GradedHealth

Does ginger relieve nausea, period pain and joint pain?

Ginger eases nausea in early pregnancy and period pain in trials, and slightly reduces knee arthritis pain. Mixed results for surgery and chemotherapy nausea.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Ginger eases nausea in early pregnancy and period pain, with moderate evidence. Knee arthritis pain improves only slightly, and the evidence for surgery and chemotherapy nausea is weaker or mixed. Evidence grade B (Moderate). Umbrella review and several meta-analyses of randomised trials support pregnancy nausea and period pain, with weaker evidence for joint pain; downgraded once for small trials, heterogeneity and risk of bias.

Key takeaways

  • Across 12 trials in 1,278 pregnant women, ginger relieved nausea more than placebo, though it did not clearly reduce vomiting [1].
  • A 2024 review of 12 trials found ginger eased period pain more than placebo and showed no clear difference from NSAIDs, but results varied widely between trials [2].
  • Knee arthritis pain fell by about 8 mm more than placebo on a 100-mm scale in one review, which still judged the evidence insufficient [3][4].
  • For nausea after surgery and during chemotherapy, reviews disagree: some find less severe nausea, while pooled results show no clear effect on nausea overall [5][6].
  • Trials usually gave 0.5 to 3 g a day of ginger in capsules for up to three months; heartburn and stomach upset were the main side effects, and reviews urge caution with blood thinners [7][8].

The short version

In trials, ginger eases nausea in early pregnancy and period pain, the two uses with the most consistent evidence [1][2]. It also slightly reduces knee osteoarthritis pain, while the evidence for nausea after surgery or chemotherapy is weaker or mixed [4][5][6]. Most of the trials were small, and ginger can cause heartburn or stomach upset; reviews list it among supplements that may add to bleeding risk with blood thinners [7][8].

What the studies show

For nausea in early pregnancy, a meta-analysis of 12 trials with 1,278 women found ginger relieved nausea more than placebo, although it did not significantly reduce vomiting [1]. A 2022 meta-analysis of 13 trials (1,174 women) found the same pattern, and no significant difference between ginger and vitamin B6 [9]. The 2022 umbrella review, which graded all the reviews together, gave ginger's antiemetic effect in pregnancy its highest confidence rating: a large effect, with high certainty as rated by the review [7].

For period pain, a 2024 meta-analysis of 12 trials found ginger reduced pain more than placebo by a large amount (standardized mean difference -1.13), with no clear difference from NSAID painkillers [2]. A Cochrane review found a similar result, about 1.6 points lower on a 0-to-10 pain scale than placebo, but rated the evidence low or very low quality [10]. An earlier review of four trials, using 750 to 2,000 mg of ginger powder on the first days of the period, called the evidence suggestive [11]. The umbrella review rated the period-pain effect as moderate to large, with low to moderate certainty [7].

For knee osteoarthritis, a meta-analysis of five placebo-controlled trials (593 people) found ginger lowered pain slightly (standardized mean difference -0.30) and improved disability [4]. A 2020 review of four trials found pain about 8 mm lower than placebo on a 100-mm scale, but its authors judged the evidence insufficient for pain and function [3]. A 2024 trial of 100 people found a steamed ginger extract improved pain and function scores over 12 weeks [12], and a 2025 network meta-analysis of 39 trials found ginger improved some knee arthritis outcomes without more side effects [13]. The umbrella review rated the joint-pain effect as small [7].

For nausea after surgery, a 2022 meta-analysis of 14 trials (1,506 patients) found lower nausea scores at 2, 6 and 12 hours after the operation, but no clear effect on vomiting, overall nausea and vomiting, or antiemetic drug use [5]. Another analysis found less severe nausea and less need for anti-nausea drugs [14], and a 2026 network meta-analysis ranked ginger first among non-drug add-on treatments for nausea severity, with low certainty [15].

For chemotherapy nausea, pooled results are mixed [6][16]. A 2022 review of 23 trials found no clear effect on acute or delayed nausea, although acute vomiting was less likely when people took 1 g a day or less for more than four days [6]. Other reviews agree that only vomiting was reduced, or find no significant effect at all [17][18]. A 2024 trial of 103 adults found ginger improved nausea-related quality of life and reduced delayed nausea and vomiting, with no effect on acute symptoms [19].

The nuances

The trials used different ginger products [7]. The dose most consistently reported as effective was 0.5 to 3 g a day in capsules, taken for up to three months [7]. Pregnancy studies mostly used 500 to 1,500 mg a day in divided doses [20], period-pain studies 750 to 2,000 mg on the first 3 to 4 days of the cycle [11], and knee arthritis studies 0.5 to 1 g a day for 3 to 12 weeks [7]. The umbrella review found the best evidence was for capsules, which give a standard dose [7], and the reviews note that trials often did not describe the ginger product clearly, so the best dose is not settled [7].

The period-pain trials mostly studied young women, often university students [10]. The chemotherapy reviews describe ginger as an add-on to standard anti-nausea drugs, not a replacement for them [16].

Side effects are usually mild [7]. Across the reviews, the most common complaints were heartburn, stomach discomfort and diarrhoea [7]. In the knee arthritis trials, people taking ginger were more than twice as likely to stop treatment because of minor side effects such as bad taste or stomach upset (risk ratio 2.33) [4]. In pregnancy, the miscarriage rate did not differ significantly from placebo, but the estimate was too wide to rule out harm [1]. A review of warfarin interactions lists ginger among foods and herbs linked to a possible increased bleeding risk [8].

What this means for you

Ginger's evidence is strongest for period pain and nausea in early pregnancy, where capsules providing 0.5 to 3 g a day were the doses most consistently reported as effective across studies [7]. For knee arthritis the average improvement was small, and the umbrella review notes it is similar in size to the effect of standard painkillers such as NSAIDs [7][4]. It is worth talking to a doctor or pharmacist before using ginger supplements if you take blood thinners, and pregnant women can ask their midwife or doctor [8][21].

Go deeper

  • Ginger — Ginger eases nausea in early pregnancy and period pain in trials, the best-supported of its uses, although most studies are small.

References

  1. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting.. Nutr J, 2014.
  2. Ginger for Pain Management in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. J Integr Complement Med, 2024.
  3. Effectiveness of Ginger on Pain and Function in Knee Osteoarthritis: A PRISMA Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. Pain Physician, 2020.
  4. Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.. Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2015.
  5. The preventive and relieving effects of ginger on postoperative nausea and vomiting: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. Int J Nurs Stud, 2022.
  6. Effects of Ginger Intake on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.. Nutrients, 2022.
  7. Orally consumed ginger and human health: an umbrella review.. Am J Clin Nutr, 2022.
  8. Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: A systematic review.. Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2021.
  9. Effect of ginger in the treatment of nausea and vomiting compared with vitamin B6 and placebo during pregnancy: a meta-analysis.. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med, 2022.
  10. Dietary supplements for dysmenorrhoea.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2016.
  11. Efficacy of Ginger for Alleviating the Symptoms of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.. Pain Med, 2015.
  12. Effectiveness and safety of steamed ginger extract on mild osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.. Food Funct, 2024.
  13. Comparative Effectiveness of Nutritional Supplements in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Network Meta-Analysis.. Nutrients, 2025.
  14. Efficacy of Ginger in Preventing Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. J Nurs Scholarsh, 2021.
  15. Efficacy of Different Nonpharmacological Interventions as Adjunctive Treatments for Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis.. J Perianesth Nurs, 2026.
  16. Efficacy and Safety of Ginger on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.. Cancer Nurs, 2025.
  17. Efficacy of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in Ameliorating Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting and Chemotherapy-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review Update and Meta-Analysis.. J Acad Nutr Diet, 2019.
  18. Ginger as an antiemetic modality for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Oncol Nurs Forum, 2013.
  19. Effect of a Standardized Ginger Root Powder Regimen on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial.. J Acad Nutr Diet, 2024.
  20. Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review.. Front Pharmacol, 2025.
  21. Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting With Zingiber officinale in Pregnancy: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews With Meta-Synthesis.. Phytother Res, 2026.