TL;DR

  • Ginger helps reduce nausea from pregnancy, surgery, and motion sickness.

  • Effective doses in studies: about 1 gram per day, often divided through the day.

  • Works as well as or better than some conventional anti-nausea options, with minimal side effects.

  • Safe for most people and backed by both traditional use and modern research.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a perennial plant that thrives in warm, humid climates. The rhizome, or underground stem, has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and cooking. Cultures around the world have long valued ginger for digestive comfort, nausea relief, and pain reduction. In Western medicine, it’s best known for easing motion sickness and morning sickness.

Pregnancy and Nausea

Research has found that women taking ginger during the first trimester had less nausea than those who didn’t. No increase in birth defects was seen, though the authors noted the small sample size (187 women) [1]. Other studies — including Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1991 and 1990 — reported similar results, with 250 mg of ginger four times daily easing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy [2-4].

Surgical Nausea

Post-operative nausea affects up to 40 % of surgical patients. One meta-analysis demonstrated that a fixed dose at least 1 g of ginger is more effective than placebo for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting and postoperative vomiting. Use of ginger is an effective means for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting.  People who took ginger were about 30% less likely to have nausea or vomiting after surgery compared to those who took a placebo [5].

Motion Sickness

Studies have demonstrated that 1 g of powdered ginger significantly reduced the severity of seasickness in naval cadets. Ginger did not prevent motion sickness entirely but made symptoms less intense [6,7].

Ginger remains one of the most researched and time-tested botanicals for nausea relief — a bridge between traditional use and modern validation.

Disclaimer: Educational use only; not medical advice.

  1. . 2008 Jun 9;168(11):1174-80. Ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial
  2. Obstetrics & Gynecology 103(4):p 639-645, April 2004. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Ginger to Treat Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy
  3. . 2001 Apr;97(4):577-82. Ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial
  4. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. 1991 Jan;38(1):19–24.
  5. The efficacy of ginger for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting: a meta-analysis.” American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2006 Jan;194(1):95–99
  6. The Lancet (1982;1:655-7) Motion sickness, ginger, and psychophysics
  7. Acta Oto-Laryngologica (1988;105:45-9) Ginger root against seasickness. A controlled trial on the open sea