Ginger

Zingiber officinale

Also: Ginger root

WarmingDryingRelaxing

Kindles a cold, sluggish gut and stops nausea in its tracks.

The knobbed rhizome of a tropical cousin of turmeric and cardamom. Ginger warms digestion, settles nausea of nearly every kind, and moves blood to cold hands and a cramping womb. Fresh root pushes warmth outward; dried root heats the core.

Energetics: Hot, drying, relaxing
Taste: Pungent, aromatic
Family: Zingiberaceae (ginger family)
Parts used: Rhizome

Medicinal uses 11

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

NauseaTLC
Settles nausea from motion, pregnancy, food poisoning, and medication.
Indigestion & bloatingTLC
Warms and speeds slow, heavy digestion and eases gas.
Menstrual crampsTLC
Eases menstrual cramps, especially with a scant, slow flow.
Colds & fluTLC
Warms chills and helps a fever build at the start of a cold.
Cold hands & feetTLC
Fresh root carries warmth out to cold hands and feet.
Joint pain & arthritisTLC
Eases achy, cold joints, inside and as a compress.
Bruises & sore musclesTLC
A hot ginger compress moves blood through bruises and strains.
Tension headacheTLC
Helps cold, constricted headaches.
Low milk supplyTLC
A traditional postpartum warming food and milk support.
Aches & painTLC
Eases the muscle soreness that follows hard work or exercise, and arthritic aches; trials support both.
MigraineTLC
Ginger powder taken at the first sign of a migraine worked about as well as sumatriptan in one trial.

Preparations

Fresh root tea, candied ginger, tincture, and hot compresses.

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Cautions

Ginger thins the blood; take care with blood-thinning medications.
It increases flow in periods that already run heavy.
Large amounts can bring on heartburn.

Medication interactions

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyFood amounts

The best-studied herb for morning sickness, with multiple clinical trials behind it. Food amounts are safe across all three trimesters; keep supplements to the modest doses used in studies, about half a teaspoon of powder a day, especially near delivery.

BreastfeedingGenerally compatible

A traditional postpartum food and galactagogue in many cultures, generally considered safe.

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Folklore

Ginger has never been found growing wild. It traveled west from Asia by sea and caravan as one of the first spices to reach the Mediterranean, and Rome taxed it at the border. In medieval England a pound of ginger cost about as much as a sheep. The Analects record that Confucius was never without ginger at his meals, and gingerbread men are credited to the court of Elizabeth I, who had them shaped to resemble her guests.

How to grow

A tropical perennial grown from a plump, budded piece of rhizome; organic grocery ginger works. Plant it shallowly in a wide pot of rich, loose soil and keep it warm, above 55°F (13°C), and humid. Harvest after eight to ten months, or break off pieces as needed. In cold climates it lives indoors and summers outside.

In the wild

Unknown in the wild. Ginger is a cultigen, domesticated in maritime Southeast Asia and carried across the tropics by Austronesian seafarers.

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