Ginger - Scientific Background
Ginger may reduce motion sickness.
In controlled trials of ginger in the prevention of induced motion sickness, some results showed that individuals had reduced vomiting following the ingestion of ginger (Mowrey 1982).
In a controlled trial of the effect of ginger on seasickness, ginger root reduced the tendency to vomit and of cold sweats significantly better than placebo (Grontved et al 1988).
Other research found no difference in subjective reports of nausea and vertigo, which are products of a central nervous system response to inner ear disturbance, for which ginger has no effect (Holtmann et al 1989).
Ginger might possibly reduce other nausea and vomiting.
Ginger has been tested in preventing post-surgical nausea and vomiting. In two randomized, double-blind trials, patients who received ginger prior to surgery experienced less vomiting than those who received placebo (Bone et al 1990; Phillips et al 1993). In a third trial, there was no difference (Visalyaputra et al 1998), and in a fourth trial, the frequency with which both nausea and vomiting occurred increased with increasing dosage of ginger (Arfeen et al 1995).
Because information is lacking about the specific drug action of ginger and about possible, but undocumented, side effects and interactions, ginger is not recommended for use during pregnancy by the German Commission E, by the World Health Organization, or by the U.S. Pharmacopeia.
