Evidence: High Possible Benefits: Very High Safety: Very High
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is ginger?
Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger, is an adaptogenic herb with a long history of use as a traditional medicine. This herb is often used as a supplement for reducing inflammation but can also have various other beneficial effects. It has one of the best safety profiles out of all herbs and is very cheap and easy to obtain. This article is about the main benefits of ginger, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.
Possible benefits
All of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. As with other adaptogenic herbs, there is a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get most of the benefits without causing meaningful side effects or tolerance buildup in the body. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.
Major benefits
Reduced nausea – 1-3 grams of ginger can significantly reduce nausea. The only exception is post-operative nausea, which seems to be mostly unaffected.
Increased fertility – Ginger was able to increase luteinizing hormone in infertile men by 43.2% in three months of supplementation. In the same study, lipid peroxidation in semen was reduced by 53.7%, testosterone in these men was increased by 17.7%, seminal motility was increased by 47.3%, seminal glutathione was increased by 26.7%, the follicle-stimulating hormone was increased by 17.6%, sperm count was increased by 16.2%, seminal viability was increased by 40.7%, and ejaculation volume was increased by 36.1%. All of these findings suggest that ginger can be a very powerful tool for combating infertility.
Minor benefits
Improved digestion – This herb can improve the thermic effect of food and other things associated with healthy digestion.
Reduced symptoms of PMS – One study found a notable improvement in mood, physical, and behavioral symptoms with 500 mg of ginger daily.
Reduced menstrual cramps – Taking ginger by mouth during the first 3-4 days of a menstrual cycle somewhat reduces painful menstrual periods.
Reduced symptoms of osteoarthritis – This benefit seems secondary to ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Reduced risk of colon cancer – Ginger can positively influence eicosanoids in the colon and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Improved cholesterol levels – This herb was shown to reduce LDL and increase HDL cholesterol levels. This benefit applies mainly to people with unhealthy cholesterol levels.
Anti-inflammatory properties – Ginger can reliably reduce inflammation.
Lowered triglycerides – One study found a triglyceride-lowering effect but this study needs to be replicated.
Reduced appetite – Ginger can reduce appetite to at least some extent.
Improved cognition – An improvement was only seen in older women so far. Specifically, this herb improved their memory and reaction time. More studies are needed to find how this herb affects men and young people.
Reduced muscle soreness – Ginger might reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), probably because of its effects on inflammation.
Possible side effects
The side effects below are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.
Spicy taste – This can be both pleasant and unpleasant, depending on the context and the dose.
Reduced appetite – While this is certainly a benefit for some people, it can also be viewed as a negative for those who are trying to gain weight and are already eating less than they want to.
Initial adverse reaction – When you start taking ginger, things can get worse before they get better. This herb can temporarily worsen some aspects of your health and even make you sick for a few days after you start taking it. That can be unpleasant, but it is usually a sign that the supplement is working and creating a hormetic response that allows the body to adapt and become more resilient in the long term.
Allergic reaction – Some people are allergic to this herb and may experience an allergic reaction after they start taking it. Unlike the “initial adverse reaction,” allergic reactions typically don’t disappear until one stops taking the herb.
Diarrhea – You can usually prevent diarrhea or stomach discomfort by taking this herb with a meal.
Toxicity – As an adaptogen, ginger acts as a mild stressor on the body. That is usually a great thing as it allows your body to adapt to specific forms of stress and become more resilient. However, stressing the body too much can be counter-productive and cause multiple side effects, including toxicity. While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking high amounts of this herb could lead to chronic toxicity and cause health problems over time. To prevent chronic toxicity or the buildup of tolerance, staying below 15 grams of fresh ginger, 10 grams of dry ginger, or 300 mg of total gingerols in a day is best unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – If growing or storing conditions are not adequately controlled, ginger can be contaminated with bacteria, molds, and other potentially harmful microorganisms. Some growers also use pesticides and herbicides that can be unsafe. Another issue is that herbal supplements can get contaminated with other supplements and chemicals during the manufacturing process. Choose the brand you get herbs and herbal supplements from wisely. It is often best to use websites like Amazon, where thousands of users have reviewed and rated the products. You are less likely to buy something of lower quality there.
Who should not take ginger?
You should probably avoid taking ginger if you:
are allergic to this herb
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the herb (though a mild adverse reaction is usually a great thing as it is a sign that the supplement is working and causing a hormetic response that allows the body to adapt and become more resilient)
Who will benefit the most?
You should consider taking the supplement if you:
are an infertile man
often experience nausea
are a woman experiencing symptoms of PMS
wish to improve overall health
have a high budget for supplements and are willing to experiment with a variety of them (assuming you don’t fall into any of the categories that should avoid this herb, ginger appears safe and is unlikely to do more harm than good for most people)
How much ginger should you take?
Because ginger is an adaptogenic herb, it acts as a mild hormetic stressor on the body, which allows your body to adapt and become more resilient to certain kinds of stressors in the long term.
A higher dose does not necessarily lead to more pronounced benefits. Instead, there appears to be an inverted U-shaped dose-response pattern. In other words, you want to find a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get the benefits of ginger without putting too much pressure on the body or quickly causing the body to develop tolerance to the herb.
The sweet-spot dose typically ranges anywhere between 3-6 grams of fresh ginger or 1-3 grams of dry ginger daily. If you buy an x:1 extract, divide the dry herb powder dosage by x. If you purchase an extract standardized for gingerols, the sweet spot dose of total gingerols is about 60-120 mg.
The higher end of this range usually provides slightly more benefits in the short term. If you plan to take this herb for a longer time (multiple months or years), the lower end is probably a better way to go since you would develop tolerance faster if you were to take higher doses.
Additionally, very high doses can put too much pressure on your system and cause health problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.
While this herb could theoretically cause acute toxicity, you’d need to take an extremely high dose that would be way beyond what even the most potent supplements contain.
Like most other adaptogens, it is best to cycle ginger and take about two days off weekly to reset your tolerance. That will allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.
Keep in mind that the effects of this herb are cumulative. Therefore, you must take it for at least 2-4 weeks to notice most of the benefits. But again, cycling the herb and not taking it at least twice a week is necessary to prevent tolerance in the long term.
Best time to take ginger
You can take this herb with or without food. Each of these options has its benefits. The main bioactive compounds in the herb should absorb well either way.
If you experience nausea or stomach discomfort when you take this herb, taking it with food should prevent these unpleasant effects or at least make them less intense.
If you take this herb on an empty stomach, the short-term effects will kick in faster, and they will be more pronounced but will not last as long.
Whether you take this herb in the morning or the evening typically does not make much difference. Both options are fine so feel free to experiment.
Interactions
Ginkgo biloba This combination can support mood and well-being.
Artichoke This combination may work synergistically for digestive support.
Turmeric These two herbs work synergistically for improving joint health and metabolic health.
Ginger is a very popular herb and you can find it in almost any food market, both fresh and dry.
For ginger supplements, Amazon is the best option for ordering ginger and other herbal supplements. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the internet.
Some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.
FAQ
As with most other herbs and herbal supplements, it is best to cycle ginger and take a break from it for about two days per week to reset your tolerance back to baseline. That will keep your body sensitive to the herb and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.
When you take a standardized extract, you know exactly how potent it is and how much you need to take to get the desired outcome. Herbal extracts also tend to be cheaper than unextracted powders in many cases. However, many of the potentially beneficial compounds get lost during the extraction process. Therefore, if you know how potent the unextracted powder is, it is almost always a better option.
All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes time which can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they are often made of bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from ethical sources.
Yes, you can. This herb should not impact your sleep in any negative way. Whether you take it in the morning or the evening typically doesn’t make much difference. Both options are fine so feel free to experiment.
Fresh ginger can certainly go bad with time and become moldy. Dry ginger should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date, but it can lose potency over time. Keep this herb or herbal supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place and it should remain just as potent for many months or even years.
As an adaptogen, ginger acts as a mild stressor on the body. That is usually a great thing as it allows your body to adapt to specific forms of stress and become more resilient. However, putting too much pressure on the body can be counter-productive and cause multiple side effects, including toxicity. While acute toxicity is extremely rare, taking very high amounts of this herb could lead to chronic toxicity and cause health problems over time. High doses can also make you develop tolerance much faster than lower doses so they may be less effective in the long term.
While you could safely take higher doses, there is usually no point in taking more than 15 grams of fresh ginger, 10 grams of dry ginger, or 300 mg of total gingerols daily. This amount should give you most of the benefits without meaningful side effects. Paradoxically, taking a higher dose would likely lead to fewer benefits as the body would quickly become accustomed to the herb.
Unfortunately, there is not much information about the half-life of ginger in the body. However, most of the effects of this herb are cumulative, so they mostly happen in the long term rather than acutely. Therefore, the half-life of this herb isn’t very relevant in practice.
The effects of this herb are cumulative. Therefore, you must take it for at least 2-4 weeks to notice most of the benefits. But again, cycling the herb and not taking it at least twice a week is necessary to prevent tolerance in the long term.
Yes, ginger is vegan-friendly. If you buy this herb in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.
No, it does not. The herb does not interfere with fasting in any significant way.
References
Most of the information in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything you read in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.
