Gut Health
Ginger
A spicy root whose active compound, gingerol, is well studied for easing nausea and supporting digestion.
Anti-Inflammatory
Gut Health
Recovery
Serving
1 tsp fresh, grated (2g)
Calories Per Serving
2
Key nutrients
Gingerol, manganese, vitamin B6
Nutrient density
Not officially rated
Why it’s worth eating
Ginger contains bioactive compounds like gingerol that support digestion, reduce nausea, and have anti-inflammatory effects. Add ginger to teas, smoothies, or curries for a zesty boost.
What you may notice
Nausea and digestive comfort
Joint comfort
Markers worth tracking
Liver enzyme panel
C-reactive protein (inflammation)
How to eat it
Fresh ginger has a different, brighter compound profile than dried/powdered, use fresh for nausea relief and dried for warming, spiced flavor.
Pairs well with
Lemon and honey, a traditional pairing, especially for digestive or cold-and-flu use
Turmeric, a complementary anti-inflammatory pairing
Storage
Refrigerate fresh ginger unpeeled, or freeze it whole and grate as needed straight from frozen.
The numbers, per 1 tsp fresh, grated (2g)
0%
Vitamin K
0%
Vitamin A
0%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium
0%
Iron
0%
Magnesium
0%
Potassium
0%
Vitamin B12
0%
Vitamin D
Fiber
0.04g
Ginger root, raw (FDC 169231)
Evidence
A
THE STRONGEST FOOD IN THE ROOTS AND AROMATICS GROUP, with multiple RCT meta-analyses across nausea indications plus osteoarthritis, at realistic doses.
Study dose vs. serving
REALISTIC DOSE: trials cluster at 1-1.5 g/day dried ginger powder. Roughly 1 g dried is about 5-10 g fresh, so a therapeutic dose is a few teaspoons grated. Osteoarthritis pain SMD -0.30 (95% CI -0.50 to -0.09). Pregnancy nausea subgroup favoured under 1,500 mg/day, and ginger did not significantly affect vomiting episodes.
Bartels EM, et al. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015;23(1):13-21 (5 RCTs, 593 patients). Nausea: Viljoen E, et al. Nutr J. 2014;13:20. Postoperative: Toth B, et al. Phytomedicine. 2018;50:8-18.
Use caution if
You take blood thinners, ginger has mild anti-platelet effects in larger amounts
You have gallstones, check with a doctor, as ginger can stimulate bile production
Details
Type
Season
Tropical rhizome, year-round
Forms
Fresh, dried powder (higher shogaol), crystallised, tea, capsule
Price
Budget
Bioactive
6-gingerol (fresh), converting to 6-shogaol on drying and heating
Heat stable
Partial and interesting: drying and heat convert 6-gingerol to 6-shogaol, so dried powder is not simply interchangeable with an equal weight of fresh root
Watch
TRADE-OFF: in the osteoarthritis meta-analysis, patients given ginger were more than twice as likely to discontinue due to adverse events than placebo (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.04-5.22), chiefly mild gastrointestinal upset. The anticoagulant and antiplatelet interaction is theoretical, based on in vitro and ex vivo data; human evidence is weak and inconsistent, and controlled studies have generally found no clinically significant effect on INR at culinary or typical supplement doses.
Reliability
4 / 5
More for Gut Health
