Real trial evidence for nausea — the most useful kitchen rhizome in the handbook. — Zingiber officinale
remedyGinger Zingiber officinale — hand-drawn plate, stylised. Not for identification — use a field guide and verify with a second source before eating any wild plant.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is the best-evidenced kitchen rhizome here: randomised trials support it for nausea and vomiting, including motion sickness, post-operative nausea and morning sickness in pregnancy — one of very few herbs with trial evidence in pregnancy.
What it does and does not do. Ginger is a prokinetic and anti-emetic; it works best taken before the nausea starts. It is effective for motion sickness and for pregnancy nausea. It is not a treatment for the cause of vomiting — an obstruction, an infection or a neurological problem all cause vomiting and none of them is treated by ginger.
Pregnancy is the specific case where it is both useful and where dose matters. Ginger has trial evidence for morning sickness and is generally considered acceptable in pregnancy at culinary to moderate doses. The caution is the same as for all anti-emetics in pregnancy: hyperemesis — inability to keep fluids down — is a medical emergency, not a ginger problem.
The antiplatelet caution applies, so it matters alongside anticoagulants.
Grow it as a warm-season container crop in this climate — see the roots and rhizomes page.
What the studies found
Meta-Analysis2025Cancer nursing
Efficacy and Safety of Ginger on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Our findings indicate that ginger capsules, when used alongside antiemetic drugs, enhance the management of severe CINV, particularly in highly emetogenic chemotherapy regimens.
The efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
However, due to the low quality of existing RCTs, more RCTs with large sample sizes are needed to validate this conclusion in the future.
Effects of Ginger Intake on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.
Therefore, it will be necessary to conduct additional studies with sufficient sample sizes using high-quality RCTs to evaluate the effects of ginger supplementations based on the results of this study.
Meta-Analysis2022The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
Effect of ginger in the treatment of nausea and vomiting compared with vitamin B6 and placebo during pregnancy: a meta-analysis.
Ginger supplementation significantly relieve general NVP symptom and nausea compared with placebo, but no significant effect on vomiting.
Meta-Analysis2020The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
Oral galactagogues (natural therapies or drugs) for increasing breast milk production in mothers of non-hospitalised term infants.
Due to extremely limited, very low certainty evidence, we do not know whether galactagogues have any effect on proportion of mothers who continued breastfeeding at 3, 4 and 6 months.
Meta-Analysis2015The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.
Given the high prevalence of nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy, women and health professionals need clear guidance about effective and safe interventions, based on systematically reviewed evidence.
| | |
|---|---|
| Life | Tropical perennial; annual here |
| Propagation | Rhizome pieces with a visible eye |
| Light | Sun to part shade |
| Soil | Rich, moist, well drained |
| Season | Needs warmth; start indoors, plant out warm |
| Harvest | End of season; lift before frost |
| Dry | Slice and dry, or use fresh |
Grow it in a large container you can move. Save a rhizome indoors over winter to replant.
Preparation
Fresh rhizome — grated or sliced into tea, food, or chewed.
Tea — 2-3 slices fresh, or 0.5-1 teaspoon dried powder, steeped 10 minutes. Take 30-60 minutes before travel for motion sickness.
Dried ginger powder — the trials used around 1 g. Convenient and standardised by weight.
Candied or in food — pleasant and effective.
For pregnancy nausea — small, frequent doses with food; discuss with the midwife or clinician.
Cautions and interactions
Ginger has antiplatelet activity — check with the prescriber if on anticoagulants.
Not a treatment for the cause of vomiting.
In pregnancy, hyperemesis — unable to keep fluids down — is a medical emergency, not a ginger problem.
High doses may cause heartburn or GI upset.
Avoid high doses with gallstones.
When this is not a self-care problem — get help
Vomiting blood, or vomiting with severe abdominal pain, a severe headache, a stiff neck or after a head injury — emergency care.
In pregnancy: unable to keep fluids down for 24 hours, weight loss, or dark scanty urine — urgent medical care.
Signs of dehydration — dizziness on standing, very dark urine, confusion — urgent care.
Efficacy and Safety of Ginger on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Cancer nursing 2025; doi:10.1097/NCC.0000000000001355 PubMed 38625733
The efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in public health 2023; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00344.2004 PubMed 36969661
Effects of Ginger Intake on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Nutrients 2022; doi:10.1016/j.cbi.2010.02.017 PubMed 36501010
Effect of ginger in the treatment of nausea and vomiting compared with vitamin B6 and placebo during pregnancy: a meta-analysis. The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians 2022; doi:10.1080/14767058.2020.1712714 PubMed 31937153
Oral galactagogues (natural therapies or drugs) for increasing breast milk production in mothers of non-hospitalised term infants. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2020; doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011505 PubMed 32421208
Interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2015; doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007575.pub3 PubMed 26348534