Written by: Bianca Fontaine, McGill Faculty of Medicine

Quick summary: Ginger is the recommended supplement by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to help with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Ginger extract has been used for centuries as a natural pro-kinetic drug that has consistently been proven to be effective and safe in the treatment of nausea and vomiting. 

 Ginger (Zingiber officinale), a member of the Zingiberaceae plant family native to East and Southern Asia, has been used for centuries for culinary and pharmaceutical purposes, especially in China, Japan, India and Iran. Ginger has traditionally been used as a medicinal plant to treat indigestion, nausea, vomiting, asthma and coughs.

Modern medicine now uses ginger as a safe non-pharmacological treatment for nausea and vomiting. Ginger is the recommended supplement by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to help with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.

 Ginger has been extensively studied for the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP). Studies have demonstrated that Ginger is significantly effective in decreasing the number of vomiting episodes, as well as the severity and duration of nausea in pregnancy. The safety of ginger dosage has also been extensively studied. Studies have shown that 1000mg/day dosage or lower is a safe and effective dose that can be used without safety concerns in pregnancy[1].

 Ginger is increasingly being studied in comparison with the common pharmaceutical medication used to treat nausea and vomiting and has been found to be a safer alternative due to potential  serious side effects (sudden cardiac death) of synthetic medication (such as Metroclopramide, domperidone and Levosulpiride) in the elderly[2].

 Aside from its anti-nausea benefits in pregnancy and in the elderly, Ginger has been tested and shown to be effective against various different types of nausea such as post-operative nausea, seasickness,  morning sickness, nausea from cancer and chemotherapy-induced nausea[3].

 The medicinal uses of ginger are not limited to its anti-nausea benefits; ginger has anti-microbial, anti-pyretic (fever reducing), analgesic (pain relieving), anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects[4]. Its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties specifically, provide a potential mechanism for its proven benefits in treating common migraine attacks, reducing the symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) and to reduce menstrual pain[5].

 Ginger has been shown to be effective in treating both the mood symptoms (restlessness, irritability, sadness, etc.) and physical symptoms (headache, breast tenderness, muscle stiffness, etc.) of premenstrual syndrome[6]. Many studies have specifically shown that ginger is effective in reducing the incidence of headache and migraine exacerbation in PMS[7]. Ginger has also been shown to be effective in reducing nausea and gastrointestinal disturbances caused by contraceptive pills[8].

 Overall, ginger provides benefits to a wide-range of symptoms and conditions and may be used as a safe non-pharmaceutical supplement.

 Written by: Bianca Fontaine, McGill Faculty of Medicine

 

[1] Ebrahimi N, Maltepe C, Einarson A. Optimal management of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Int J Womens Health. 2010;2:241-248. Published 2010 Aug 4. doi:10.2147/ijwh.s6794

[2] Giacosa A, Morazzoni P, Bombardelli E, Riva A, Bianchi Porro G, Rondanelli M. Can nausea and vomiting be treated with ginger extract?. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015;19(7):1291-1296.

[3] Giacosa A, Morazzoni P, Bombardelli E, Riva A, Bianchi Porro G, Rondanelli M. Can nausea and vomiting be treated with ginger extract?. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015;19(7):1291-1296.

[4] Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian, Wenli Sun & Qi Cheng (2019) Clinical aspects and health benefits of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in both traditional Chinese medicine and modern industry, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 69:6, 546-556, DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2019.1606930

 

[5] Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian, Wenli Sun & Qi Cheng (2019) Clinical aspects and health benefits of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in both traditional Chinese medicine and modern industry, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 69:6, 546-556, DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2019.1606930

[6] Khayat S, Kheirkhah M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, Fanaei H, Kasaeian A, Javadimehr M. Effect of treatment with ginger on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. ISRN Obstet Gynecol. 2014;2014:792708. Published 2014 May 4. doi:10.1155/2014/792708

[7] Khayat S, Kheirkhah M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, Fanaei H, Kasaeian A, Javadimehr M. Effect of treatment with ginger on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. ISRN Obstet Gynecol. 2014;2014:792708. Published 2014 May 4. doi:10.1155/2014/792708

[8] Khayat S, Kheirkhah M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, Fanaei H, Kasaeian A, Javadimehr M. Effect of treatment with ginger on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. ISRN Obstet Gynecol. 2014;2014:792708. Published 2014 May 4. doi:10.1155/2014/792708

 

[1] Ebrahimi N, Maltepe C, Einarson A. Optimal management of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Int J Womens Health. 2010;2:241-248. Published 2010 Aug 4. doi:10.2147/ijwh.s6794

[2] Giacosa A, Morazzoni P, Bombardelli E, Riva A, Bianchi Porro G, Rondanelli M. Can nausea and vomiting be treated with ginger extract?. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015;19(7):1291-1296.

[3] Giacosa A, Morazzoni P, Bombardelli E, Riva A, Bianchi Porro G, Rondanelli M. Can nausea and vomiting be treated with ginger extract?. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015;19(7):1291-1296.

[4] Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian, Wenli Sun & Qi Cheng (2019) Clinical aspects and health benefits of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in both traditional Chinese medicine and modern industry, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 69:6, 546-556, DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2019.1606930

[5] Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian, Wenli Sun & Qi Cheng (2019) Clinical aspects and health benefits of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in both traditional Chinese medicine and modern industry, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 69:6, 546-556, DOI: 10.1080/09064710.2019.1606930

[6] Khayat S, Kheirkhah M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, Fanaei H, Kasaeian A, Javadimehr M. Effect of treatment with ginger on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. ISRN Obstet Gynecol. 2014;2014:792708. Published 2014 May 4. doi:10.1155/2014/792708

[7] Khayat S, Kheirkhah M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, Fanaei H, Kasaeian A, Javadimehr M. Effect of treatment with ginger on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. ISRN Obstet Gynecol. 2014;2014:792708. Published 2014 May 4. doi:10.1155/2014/792708

[8] Khayat S, Kheirkhah M, Behboodi Moghadam Z, Fanaei H, Kasaeian A, Javadimehr M. Effect of treatment with ginger on the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. ISRN Obstet Gynecol. 2014;2014:792708. Published 2014 May 4. doi:10.1155/2014/792708