Digestive stimulant, Antiemetic, Anti-inflammatory, Prokinetic, Antimicrobial, Antispasmodic
Terpenoids, Phenolics, Essential oils
This Site is for Educational Use Only: The information on this page is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. I am not a licensed medical professional. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any medicinal plants, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition.
I use ginger as a tea for nausea and bloating, and just as often in cooking. Which is one of the things I love about it. It's one of those plants where the medicinal and the culinary overlap so naturally that you can be dosing yourself without even thinking about it. Ginger has been used in both cooking and medicine for over 3,000 years across cultures, which at this point is less a fun fact and more a pretty strong endorsement.
The headline benefit you'll see everywhere is anti-inflammatory. Ginger has the ability to inhibit prostaglandin biosynthesis. Now before your eyes glaze over, that's basically the process of converting fatty acids into lipid compounds that regulate inflammation in the body. Blocking that process = less inflammation. That mechanism is also part of why ginger may support circulation and blood flow, since inflammation and vascular function are closely connected.
Ginger is also a meaningful source of zinc, which matters more than it might sound. Zinc is essential to immune function, and I'm of the personal opinion that getting micronutrients from whole food sources rather than a synthetic supplement your body may or may not actually absorb is much better when you have the option. Ginger gives you a legitimate reason to cook with it beyond the fact that it's delicious.
Ginger qualifies on the antioxidant front too, but the preparation actually matters. According to Dr. Donna Beydoun Mazzola, antioxidant activity is highest in dried ginger and lowest in fresh. So if antioxidant benefit is your primary goal, reach for dried or powdered over fresh root. If you're making ginger tea for nausea or bloating, fresh works fine... just know you're working with a slightly different profile.
Other proposed uses worth knowing about: intestinal permeability support, gas relief, and improved circulation. In general, ginger is one of those plants that shows up across a wide range of body systems, which is probably why it's never gone out of style in thousand of years of use.
Safety note: Ginger is well-tolerated for most people, but if you're pregnant, keep doses small and run it by your provider before making it a daily thing. The research on ginger and pregnancy nausea is actually fairly positive at low doses, but "fairly positive at low doses" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Moderation and practitioner guidance recommended.
Ginger on Human Health: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of 109 Randomized Controlled Trials https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7019938/
Health benefits of ginger and simple ways to incorporate this zesty root into your diet https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging-and-longevity/health-benefits-of-ginger-and-simple-ways-to-incorporate-this-zesty-root-into-your-diet
Ginger Benefits https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ginger-benefits
Immunity Boosting Foods by Donna Beydoun Mazzola, PhD.
Disclaimer: The content on this website is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. No provider-patient relationship is created by use of this site. The author makes no representations regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information and assumes no liability for any adverse effects resulting from the use of plants or remedies described herein.
Who wrote it? What are their credentials? Who published it and why? A wellness blog and a peer-reviewed journal are not the same thing, even when they say the same words. Always click through to the original source.
Science updates over time. A 2003 study on a supplement may have been contradicted twelve times since. Always look for the publication date and whether newer research exists. "Studies show" means nothing without a timestamp.
Who funded the study? A supplement company funding research on their own supplement is a conflict of interest. It's not automaticly a disqualification, but worth noting. Look for the "funding" or "disclosures" section of any study you read.
Not all research is equal. A randomized controlled trial carries more weight than a case study or an animal study. "A study found..." could mean ten people in a lab or a decade-long population study. The difference matters enormously.
If only one source is saying something, be skeptical. If ten independent sources across different institutions, different countries, different decades are saying the same thing, you're getting warmer. Consensus is earned, not declared. Studies should be peer reviewed.
The National Institutes of Health database (PubMed) is free and searchable. Examine.com aggregates supplement research without selling anything. Both are significantly more reliable than any wellness influencer, including me.
