Are you constantly bugged by bouts of nausea? Did you know that ginger is effective for easing nausea and vomiting? It has a wide range of health benefits, and one of them is its ability to relieve this problem. Whether the nausea you experience is caused by medical treatment such as chemotherapy or motion sickness, morning sickness, migraines or certain foods that you eat, this herb is highly effective in reducing it. While ginger supplements are most commonly used to treat nausea (1), you can also use it in crystallized, fresh or dried form as well.
While it is not exactly known how ginger works to relieve nausea, researchers believe that certain chemicals that ginger contains may have an effect on the stomach, intestines and nervous system to help in reducing it. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) places ginger supplements on the list of foods that are “possibly effective” for the prevention of morning sickness and control of nausea that follows surgery.
According to a report on an analysis of six clinical trials, it was found that ginger was similar to Vitamin B6 and superior to placebo in providing relief from nausea and vomiting experienced by pregnant women (2). In addition, another report of five clinical trials concluded that consuming ginger is more effective in relieving post-surgery nausea and vomiting when compared to placebo.
The National Institutes of Health also places ginger supplements on the list of foods that are considered “possibly effective” for the prevention of seasickness and motion sickness. The results of the studies vary. While some small studies showed that these supplements help in treating and preventing motion sickness to a certain degree, there are others that show that they have very little effect on this problem.
According to studies, taking ginger with standard anti-nausea medications may help in the further reduction or elimination of nausea and vomiting during and after treatments with chemotherapy (3).
There are results from two studies that show that adults who were given ginger in various doses before starting the chemotherapy treatments found a significant reduction in the severity of the nausea they experienced. In these studies, the subjects were given this herb three days prior to their treatments. It was administered orally along with the standard prescription medications used for relieving nausea and vomiting. A small percentage of the participants reported side-effects such as heartburn, rashes, flushing, and bruising.
In another study, it was found that taking ginger in the powdered form (4) could effectively reduce the severity of nausea induced by chemotherapy in children and young adults aged between 8 and 21. Like in the other studies, the participants were given ginger in addition to the standard medications that are prescribed to reduce nausea.
In the largest study to date that was conducted to evaluate the benefits of ginger for patients going through chemotherapy, it was found that just one-quarter of a teaspoon of ginger can lower the symptoms of nausea by 40 percent. The study involved 644 participants who were randomly assigned to receive 0.5 grams, 1.0 grams or 1.5 grams of ginger in capsule form or placebo once per day for six days (5). They were given these doses three days before the first day of chemotherapy. They were all also given the traditional drugs prescribed for the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Human studies suggest that a daily dose of 1 gram of ginger may decrease nausea and vomiting in pregnant women, when it is used for short periods of time, i.e., not more than 4 days. There have been several studies that show that this herb is more effective than placebo in relieving morning sickness.
In a small study, 30 pregnant women who experienced severe vomiting were given 1 gram of ginger daily for four days. The results reported that these women gained more relief from vomiting than the women who were given the placebo. In a larger study that had 70 pregnant women who experienced nausea and vomiting, it was found that those who were given the same dose of ginger had reduced nausea and did not vomit as much as those who were given placebo (6).
Experts advise pregnant women to consult their health care providers before taking ginger to relieve pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting and not to exceed 1 gram per day.
The results of studies are mixed when it comes to whether ginger can effectively relieve the nausea and vomiting that occurs after surgery. According to two studies, it was found that taking 1 gram of root ginger before surgery helped in reducing nausea as effectively as a leading medication (7). In one out of the two studies, women who were given ginger required fewer medications for nausea after going through a surgical procedure.
However, in other studies, it was found that ginger did not help at all in reducing nausea (8). In fact, according to one study, this herb may actually cause an increase in vomiting after surgery. Needless to say, more research is required.
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