Get medical help if oral ginger can cause stomach discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea, or mouth and throat irritation in some people.
Ingredient
Caution
Ginger
Zingiber officinale
Zingiber officinale rhizome, used as food and in oral supplements; exercise-soreness evidence is based on repeated measured intake and must not be generalized to an arbitrary tea or recipe dose.
Reviewed health uses
Menstrual cramps
Multiple randomized trials and meta-analyses suggest oral ginger preparations can reduce the severity of primary menstrual cramps. The evidence is encouraging but not strong enough to treat every ginger food or tea as an equivalent therapeutic preparation.
Mild nausea
Evidence is limited. Ginger has been studied for nausea, but the evidence currently reviewed here isn't strong enough to say that it reliably helps with mild nausea in general.
Minor muscle soreness
Small controlled studies suggest that taking a measured amount of ginger daily around a bout of unfamiliar eccentric exercise may modestly reduce next-day muscle soreness. A single 2 g dose taken after exercise did not provide rapid pain relief, so ginger should not be presented as an immediate rescue remedy.
Household preparations
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Fresh ginger infusion
A simple hot-water preparation that lets you adjust fresh ginger strength to taste.
Fresh-ginger snaps
Crisp-edged ginger cookies using both fresh and ground ginger for a pronounced ginger flavor.
Ginger vegetable stir-fry
A fast ginger-forward vegetable dinner with tofu as the default and chicken as an optional substitution.
Ginger-lemon infusion
Fresh ginger and lemon in a bright, easy hot-water preparation with optional honey.
Ginger-sesame dressing
A make-ahead fresh-ginger dressing for salads, grain bowls, noodles, and cooked vegetables.
Gingerbread date bites
No-bake date-and-oat snack bites with warm spices and a noticeable ginger note.
Ginger–honey fruit smoothie
A simple fruit smoothie with fresh ginger and optional honey.
Ginger–lemon–honey concentrate
A make-ahead refrigerator concentrate for stirring into warm water.
Ginger–thyme chicken soup
A ginger-and-thyme chicken soup for a warm, substantial meal.
Ginger–thyme chickpea & vegetable soup
A plant-based ginger-and-thyme soup with chickpeas and vegetables.
Honey–ginger baked pears
Warm baked pears flavored with ginger and a small amount of honey.
Honey–ginger overnight oats
A make-ahead breakfast with fresh ginger and a touch of honey.
Honey–ginger warm drink
A familiar warm drink combining honey with fresh ginger.
Safety information
Oral ginger can cause stomach discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea, or mouth and throat irritation in some people.
Get medical help if if you take medicines, ask a clinician or pharmacist before using ginger specifically for a health purpose.
Get medical help if pregnancy and breastfeeding guidance depends on the ginger product and preparation.
Get medical help if if you have gallstone disease, avoid using ginger specifically for a health purpose unless a clinician advises otherwise.
Get medical help if this MVP scopes medicinal ginger guidance to adults.
Pregnancy: Evidence and recommendations vary by product and preparation; pregnancy use requires preparation-specific review.
Breastfeeding: Safety information for medicinal ginger use while breastfeeding is limited and requires preparation-specific review.
Children: Medicinal ginger use in children and adolescents is indication-specific. The current EMA monograph does not recommend several medicinal uses below age 18 because adequate safety and efficacy data are lacking; for motion-sickness symptom relief, use below age 6 is not established. This MVP scopes ginger health guidance to adults unless a pediatric use is separately reviewed.