Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review
This review evaluates findings from meta-analyses on the pharmacological effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale), focusing on inflammation, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), oxidative stress, and pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting (NVP). A systematic PubMed search identified relevant meta-analy...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1619655/full |
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| author | Keshab Raj Paudel Jake Orent Olivia Grace Penela |
| author_facet | Keshab Raj Paudel Jake Orent Olivia Grace Penela |
| author_sort | Keshab Raj Paudel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This review evaluates findings from meta-analyses on the pharmacological effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale), focusing on inflammation, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), oxidative stress, and pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting (NVP). A systematic PubMed search identified relevant meta-analyses published between 2010 and 2025. Ginger supplementation was associated with significant reductions in circulating C-reactive protein (CRP), high-sensitivity CRP, and tumor necrosis factor-α, indicating anti-inflammatory activity. In patients with T2DM, ginger significantly lowered glycosylated hemoglobin 1c and fasting blood glucose. Furthermore, antioxidant effects were observed through reduced malondialdehyde levels and increased glutathione peroxidase activity. In pregnant women, ginger significantly alleviated nausea symptoms but had no significant effect on vomiting frequency. Doses of 1–3 g daily were commonly used for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiabetic purposes, while 500–1,500 mg daily in divided doses was used for NVP. Belching was identified as a potential side effect in pregnant women. Despite encouraging outcomes, high heterogeneity in one metanalysis (I2 = 98.1%) and potential risk of bias in ‘blinding’ and ‘other bias’ categories across studies reported by another metanalysis highlight the need for further high-quality large-scale randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses to confirm the clinical benefits of ginger. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ecef0eba0c674e9da566595a3f4fe6e2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1663-9812 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ecef0eba0c674e9da566595a3f4fe6e22025-08-20T03:09:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122025-07-011610.3389/fphar.2025.16196551619655Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic reviewKeshab Raj Paudel0Jake Orent1Olivia Grace Penela2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, Melbourne, FL, United StatesDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, Melbourne, FL, United StatesDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, Columbus, GA, United StatesThis review evaluates findings from meta-analyses on the pharmacological effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale), focusing on inflammation, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), oxidative stress, and pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting (NVP). A systematic PubMed search identified relevant meta-analyses published between 2010 and 2025. Ginger supplementation was associated with significant reductions in circulating C-reactive protein (CRP), high-sensitivity CRP, and tumor necrosis factor-α, indicating anti-inflammatory activity. In patients with T2DM, ginger significantly lowered glycosylated hemoglobin 1c and fasting blood glucose. Furthermore, antioxidant effects were observed through reduced malondialdehyde levels and increased glutathione peroxidase activity. In pregnant women, ginger significantly alleviated nausea symptoms but had no significant effect on vomiting frequency. Doses of 1–3 g daily were commonly used for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiabetic purposes, while 500–1,500 mg daily in divided doses was used for NVP. Belching was identified as a potential side effect in pregnant women. Despite encouraging outcomes, high heterogeneity in one metanalysis (I2 = 98.1%) and potential risk of bias in ‘blinding’ and ‘other bias’ categories across studies reported by another metanalysis highlight the need for further high-quality large-scale randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses to confirm the clinical benefits of ginger.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1619655/fullgingergingerolinflammatoryoxidative stresspharmacological property |
| spellingShingle | Keshab Raj Paudel Jake Orent Olivia Grace Penela Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review Frontiers in Pharmacology ginger gingerol inflammatory oxidative stress pharmacological property |
| title | Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review |
| title_full | Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review |
| title_short | Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? a systematic review |
| title_sort | pharmacological properties of ginger zingiber officinale what do meta analyses say a systematic review |
| topic | ginger gingerol inflammatory oxidative stress pharmacological property |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1619655/full |
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