to what was tested. Either way, sipping fluids little and often, as the NHS suggests, matters more than the ginger in the glass.
The evidence is weak and mixed. EMA accepts 1 to 2 g of powdered ginger taken an hour before travel for preventing motion sickness in adults, but its own assessment calls the supporting studies weak. A 1988 trial in naval cadets found less vomiting and cold sweating with ginger, while a rotating-chair study found no protection, and NCCIH says most studies have not shown ginger to help. In that chair study, the prescription drug scopolamine did protect volunteers. Our nausea guide compares other options.
Possibly, as an add-on to standard anti-sickness medicines, never as a replacement. In a trial of 576 patients, 0.5 to 1 g a day of ginger extract reduced nausea on the day of chemotherapy, but another trial of 162 patients found no benefit, and ginger combined with aprepitant was linked to worse acute nausea. The 2023 MASCC/ESMO guideline made no recommendation because results conflict. Ask your oncology team first, because MSKCC flags a possible bleeding risk with ginger supplements.
07 References
Sources
These references support the claims on this page. They are not an endorsement of any product. The ginger monograph carries its own full source list.
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ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 189: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Obstetrics & Gynecology (PubMed 29266076), 2018
Level B: ginger has shown some beneficial effects in reducing nausea and can be considered a nonpharmacologic option; no trial showed benefit for vomiting; algorithm lists ginger capsules 250 mg four times daily; reaffirmed 2024.
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Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (patient FAQ), 2025
Suggests ginger capsules, candies, ginger ale made with real ginger, and fresh-grated ginger tea; dehydration warning signs; hyperemesis gravidarum in up to 3% of pregnancies; symptoms suggesting another cause.
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Antenatal care (NG201)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 2021
Recommendation 1.4.3: for mild to moderate nausea and vomiting in women who prefer a non-pharmacological option, suggest that they try ginger.
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Vomiting and morning sickness
NHS (UK National Health Service), 2024
Some evidence that ginger may reduce nausea and vomiting; check with a pharmacist before ginger supplements in pregnancy; when to seek help, including no fluids kept down for 24 hours, dark urine, weight loss, and vomiting blood.
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Diarrhoea and vomiting
NHS (UK National Health Service), 2023
Urgent advice if unable to keep fluid down or vomiting for more than 2 days; emergency care for vomiting blood or coffee-ground material, green vomit, sudden severe headache or tummy ache, stiff neck, poisoning, or confusion.
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Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (PubMed 26348534), 2015
Matthews et al.: 41 trials, 5,449 women; ginger may help but evidence limited and inconsistent, with three recent trials favoring it over placebo; no high-quality evidence for any intervention; no declared conflicts.
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A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting
Nutrition Journal (PubMed 24642205), 2014
Viljoen et al.: 12 RCTs, 1,278 women; nausea MD 1.20 (two placebo trials pooled); vomiting MD 0.72, not significant; most trials 1,000–1,950 mg a day; lower-dose advantage seen only versus vitamin B6; no excess miscarriage or heartburn.
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The Use of Ginger Bioactive Compounds in Pregnancy: An Evidence Scan and Umbrella Review of Existing Meta-Analyses
Advances in Nutrition (PubMed 39343171), 2024
Tiani et al.: seven meta-analyses of 22 independent trials; most found less pregnancy nausea with ginger and no significant adverse effects; review quality critically low to low; no conflicts reported.
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Safety of ginger use in pregnancy: results from a large population-based cohort study
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (PubMed 22706624), 2013
Heitmann, Nordeng, and Holst: 68,522 Norwegian women, 1,020 used ginger; no increased risk of malformations, stillbirth or perinatal death, preterm birth, low birth weight, or low Apgar score.
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Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces acute chemotherapy-induced nausea: a URCC CCOP study of 576 patients
Supportive Care in Cancer (PubMed 21818642), 2012
Ryan et al.: 744 randomized, 576 analyzed; purified extract capsules (Aphios) at 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 g a day for 6 days with 5-HT3 antagonists; day-one nausea reduced, best at 0.5 and 1.0 g; nine withdrawals for related side effects; NCI-funded.
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2023 MASCC/ESMO consensus antiemetic guidelines related to integrative and non-pharmacological therapies
Supportive Care in Cancer (PubMed 38102373), 2023
Molassiotis et al.: 39 systematic reviews assessed; no recommendation for ingested ginger could be made because of conflicting evidence; many underlying trials had major methodological flaws.
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Integrative Therapies During and After Breast Cancer Treatment: ASCO Endorsement of the SIO Clinical Practice Guideline
Journal of Clinical Oncology (PubMed 29889605), 2018
Lyman et al.: ginger and relaxation can be considered as additions to antiemetic drugs (Grade C, small net benefit for selected patients); notes the 2017 ASCO antiemetic guideline found evidence insufficient for complementary therapies.
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European Union herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma (Revision 1)
European Medicines Agency (EMA/HMPC/885789/2022), 2025
Well-established use of 1–2 g powder an hour before travel for motion sickness (not under 18); traditional doses from age 6; common GI side effects including heartburn; no known interactions; avoid in pregnancy as a precaution; not in lactation.
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Assessment report on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma (Revision 1)
European Medicines Agency (EMA/HMPC/765220/2022), 2025
Motion sickness studies weak, WEU dose kept for regulatory consistency; Schmid whale-safari study details; no pivotal pregnancy trial; anticoagulant case reports unconvincing; German labels warn on gallstones, bleeding, and surgery.
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Ginger
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH), 2025
May help pregnancy nausea; most motion sickness studies not helpful; uncertain for chemotherapy and postoperative nausea; side effects include abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea, and mouth irritation; supplements may be safe in pregnancy.
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Ginger
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, About Herbs, 2022
Avoid supplements with warfarin, other blood thinners, NSAIDs, bleeding disorders, gallstones, pregnancy, and lactation; stop 2 weeks before surgery and avoid just after; possible additive glucose lowering with insulin; bleeding case reports.