Synonyms/Common Names/Related Substances:

• (+)-germacrene D synthase, 1-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-2-nonadecen-1-one, 1-(4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3-methoxyphenyl)-3,5-dihydroxydecane, 1,7-bis-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-3-hydroxy-5-acetoxyheptane, 1,7-bis-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-5-methoxyheptan-3-one, 1-dehydrogingerdione, 1-hydroxy-[6]-paradol, 3-acetoxy-[4]-gingerdiol, 3-acetoxydihydro-[6]-paradol methyl ether, 5-acetoxy-3-deoxy-[6]-gingerol, 5-acetoxy-[6]-gingerdiol (stereoisomer), 5-methoxy-[n]-gingerols, 5-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)decane, 6-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-2-nonyl-2-hydroxytetrahydropyran, 6-dehydro-[6]-gingerol, 6-dehydrogingerdione, 6-gingerdiol, 6-gingerol, 8- gingerol, 10-gingerol, 6-gingesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-[n]-shogaol, [6]-isoshogaol, 6-paradol, 6-shogaol, 8-shogaol, and 10-shogaol, acetoxy-3-dihydrodemethoxy-[6]-shogaol, aadaa (Assamese, Bengali), adarak (Hindi), adrak (Urdu), adraka (Urdu), adruka (Hindi), aduvaa (Nepalese), African ginger, allaama (Telugu), allaamu (Telugu), alpha-curcumene, alpha-zingiberene, Amomum zingiber L., beta-pinene, beta-sesquiphellandrene, bisabolene, black ginger, bordia, calcium, cây gung (Vietnamese), Chayenne ginger, cochin ginger, curcumene, curcumin, diacetoxy-[8]-gingerdiol, diarylheptanoids, EV.EXT35, galanolactone, gan jiang (Chinese), gember (Dutch), gengibre (Portuguese), geranial, geranyl 6-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, geranyl 6-O-beta-D-apiofuranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, geranyl 6-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, gingembre (French), ginger BP, ginger oil, ginger oleoresin, ginger power BP, ginger proteases, ginger root, ginger trips, gingerall, gingerglycolipid A, gingerglycolipid B, gingerglycolipid C, gingerly, gingerols, gingesulfonic acid, green ginger, g?ng (Vietnamese), gyömbér (Hungarian), halia (Malay), imber (Slovenian), Inbwer (German), ingefaer (Danish, Norwegian), ingefära (Swedish), inguru (Sinhalese), Ingwer (German), inji (Tamil), inkivääri (Finnish), iron, jahe (Malay - Indonesia, Sundanese), jahya (Malay - Bali), Jamaica ginger, jamveel (Persian), jengibre (Spanish), jhai (Madurese), jiang (Chinese), kankyo, khing (Laotian, Thai), lahya (Malay - Bali), methyl [4]-shogaol, methyl [6]-isogingerol, methyl [8]-paradol, methyl diacetoxy-[8]-gingerdiol, Myanmar ginseng, oleoresins, race ginger, rhizoma zingeberis, (R)-linalool, saeng gang (Korean), sheng jiang (Chinese), shogasulfonic acid, shokyo (Japanese), shouga (Japanese), shukku (Tamil), sindhi (Hindi), sonth (Hindi), sonthi (Telugu), tangawizi (Swahili), terpinolene, vanillyl ketones, vanillylacetone, verma, Z. officinale Roscoe, Z. zerumbet Smith, zanjabil (Persian), zencebil (Turkish), zencefil (Turkish), zentzephil (Turkish), zenzero (Italian), zenzevero (Italian), zerzero, zingerone, zingibain, zingiberene, Zingiber blancoi Massk, Zingiber capitatum, Zingibermajus Rumph., Zingiber zerumbet Smith, Zingiberis rhizome, Zintona® EC.
• Combination product examples: NT (dietary herbal supplement made from ginger, rhubarb, astragalus, red sage, and turmeric, combined with gallic acid), GelStat Migraine® (combination of ginger and feverfew), Zinopin® (combination of Pycnogenol® and standardized ginger root extract), Hochu-ekki-to (combination of astragalus root, licorice (liquorice), jujube, ginseng, white Atractylodes rhizome, fresh ginger, and Chinese angelica root), Zhengchaihu Yin (combination of six traditional Chinese medicines including Chinese thorowax, orange peel, root of fangfeng, Chinese herbaceous peony, licorice root, and ginger), Keishi-ka-kei-to, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine composed of a mixture of crude extracts from five medicinal plants (Cinnamomi cortex, Paeoniae radix, Zizyphi fructus, Zingiberis rhizome, and Glycyrrhizae radix), Goshuyuto (Evodiae fructus, Zingiberis rhizoma, Zizyphi fructus, and Ginseng radix), Zinopin® (Pycnogenol® and Standardized Ginger Extract).
• Note: Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) is the official drug mentioned in various pharmacopoeias (Chinese, Japanese, British, Indian, etc.). Other Zingiber species such as Zingiber zerumbet, Zingiber cassumunar, Zingiber capitatum, Zingiber blancoi, and Zingiber majus also share some common medicinal properties and uses with Zingiber officinale but are very different species from the official ginger, with different chemical constituents.

Clinical Bottom Line/Effectiveness

Brief Background:

• The rhizomes and stems of ginger have assumed significant roles in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian medicine since the 1500s. The oleoresin of ginger is often contained in digestive, antitussive, antiflatulent, laxative, and antacid compounds.
• There is supportive evidence from several randomized controlled trials that ginger reduces the severity and duration of nausea or emesis during pregnancy (1;​2;​3;​4;​5;​6;​7;​8;​9;​10). Ginger's effects on other types of nausea or emesis, such as chemotherapy-induced (11;​12;​13;​14;​15), postoperative nausea, or motion sickness remain undetermined (16;​17). Zinopin, made of Pycnogenol® and standardized ginger root extract (SGRE), has been suggested as a possible treatment for motion sickness (18). However, a clinical trial reported that patients could not distinguish ginger from placebo (19).
• Ginger is used orally, topically, and intramuscularly for a wide array of other conditions without clear scientific evidence of benefit.
• The most frequent side effects associated with ginger use are gastrointestinal upset, heartburn, gas, and bloating. Ginger may inhibit platelet aggregation or decrease platelet thromboxane production, thus theoretically increasing bleeding risk.

Dosing/Toxicology

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Precautions/Contraindications

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Interactions

Most herbs and supplements have not been thoroughly tested for interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs, or foods. The interactions listed below are based on reports in scientific publications, laboratory experiments, or traditional use. You should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy.

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Mechanism of Action

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History

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Evidence Table

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Evidence Discussion

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Products Studied

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Author Information

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References

Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to www.naturalstandard.com. Selected references are listed below.

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