Ginger is commonly used for nausea and vomiting– Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the more commonly used herbal supplements. Although often consumed for culinary purposes, it is taken by many patients to treat a variety of conditions.
Ginger has been shown to be effective for pregnancy-induced and postoperative nausea and vomiting. There is less evidence to support its use for motion sickness or other types of nausea and vomiting. Mixed results have been found in limited studies of ginger for the treatment of arthritis symptoms.
A review in 2005 analyzed 33 studies to evaluate the effectiveness of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting. Only six studies, with a total of 675 participants, met the inclusion criteria, being double-blind, randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Four of these studies showed ginger to be superior to placebo, and two showed it to be comparable in effectiveness to vitamin B6, which has been found to be effective in pregnancy-induced nausea. There were no adverse effects of ginger on pregnancy outcomes. A Cochrane review also concluded that ginger was beneficial for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.
A 2006 meta-analysis evaluating the use of ginger for postoperative nausea and vomiting showed that, in five randomized trials with a total of 363 patients, ginger was more effective than placebo.
Ginger was found in one study to be superior to dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and placebo for symptoms of motion sickness.
Find more information from this research article: Ginger: An Overview – American Family Physician (aafp.org)