Ginger
Carried in 12% of Iceland's products. Most often listed in butter chicken without side dishes (100% of products in that category list it).
Ginger · health claims, ranked by evidence
Ginger is one of the better-studied culinary spices in nutrition research — chiefly for nausea, with smaller but reasonable bodies of evidence for joint pain and menstrual cramps. Many other claims circulating online have weaker support than the marketing suggests.
Multiple randomised controlled trials and Cochrane reviews find ginger (around 1g/day) modestly reduces nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, with no consistent harm signal at culinary doses. Effect size is small-to-moderate; not a cure. Speak to a midwife before supplementing in pregnancy.
Trials in chemotherapy patients suggest ginger added to standard antiemetics can further reduce nausea, particularly in the acute phase. Results are inconsistent across studies; oncology teams generally see it as low-risk to try alongside conventional treatment.
Several small-to-medium RCTs find ginger (around 750–2000mg/day during menstruation) reduces self-reported pain on par with mefenamic acid or ibuprofen for many participants. Trials are mostly small; mechanism is plausible (anti-inflammatory). Worth trying alongside, not instead of, what your GP recommends.
Meta-analyses suggest a small reduction in osteoarthritis pain scores with ginger extract supplementation over 8–12 weeks. Effect is real but modest; less potent than NSAIDs. Mainly studied in knee osteoarthritis.
Older trials reported a benefit; more recent work is inconsistent. If it works for you it's low-risk; don't expect a reliable effect at culinary doses.
Despite folk-medicine reputation, controlled human evidence for ginger as a cold/flu/COVID treatment is thin to absent. It may make a sore throat feel better as a warm drink — that's a comfort effect, not an antiviral one.
Cell-culture and animal studies show some interesting compounds in ginger; human clinical evidence for cancer prevention or treatment is not there. Be skeptical of any source making this claim about ginger or any common spice.
- Generally well-tolerated at culinary doses (a few grams per day).
- May interact with anticoagulants (warfarin) — speak to your pharmacist if you're on blood thinners.
- High doses (>4g/day) sometimes cause heartburn or mild GI discomfort.
- Pregnancy: culinary use is widely considered safe; consult your midwife before supplementing.
This is editorial summary, not medical advice. Always speak to a qualified healthcare professional before changing diet or supplements, especially if you're pregnant, on medication, or managing a health condition.Last hand-reviewed: 2026-04-30
