Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant whose underground stem (rhizome) is used as a spice and in traditional medicine. As a supplement it is mostly used for nausea and vomiting, and it is also promoted for menstrual cramps and osteoarthritis.
Also known as: Zingiber officinale, ginger root, ginger extract.
Ginger has no intake value or upper limit, and the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) does not give a standard amount. Products range from powdered root to concentrated extracts, so amounts are not comparable across products.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. There is no FDA-approved ginger drug.
NCCIH says research shows ginger may help with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, but most studies of motion sickness found no help, and it is uncertain whether it helps chemotherapy or post-surgery nausea. Ginger supplements might reduce the severity of menstrual cramps and might help knee osteoarthritis symptoms, though much of that research is of poor quality. The NCCIH page does not cover nausea from GLP-1 medicines; if nausea on a GLP-1 is persistent or severe, tell your prescriber.
Ginger has been used safely in many studies. Side effects can include abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea and mouth or throat irritation. NCCIH says to talk with your health care provider before using ginger if you take any medicine, and that little is known about its safety while breastfeeding.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for ginger that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator