Ginger — Zingiber officinale

Common & Latin Names

Common names: Ginger, Common ginger, Cooking ginger, Canton ginger Latin name: Zingiber officinale Roscoe TCM name: Sheng Jiang (生姜, fresh ginger), Gan Jiang (干姜, dried ginger), Pao Jiang (炮姜, charred/blast-fried ginger) — three distinct medicines in TCM Sanskrit/Ayurvedic: Shunthi (dried ginger), Ardraka (fresh ginger) Hindi: Adrak (fresh), Sonth (dried) Japanese: Shoga

Plant Family & Parts Used

Family: Zingiberaceae (ginger family — includes turmeric, cardamom, galangal) Parts used: Rhizome (underground stem), both fresh and dried. Fresh and dried ginger have distinct phytochemical profiles and different therapeutic applications — they are treated as separate medicines in both TCM and Ayurveda. Habitat: Native to maritime Southeast Asia (likely from the region of modern Indonesia/Malaysia). Cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics: India (largest producer), China, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand. Requires warm, humid conditions with rich, well-drained soil. The plant rarely flowers in cultivation — it is propagated vegetatively from rhizome cuttings.

Traditional Uses

Ayurvedic Medicine (3,000+ years)

Ginger holds a position of supreme importance in Ayurveda — it is called “Vishwabheshaja” (universal medicine) and “Mahaushadha” (great medicine). The Charaka Samhita devotes extensive passages to both Ardraka (fresh) and Shunthi (dried), recognizing them as distinct medicines:

• Fresh ginger (Ardraka): Stimulates appetite (Deepaniya), anti-nausea (Chhardi Nigrahana), promotes sweating, clears upper respiratory congestion. Lighter, less heating than dried.
• Dried ginger (Shunthi): Stronger digestive fire stimulant (Agni Deepana), treats Ama (metabolic toxins), reduces joint pain, addresses chronic digestive weakness. More penetrating and heating.

Classical applications include: Amavata (rheumatic conditions), Ajirna (indigestion), Shula (colic pain), Kasa (cough), Shwasa (asthma), Hridroga (heart conditions). Ginger appears in more Ayurvedic formulations than perhaps any other single herb — it is the great “bioavailability enhancer” (Yogavahi) that carries other medicines deeper into the tissues.

TCM (2,500+ years)

TCM distinguishes three forms with remarkable pharmacological precision:

• Sheng Jiang (fresh ginger): Releases the exterior, disperses cold, warms the Lung, stops cough, resolves phlegm, harmonizes the Stomach, stops vomiting. Used in Wind-Cold invasion (common cold) and as a harmonizing herb in many formulas.
• Gan Jiang (dried ginger): Warms the Middle Jiao, rescues devastated Yang, warms the Lung to transform cold-phlegm, warms the channels to stop bleeding. Much more intensely warming than fresh. Used in Yang collapse and cold conditions of the Spleen and Stomach.
• Pao Jiang (charred ginger): Warms the channels and stops bleeding. The charring focuses the warming action on the blood level and adds an astringent hemostatic quality.

Ginger appears in more classical TCM formulas than any other herb except licorice (Gan Cao). It is the universal harmonizer — facilitating the actions of other herbs while protecting the Stomach from harsh ingredients.

Western Herbalism

Ginger entered European use through the spice trade (known to the ancient Greeks and Romans via Arab traders). Traditional Western uses include: carminative (relieving gas and bloating), circulatory stimulant, diaphoretic (promoting sweating in fevers), anti-emetic, and warming digestive bitter. The Eclectics used it extensively for “cold” digestive conditions, motion sickness, and as a synergist in herbal formulas (much like TCM and Ayurveda independently recognized).

Indigenous and Folk Traditions

In Southeast Asian folk medicine, ginger is used for everything from postpartum recovery to snakebite. In African traditional medicine, ginger treats nausea, arthritis, and respiratory infections. In Polynesian healing traditions, ginger is used in spiritual cleansing ceremonies and to “warm the spirit.” In Hawaiian la’au lapa’au (herbal medicine), ‘awapuhi (ginger family plants) are used for purification and healing.

Active Compounds & Pharmacology

Primary Phytochemicals

Gingerols (fresh ginger): A family of phenolic compounds, with 6-gingerol being the most abundant and most studied. These are responsible for the pungent, spicy taste of fresh ginger. Other members include 8-gingerol, 10-gingerol, and 12-gingerol — the number indicates the carbon chain length.

Shogaols (dried/heated ginger): Formed from dehydration of gingerols during drying or cooking. 6-shogaol is the most studied. Shogaols are approximately twice as pungent as gingerols and generally show stronger biological activity, particularly in anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer assays. This is why TCM classifies dried ginger as more warming and penetrating than fresh.

Paradols: Hydrogenated gingerols formed during metabolic processing. Found in some processed ginger preparations.

Zingerone: A less pungent degradation product of gingerols. Contributes to the sweet, warm aroma of cooked ginger.

Volatile oils (1-3%): Zingiberene (major component — 35% of oil), beta-bisabolene, ar-curcumene, beta-sesquiphellandrene, alpha-farnesene, camphene, geranial, neral. These contribute to aroma and have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and carminative effects.

Mechanisms of Action

1. Anti-emetic (Multiple Pathways): Ginger acts as a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist in the gut (the same mechanism as ondansetron/Zofran), reducing vagal afferent signaling to the vomiting center. It also enhances gastric motility and gastric emptying, increases lower esophageal sphincter tone, and exerts direct anti-serotonergic effects in the chemoreceptor trigger zone.

2. Anti-inflammatory (COX and LOX Inhibition): Gingerols and shogaols inhibit both cyclooxygenase (COX-1, COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) pathways. This dual inhibition is noteworthy — NSAIDs only inhibit COX, while ginger additionally blocks leukotriene synthesis. Ginger also suppresses NF-kB activation, reduces TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6.

3. Prokinetic Effect: Ginger accelerates gastric emptying by approximately 25% (Wu et al., 2008). It increases antral contractions and gastroduodenal motility without affecting lower GI transit. This makes it valuable in functional dyspepsia and gastroparesis.

4. Thermogenic and Metabolic: Gingerols activate TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 1) receptors — the same capsaicin receptors. This increases thermogenesis, enhances fatty acid oxidation, and activates brown adipose tissue. Ginger consumption raises postprandial energy expenditure and satiety.

5. Antiplatelet: 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol inhibit platelet aggregation via thromboxane synthase inhibition — a mild, natural blood-thinning effect.

6. Analgesic: Ginger reduces pain through both peripheral (COX/LOX inhibition) and central mechanisms (modulation of vanilloid pain receptors and substance P release).

Clinical Evidence

Key Clinical Trials

Marx, W., Ried, K., McCarthy, A.L., et al. (2017). “Ginger — Mechanism of action in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A review.” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57(1), 141-146.

• Comprehensive mechanistic review of ginger’s anti-emetic effects
• Analyzed the 5-HT3 antagonism, gastrointestinal motility effects, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms relevant to chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV)
• Concluded that ginger exerts anti-emetic effects through multiple independent pathways, supporting its clinical efficacy

Nikkhah Bodagh, M., Maleki, I., & Hekmatdoost, A. (2019). “Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials.” Food Science & Nutrition, 7(1), 96-108.

• Systematic review of clinical trials on ginger for GI conditions
• Found consistent evidence for: nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), chemotherapy-induced nausea, postoperative nausea, functional dyspepsia, and gastric motility
• Effective doses ranged from 250mg to 2g daily
• Concluded ginger is “a safe and effective herbal remedy for a variety of GI conditions”

Viljoen, E., Visser, J., Koen, N., & Musekiwa, A. (2014). “A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting.” Nutrition Journal, 13, 20.

• Meta-analysis of 12 RCTs (1,278 pregnant women)
• Ginger significantly improved nausea symptoms compared to placebo (p<0.001)
• No significant adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes
• Established ginger as one of the few evidence-based anti-emetics safe in pregnancy

Bartels, E.M., Folmer, V.N., Bliddal, H., et al. (2015). “Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.” Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 23(1), 13-21.

• Meta-analysis of 5 RCTs with 593 OA patients
• Ginger significantly reduced pain (SMD: -0.30, p=0.005) and disability
• Effect size was moderate — roughly equivalent to ibuprofen 400mg but with far fewer GI side effects

Mahluji, S., Attari, V.E., Mobasseri, M., et al. (2013). “Effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale) on plasma glucose level, HbA1c and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients.” International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 64(6), 682-686.

• 88 patients with type 2 diabetes, 3g ginger powder daily vs. placebo for 8 weeks
• Significant reduction in fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and improvement in insulin sensitivity
• Demonstrated ginger’s metabolic benefits beyond digestive effects

Black, C.D., Herring, M.P., Hurley, D.J., & O’Connor, P.J. (2010). “Ginger (Zingiber officinale) reduces muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise.” Journal of Pain, 11(9), 894-903.

• Two studies (Study 1: raw ginger, Study 2: heat-treated ginger), 2g daily for 11 days
• Both raw and heat-treated ginger reduced exercise-induced muscle pain by approximately 25%
• Analgesic effect was attributed to COX-2 inhibition in muscle tissue

Therapeutic Applications

Conditions

• Nausea and vomiting: Pregnancy (NVP), chemotherapy-induced (CINV), postoperative (PONV), motion sickness
• Functional dyspepsia: Accelerates gastric emptying, reduces bloating
• Gastroparesis: Prokinetic effect without dopamine receptor blockade
• Osteoarthritis and inflammatory joint pain: COX/LOX dual inhibition
• Muscle pain and exercise recovery: Reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness
• Dysmenorrhea: Comparable to ibuprofen/mefenamic acid in clinical trials
• Upper respiratory infections: Diaphoretic and warming in acute cold/flu
• Migraine: Comparable to sumatriptan in one RCT (Maghbooli et al., 2014)
• Type 2 diabetes: Modest glucose and HbA1c reduction
• Digestive support (general): Carminative, anti-spasmodic, digestive stimulant

Dosage Ranges

• Fresh ginger root: 2-10g daily (sliced, grated, in food, or as tea)
• Dried ginger powder: 250mg-2g daily in divided doses
• Standardized extract (5% gingerols): 100-400mg daily
• Tincture (1:5 in 90% alcohol): 1-3mL, 3 times daily
• Essential oil: Not for internal use; topical dilution for muscle/joint pain
• For pregnancy nausea: 250mg standardized extract, 4 times daily (1g total — the dose most studied in pregnancy RCTs)

Forms

Fresh ginger in food and tea is the most traditional and gentle form. Dried ginger is more warming and concentrated. Standardized extracts provide consistent dosing for clinical applications. Ginger can be combined with turmeric for synergistic anti-inflammatory effects. Taking ginger before meals optimizes its prokinetic and appetite-stimulating effects.

Safety & Contraindications

Generally Well Tolerated

Ginger has been consumed as both food and medicine for millennia. At culinary and standard supplemental doses, it is one of the safest herbs available. The FDA classifies it as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe).

Contraindications

• Gallstones: Ginger’s cholagogue (bile-stimulating) effect can theoretically provoke gallstone movement and acute cholecystitis. Use with caution in known cholelithiasis.
• Bleeding disorders: At very high supplemental doses (>4g/day), ginger’s antiplatelet effect may be clinically significant. Standard culinary use poses no risk.
• Pre-surgical: Some authorities recommend discontinuing high-dose ginger supplements 7-14 days before surgery. Culinary amounts are not a concern.

Pregnancy Safety

Ginger is one of the best-studied herbs in pregnancy. Multiple RCTs and meta-analyses confirm safety at doses up to 1g daily for nausea of pregnancy. No increase in birth defects, preterm labor, low birth weight, or other adverse pregnancy outcomes has been demonstrated. However, some traditional sources advise caution with very high doses of dried ginger in the first trimester.

Drug Interactions

• Anticoagulants/antiplatelets (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel): Theoretical additive antiplatelet effect at high doses. Clinical significance appears low at standard doses.
• Antidiabetic medications: Additive blood sugar lowering. Monitor glucose.
• Antihypertensives: Mild additive effect possible (ginger has calcium channel blocking activity).
• Cyclosporine: Ginger may increase cyclosporine bioavailability.

Side Effects (Uncommon at standard doses)

Heartburn and mild GI irritation (paradoxically, in some individuals with existing GERD), mouth/throat irritation with raw ginger, mild increase in menstrual flow, and contact dermatitis from topical application in sensitive individuals.

Energetics

TCM Classification

Fresh Ginger (Sheng Jiang):

• Temperature: Warm (not hot)
• Flavor: Acrid/pungent
• Meridian entry: Lung, Spleen, Stomach
• Actions: Releases the exterior, disperses Wind-Cold, warms the Middle Jiao, transforms cold-phlegm, harmonizes the Stomach, reduces toxicity of other herbs

Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang):

• Temperature: Hot
• Flavor: Acrid/pungent
• Meridian entry: Heart, Lung, Spleen, Stomach
• Actions: Warms the Middle Jiao and expels cold, rescues devastated Yang, warms the Lung to transform cold-phlegm, unblocks the channels and collaterals

The distinction between Sheng Jiang and Gan Jiang is one of the finest examples of TCM’s empirical precision — fresh ginger works at the surface (Wei level) while dried ginger penetrates to the interior (Ying level).

Ayurvedic Classification

• Rasa (taste): Katu (pungent) — both fresh and dried
• Virya (energy/potency): Ushna (heating) — dried is more heating than fresh
• Vipaka (post-digestive effect): Madhura (sweet) — this is important: despite being heating and pungent, ginger’s metabolic end-effect is sweet and nourishing, not depleting
• Dosha effects: Pacifies Vata and Kapha. May increase Pitta in excess (especially dried ginger). Fresh ginger is more balanced — acceptable for all doshas in moderate amounts.
• Dhatu affinity: Rasa (plasma), Rakta (blood), Mamsa (muscle)
• Srotas affinity: Annavaha (digestive), Pranavaha (respiratory), Raktavaha (circulatory)
• Special quality: Yogavahi — “joining carrier” — enhances the bioavailability and tissue penetration of other herbs when combined in formulas

Functional Medicine Integration

Ginger is the great facilitator in functional medicine — it improves digestion, absorption, and bioavailability of other interventions while addressing multiple pathophysiological mechanisms on its own.

Digestive Health Protocol

Ginger is the first-line botanical for functional dyspepsia, gastroparesis, and postprandial distress syndrome. Its prokinetic effect (accelerating gastric emptying) addresses one of the most common root causes of upper GI symptoms. Unlike metoclopramide (Reglan), ginger achieves prokinesis without dopamine receptor blockade and its associated neurological risks.

Anti-Inflammatory Protocol

The dual COX/LOX inhibition provides a broader anti-inflammatory spectrum than NSAIDs. In osteoarthritis protocols, ginger (often combined with turmeric and boswellia) serves as the botanical NSAID equivalent — with gastroprotective rather than gastropathic effects. This is a profound distinction: NSAIDs cause GI ulceration while ginger heals the GI mucosa.

Nausea Management Protocol

For chemotherapy patients, surgical patients, pregnant women, and chronic nausea of any etiology, ginger provides safe, multi-mechanism anti-emetic support. It is often the only anti-emetic that addresses the gut directly (prokinesis) while simultaneously acting centrally (5-HT3 antagonism).

Metabolic Support

Ginger’s thermogenic effect (TRPV1 activation), blood sugar lowering, and lipid-modulating properties place it as a supporting player in metabolic syndrome protocols. It synergizes with berberine, cinnamon, and chromium in comprehensive metabolic programs.

Circulatory Support

As a warming circulatory stimulant, ginger improves peripheral circulation in patients with cold extremities, Raynaud’s phenomenon, and circulatory insufficiency. It enhances delivery of other herbs and nutrients to target tissues.

Four Directions Connection

Primary Direction: Serpent (South — Physical Body)

Ginger is one of the purest expressions of the Serpent’s fire. It lives in the belly — the center of the physical body’s transformative power. The Serpent teaches us that healing begins with digestion: the ability to take in, break down, and transform. When the digestive fire is weak, everything downstream suffers. Ginger rekindleS this fire. In Ayurveda, it is called the universal medicine precisely because it treats the root of physical vitality — Agni, the digestive fire. The Serpent sheds its skin through the heat of transformation; ginger provides this metabolic heat at every level.

Secondary Direction: Hummingbird (North — Ancestral Wisdom)

No herb on Earth has been used by more cultures, for more millennia, across more traditions than ginger. It is the Hummingbird’s medicine — the herb that has traveled the longest journey across time and geography. From Vedic India to Han Dynasty China to medieval Europe to Polynesian islands, ginger has been independently recognized as essential medicine. The Hummingbird tells us that some truths are so fundamental that every tradition discovers them. Ginger’s universal recognition across human civilizations is testimony to this ancestral convergence.

Tertiary: Jaguar (West — Emotional Healing)

In TCM, the Stomach and Spleen (the organs ginger most strongly serves) are the seat of worry, overthinking, and the inability to “digest” life experiences. When we cannot process what happens to us — emotionally or physically — the Middle Jiao stagnates. Ginger moves this stagnation. The Jaguar teaches us to metabolize our experiences, especially the painful ones. Ginger, as the great digestive mover, supports this emotional metabolism at the somatic level.

References

1. Marx, W., Ried, K., McCarthy, A.L., et al. (2017). Ginger — Mechanism of action in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57(1), 141-146.

2. Nikkhah Bodagh, M., Maleki, I., & Hekmatdoost, A. (2019). Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials. Food Science & Nutrition, 7(1), 96-108.

3. Viljoen, E., Visser, J., Koen, N., & Musekiwa, A. (2014). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting. Nutrition Journal, 13, 20.

4. Bartels, E.M., Folmer, V.N., Bliddal, H., et al. (2015). Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 23(1), 13-21.

5. Mahluji, S., Attari, V.E., Mobasseri, M., et al. (2013). Effects of ginger on plasma glucose level, HbA1c and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 64(6), 682-686.

6. Black, C.D., Herring, M.P., Hurley, D.J., & O’Connor, P.J. (2010). Ginger reduces muscle pain caused by eccentric exercise. Journal of Pain, 11(9), 894-903.

7. Wu, K.L., Rayner, C.K., Chuah, S.K., et al. (2008). Effects of ginger on gastric emptying and motility in healthy humans. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 20(5), 436-440.

8. Maghbooli, M., Golipour, F., Esfandabadi, A.M., & Yousefi, M. (2014). Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine. Phytotherapy Research, 28(3), 412-415.

9. Semwal, R.B., Semwal, D.K., Combrinck, S., & Viljoen, A.M. (2015). Gingerols and shogaols: Important nutraceutical principles from ginger. Phytochemistry, 117, 554-568.

10. Ali, B.H., Blunden, G., Tanira, M.O., & Nemmar, A. (2008). Some phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe): A review of recent research. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46(2), 409-420.