GINGER
Ginger is a kitchen spice with a long history of use for nausea and an upset stomach. It's one of the most studied natural options for nausea, and there's interesting research on inflammation and joints too.
Short on time or energy? A quick-view graphic with the key points is at the bottom of this post.
Where to buy is near the bottom of this post.
WHAT IS GINGER?
- Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is the underground stem (rhizome) of a plant native to Asia. It's used as both food and medicine.
- Its best-known natural compounds are gingerols. 6-gingerol is the most plentiful one in ginger root.
- It comes as tea, chews, gummies, liquid drops and capsules.
NAUSEA
- A 2024 overview of 15 reviews found ginger helped nausea from chemotherapy and after surgery, and looked promising in pregnancy, but the reviews were low quality.
- A 2025 review of 35 chemotherapy trials found ginger capsules, added to standard anti-nausea medicine, lowered severe nausea.
- The NIH (NCCIH) says ginger may help pregnancy nausea, but most studies found no help for motion sickness. These studies were not done in Lyme or Babesia.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering explains that compounds in ginger can boost saliva and digestive fluids, which may help settle the digestive tract.
GUT MOVEMENT (MOTILITY)
- Older study (2008): in 24 healthy adults, 1,200 mg of ginger helped the stomach empty about twice as fast as placebo (half-emptying time of 13.1 minutes vs. 26.7 minutes). Their stomach symptoms were the same either way.
- Older study (2011): in 11 people with functional dyspepsia (ongoing upper stomach discomfort), ginger sped up stomach emptying compared with placebo, but their stomach symptoms didn't change.
INFLAMMATION AND IMMUNE BALANCE
- A 2026 umbrella review (a review of reviews) covering 296 trials and 43,570 people found ginger consistently lowered CRP and IL-6, two inflammation markers, and improved antioxidant markers.
- A 2025 review of 29 trials found ginger lowered CRP, TNF-alpha and IL-6, and raised the body's antioxidant activity. The benefit may be greatest in people with health conditions, and the studies varied a lot.
- In a 2023 University of Michigan and University of Colorado study, ginger calmed overactive neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in mice with lupus-like and clotting-related autoimmune features. In 17 healthy adults, 7 days of a ginger supplement made their neutrophils less likely to release NETs, sticky webs these cells can release. It was small, had no placebo group, and the maker supplied the ginger.
JOINTS AND PAIN
- A 2025 review of 39 trials (4,599 people) with knee osteoarthritis found boswellia ranked best for pain and stiffness. Ginger also showed benefits in some measures, and no supplement had more side effects than placebo.
- The NIH says ginger supplements might help knee osteoarthritis symptoms, though much of the research is poor quality.
- A 2024 review found ginger lowered how strong period pain was and how long it lasted compared with placebo. For how strong the pain was, there was no clear difference between ginger and NSAID pain relievers. The studies had quality concerns.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering also notes moderate benefit for chronic low back pain.
ALLERGY SYMPTOMS
- A 2026 review of 21 studies (15 in people) found ginger-based products improved itching, runny nose, sneezing and quality of life in people with nose allergies, and lowered eosinophils, an allergy-related white blood cell. Many of these products had several ingredients, so the results can't be credited to ginger alone.
- Ginger hasn't been proven to work like an antihistamine or mast cell stabilizer.
BLOOD SUGAR
- The 2026 umbrella review found ginger improved fasting blood sugar and HbA1c in most of the reviews it covered. That can be helpful, but it's also a reason to be careful if you take diabetes medicine.
A note from me: this list doesn't cover everything. Ginger may offer more benefits than I've included here. I'm sharing the uses that are best known or most studied as of today, from sources I trust. Research keeps growing, and one post can only cover so much.
BEFORE YOU START
- Read the warning on each bottle.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering says ginger supplements may raise bleeding risk with warfarin, other blood thinners or NSAIDs, and advises avoiding them with a bleeding disorder or gallstones and stopping them 2 weeks before surgery.
- Talk with your doctor first if you take a blood thinner or diabetes medicine, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- The NIH lists heartburn, stomach upset and diarrhea as possible side effects.
- The chewables below contain xylitol, which is very dangerous for dogs. Keep them away from pets.
- Always ask your doctor before adding anything new.
MY EXPERIENCE
I like ginger tea and the Natural Factors chewables. I also take ginger every day as part of Find Relief.
FIND RELIEF HIGHLIGHT
- Ginger is in Find Relief, at 70 mg of ginger extract (standardized to 5% gingerols) per 3-capsule serving.
- With boswellia and butterbur: boswellia gives the most direct support for the leukotriene pathway, butterbur extends that support toward breathing, seasonal and head comfort, and ginger adds broader digestive and circulation support.
FIND RELIEF - BOSWELLIA, BUTTERBUR, AND GINGER: LEUKOTRIENE AND INFLAMMATORY-MEDIATOR SUPPORT
- With berberine and nettle root: berberine supports a balanced gut microbial environment, ginger supports healthy digestive movement, and nettle root adds liver, kidney and antioxidant support. Together they support healthy ammonia handling from more than one direction.
FIND RELIEF - BERBERINE, NETTLE ROOT, AND GINGER: INTESTINAL AMMONIA AND NITROGEN-HANDLING SUPPORT
- With berberine, nettle root and green tea: together they support digestion, gut microbial balance, metabolism and antioxidant protection.
FIND RELIEF - GINGER, BERBERINE, NETTLE ROOT, AND GREEN TEA EXTRACT: DIGESTIVE AND METABOLIC CONTRIBUTORS
- Ginger is also one of the ingredients in:
FIND RELIEF - LEUKOTRIENE-PATHWAY SUPPORT
FIND RELIEF - CYTOKINE-SIGNALING SUPPORT
- See every Find Relief post in one place:
FIND RELIEF DIRECTORY
WHERE TO BUY
One I personally love: Find Relief, formulated by my doctor, Dr. Thoring.
I invested in Vital Harmony Nutritionals to help bring Find Relief to market, because I wanted a formula that saves people money.
Buy products on Fullscript for a 25% discount:
Buy here (Buddha Teas Ginger Root Tea: organic ginger root):
Buy here (Natural Factors Chewable Ginger: organic ginger extract; contains xylitol, keep away from dogs):
Buy here (Pure Encapsulations Ginger Extract: capsules, standardized to 5% gingerols):
Buy here (NOW Ginger Root: capsules, lower-priced option):
MORE RESEARCH WITH MIXED RESULTS
- Migraine: a 2026 review of 8 trials (594 people) found it's still too uncertain whether ginger helps migraines, either during an attack or for prevention. The evidence was low to very low quality.
- Motion sickness: the NIH says most studies haven't shown ginger to help.
- Lyme lab research: in an older (2017) Johns Hopkins lab study of 34 essential oils against resting Lyme bacteria, ginger essential oil was not one of the strong ones. The top five were oregano, cinnamon bark, clove bud, citronella and wintergreen. Ginger oil is a different form than the ginger extract in supplements.
RELATED POSTS
NAUSEA - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
GUT PARALYSIS, DIGESTIVE TRANSIT TIME, VAGUS NERVE, SIBO AND SIFO
PAIN / INFLAMMATION - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
HEAD PAIN / HEAD PRESSURE - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
BOSWELLIA
SOURCES
Memorial Sloan Kettering, About Herbs: Ginger (2022)
NIH, NCCIH, Ginger (2025)
Li et al., ginger and nausea overview (2024)
Lin et al., ginger and chemotherapy nausea review (2025)
Wu et al., stomach emptying in healthy adults (2008, older source, still worth reading)
Hu et al., stomach emptying in functional dyspepsia (2011, older source, still worth reading)
Musazadeh et al., umbrella review of ginger and metabolic health (2026)
Rjabi et al., inflammation and antioxidant review (2025)
Ali et al., ginger and neutrophils, JCI Insight (2023)
Zhang et al., knee osteoarthritis supplement review (2025)
Moshfeghinia et al., period pain review (2024)
Inpan et al., allergy review (2026)
Atkins et al., migraine review (2026)
Feng et al., Johns Hopkins essential oils and Lyme lab study (2017, older source, still worth reading)
Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.
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