Ginger goes some way to settle an upset stomach

What is the science on ginger as a treatment for nausea and other stomach woes, and what is the best way to consume it?

- Melinda Wenner Moyer

Ginger has been a go-to remedy for digestive issues for centuries. And it is still popular today, with supplements that contain ginger ranking among the bestselling dietary supplements in the US, often beating those containing green tea and echinacea.

But is ginger really effective at soothing various stomach ailments? And which forms work best?

Just a few, relatively small studies have tackled those questions, said Dr Michael Curley, a gastro-enterologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. And most of those studies have focused specifically on nausea and vomiting.

Still, Dr Curley said, the limited research suggests that ginger can be safe and effective for treating nausea and vomiting in some contexts.

HOW MIGHT GINGER HELP?

Ginger contains two pungent compounds - gingerol and shogaol — that are thought to ease nausea by blocking nausea-related pathways in the gut and brain, effectively stopping “the vomiting centre inside the brain from getting switched on”, said Dr Megan Crichton, a researcher and dietitian who studies ginger at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

Some limited evidence also suggests that ginger supplements may ease symptoms by speeding up the rate of stomach emptying, said Dr Keshab Paudel, a pharmacologist and physician who studies ginger at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine in Florida.