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Ginger

Zingiber officinale Roscoe

Zingiberaceae // rhizome

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Uses & evidence

Uses and evidence recorded
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Preparation

decoction, tincture, powder/capsule, standardized extract
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Safety

Safety information available
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Research

No linked research on file
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Overview

Plant parts

rhizome

Known constituents

gingerols, shogaols, zingerone

Research corpus coverage

Materia medicaPet safety

Chemistry notes

  • CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include gingerols; shogaols; zingerone; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.

Uses & Evidence

Traditional / historical use

Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.

  • TRADITIONAL: Ginger has been used for nausea; dyspepsia; colds; pain; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.

    MODERATE · evidence synthesis/fact sheet · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

Modern evidence

  • EVIDENCE: For the major use set (nausea; dyspepsia; colds; pain), the evidence assessment is well-supported: Well-supported for pregnancy-related nausea and some postoperative nausea; limited/mixed for osteoarthritis and dysmenorrhea.

    HIGH · regulatory monograph and mixed scientific literature · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

Preparation

Forms used traditionally

decoctiontincturepowder/capsulestandardized extract

A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.

  • PREPARATION: The medicinal material is rhizome; traditional and modern forms include decoction, tincture, powder/capsule, standardized extract. No dose or potency is specified.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries

    Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.

Safety

Cats & dogs

  • Caution

    Ginger rhizome may cause abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, gastric irritation, or oropharyngeal mucosal irritation; it may increase bleeding risk with NSAIDs and can have additive glucose-lowering effects.

    Intrinsic toxicity · OTHER · ginger rhizome product · MODERATE · veterinary_manual · Herbal Medicine in Veterinary Patients - Therapeutics

Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)

Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.

  • SAFETY: Major issues include Heartburn; GI irritation; possible bleeding tendency. Contraindications/cautions include Caution with bleeding disorders and gallstones.

    HIGH · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

  • SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include Potential additive effects with anticoagulants, antiplatelets, and glucose-lowering drugs.

    MODERATE · observational/case series and expert review · LiverTox: Herbal and Dietary Supplements

    Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.

  • SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Human pregnancy trials support nausea use, but concentrated products still warrant professional review.

    MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · NCCIH Herbs at a Glance

    Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.

  • Ginger rhizome may cause abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, gastric irritation, or oropharyngeal mucosal irritation; it may increase bleeding risk with NSAIDs and can have additive glucose-lowering effects.

    MODERATE · veterinary_manual · Herbal Medicine in Veterinary Patients - Therapeutics

    Species and route were not specified.

Preparation × species risk matrix

Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.

Cats

  • tinctureCaution
  • whole herbCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • essential oilUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown

Dogs

  • tinctureCaution
  • whole herbCaution
  • concentrated extractUnknown
  • essential oilUnknown
  • glyceriteUnknown
  • infused oilUnknown
  • salveUnknown
  • smoke/combustionUnknown
  • tea/infusionUnknown

Identity

  • Common-name collisionWild ginger

    Wild ginger is an unrelated Asarum, not culinary/medicinal Zingiber officinale.

    MODERATE · GBIF taxonomic backbone and Apothecary corpus identity note

  • Synonym

    GBIF resolves Amomum zingiber L. as a synonym of Zingiber officinale. The older name still appears in herbal and taxonomic literature.

    HIGH · GBIF Species Match API

Botanical synonym

Amomum zingiber L.

Taxonomic identity note

  • Ginger is treated here as Zingiber officinale Roscoe in the family Zingiberaceae; recorded older names include Amomum zingiber L..

Sources

Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.