Does ginger help with digestion and bloating?

It makes the stomach empty faster. Whether you feel better is a separate question, and the answer is much weaker. In a randomized crossover trial of 24 healthy adults, 1.2 g of ginger in capsules cut the time for half a soup meal to leave the stomach to 13.1 minutes, against 26.7 on placebo. Gut symptoms did not change. The same happened in 11 people with functional dyspepsia. No meta-analysis has pooled trials of plain ginger for indigestion or bloating.

Established. In short trials, ginger speeds gastric emptying. A 2020 systematic review of 109 ginger trials found 7 on stomach function, and every trial that measured emptying found it faster with ginger except one. A 2019 review of ginger in gut disorders reached the same conclusion for healthy people and for functional dyspepsia, and added that symptoms did not change. Neither review pooled the numbers.

Unsettled. Whether ginger relieves bloating or indigestion is unsettled. The trials that measured symptoms are small, used different products and populations, and point in different directions. Faster emptying is a measurement on a scan. It has not been shown to translate into feeling less full or less bloated.

What the trials found

Stomach emptying

The clearest data are on the stomach itself. In the trial of 24 healthy adults, one 1.2 g dose of ginger before the meal halved the half-emptying time and increased contractions of the lower stomach. In the trial of 11 people with functional dyspepsia, the same dose brought the median half-emptying time to 12.3 minutes from 16.1, with no change in symptoms or gut hormones. Both trials tested a single dose, so they say nothing about taking ginger daily.

Bloating and indigestion

The symptom trials split. In 52 people with relapsing multiple sclerosis, 500 mg of ginger three times a day with meals for 12 weeks reduced constipation, nausea and the severity of bloating against placebo. The frequency of bloating did not reach significance. In 51 healthy adults aged 18 to 30, 1.2 g a day of ginger root powder for 2 weeks shifted some gut bacteria and did not change bowel function or gut symptoms. Healthy people with no complaints have little room to improve, so that result is a weak test.

The most positive trial used a processed product. In 80 adults with mild to moderate functional dyspepsia, 480 mg a day of a steamed ginger extract for 12 weeks improved scores for abdominal pain, constipation, indigestion and reflux against placebo. The abstract does not give the size of those changes, and a steamed extract is not the same as ginger from the kitchen.

Two more studies used ginger with something else or without a control group. In 11 healthy volunteers, a capsule of ginger and artichoke extract before a meal left the stomach area 24% smaller an hour later than placebo. An uncontrolled 4-week study of 1080 mg of ginger root a day in functional dyspepsia reported improvement in 63.7% of the 51 people who finished, out of 124 assessed. With no placebo group and most people lost along the way, that figure cannot show what ginger did.

Irritable bowel syndrome

In a 28-day pilot trial of 45 people with irritable bowel syndrome, ginger at 1 g or 2 g a day did no better than a brown sugar placebo. Responders were 57.1% on placebo, 46.7% on 1 g and 33.3% on 2 g, and the gap was not statistically significant. The 2020 review found no other trial in this condition. One small pilot cannot settle the question in either direction.

Reflux

A 2022 meta-analysis of diet and supplement treatments for reflux found that ginger-containing supplements raised the odds of symptom relief (odds ratio 7.50, 95% CI 3.62 to 15.54). That estimate rests on 2 studies of products that combined ginger with other ingredients, so it cannot tell you what ginger does alone. The ratio comes with no absolute figure for how many people improved.

Who should be careful

The irony of ginger for digestion is that its common side effects are digestive. Across 109 ginger trials, heartburn was reported in 16 studies, with nausea, diarrhea, bloating and gas also listed. The 2019 review called side effects rare and mild. The EU medicines agency lists stomach upset, belching, indigestion, heartburn and nausea as common, meaning 1 to 10 users in 100. In an open-label study of 1080 mg a day in functional dyspepsia, 14.9% reported mild bloating, 12.8% heartburn and 10.6% diarrhea, though without a control group some of that may be the condition itself.

Not for everyone. If you take warfarin, ginger is a known concern. Among 171 people on warfarin followed for 16 weeks, those using ginger had about three times the odds of self-reported bleeding (odds ratio 3.20, 95% CI 2.42 to 4.24). That was an observational study with self-reported bleeding and unknown ginger doses. A systematic review of warfarin interactions, built largely on case reports, lists ginger among herbs to watch for bleeding risk.

The EU medicines agency advises avoiding ginger root medicines in pregnancy as a precaution, and does not recommend them while breastfeeding or under 18 for digestive use. NCCIH notes that ginger by mouth can cause abdominal discomfort, heartburn and diarrhea, and advises anyone on medicines to check with a clinician first. If reflux is your problem, the heartburn signal above is worth weighing before you try ginger for it.

What expert bodies say

The European Medicines Agency accepts ginger root for mild spasmodic gut complaints, including bloating and flatulence, only as a traditional herbal medicine. That category rests on long use, and clinical efficacy was not required. NCCIH describes the side effects and advises people on medicines to check with a clinician first. We found no WHO position on ginger and digestion.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• An adequately powered placebo-controlled trial of plain ginger, without other ingredients or processing, in functional dyspepsia or bloating, with symptoms as the main outcome. We found no such trial registered.
• A meta-analysis pooling those trials once they exist.
• Trials that give daily ginger for weeks and measure both emptying and how people feel, to test whether the faster stomach ever shows up as relief.
• A larger trial in irritable bowel syndrome, since one pilot of 45 people is all there is.

More on the root itself is on the ginger root page, and on the drink in ginger tea.

Sources

1. ev-gid-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis · n = 21 studies in the review; 2 studies pooled for ginger-containing supplements
   Ginger-containing supplements could be meta-analyzed, and improved incidence of GERD symptom alleviation (n = 2 studies, OR: 7.50 [95%CI: 3.62-15.54], GRADE: high).
   
   Who: adults with a history of GERD or functional dyspepsia; dietary, nutraceutical and probiotic interventions
   Effect: incidence of GERD symptom alleviation OR 7.50 (95% CI 3.62 to 15.54), GRADE high, n = 2 studies
   Certainty: Formulas with ginger in combination with other components; only 2 studies; the contribution of ginger alone is unknown.
   Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-gid-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review of randomized controlled trials · n = 109 RCTs; 7 on gastric function
   All studies that observed gastric emptying rate reported ginger as a digestive enhancer, except the study from Phillips et al., where they denied the facilitation of gastric function as demonstrated by the paracetamol absorption rate [50].
   
   Who: randomized controlled trials of ginger in humans; subset examining gastric function (emptying, dysrhythmia)
   Effect: gastric emptying faster with ginger in all trials measuring it except one (paracetamol absorption method); no pooled estimate
   Certainty: No meta-analysis; gastric emptying is an intermediate endpoint, not symptoms.
   Nutrients, 2020, 12(1):157 (Anh et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
3. ev-gid-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review of randomized controlled trials · n = 109 RCTs; 1 in IBS
   Lastly, one study from Miranda et al. examined the symptomatic relief on irritable bowel syndrome patients upon ginger application and found no evidence in the reduction of symptoms (p > 0.05) [54].
   
   Who: randomized controlled trials of ginger; irritable bowel syndrome patients
   Effect: no evidence of symptom reduction in IBS (p > 0.05)
   Certainty: The conclusion on PCOS rests on one pilot RCT (45 people).
   Nutrients, 2020, 12(1):157 (Anh et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
4. ev-gid-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review of randomized controlled trials · n = 109 RCTs; 17 reported adverse effects
   Heartburn, a general symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease, was reported in sixteen studies.
   
   Who: randomized controlled trials of ginger reporting adverse effects
   Effect: heartburn in 16 studies, nausea in 5, diarrhea in 2; also abdominal pain, bloating, gas, epigastric distress
   Certainty: Frequencies and doses are in supplementary table S4, not read.
   Nutrients, 2020, 12(1):157 (Anh et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
5. ev-gid-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review of clinical trials · n = —
   Wu et al. (2008) showed that ginger accelerates gastric emptying and stimulates antral contractions in healthy individuals; studies on patients with functional dyspepsia have shown the same results with no alterations in the fundus dimension, gastrointestinal symptoms, or serum level of gut peptides
   
   Who: clinical trials of ginger in gastrointestinal disorders; healthy volunteers and functional dyspepsia
   Effect: faster gastric emptying and more antral contractions; no change in fundus dimension, GI symptoms or gut peptides
   Certainty: A descriptive review without a pool; includes not only RCTs.
   Food Science & Nutrition, 2019, 7(1):96-108 (Nikkhah Bodagh et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
6. ev-gid-06 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review of clinical trials · n = —
   Ginger consumption rarely induces side effects such as mild gastrointestinal complications such as heartburn, belching, bruising or flushing, rash, and gastrointestinal discomfort.
   
   Who: clinical trials of ginger in gastrointestinal disorders
   Effect: rare, mild: heartburn, belching, bruising or flushing, rash, GI discomfort; adverse events generally not higher than control
   Certainty: A descriptive summary, without frequencies.
   Food Science & Nutrition, 2019, 7(1):96-108 (Nikkhah Bodagh et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
7. ev-gid-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind crossover trial · n = 24
   Antral area decreased more rapidly (P<0.001) and the gastric half-emptying time was less after ginger than placebo ingestion (13.1+/-1.1 vs. 26.7+/-3.1 min, P<0.01), whereas the frequency of antral contractions was greater (P<0.005).
   
   Who: healthy volunteers after an 8 h fast; 1200 mg ginger capsules or placebo, then 17 fl oz (500 ml) low-nutrient soup
   Effect: gastric half-emptying time 13.1 vs 26.7 min (P < 0.01); more antral contractions; no difference in GI symptoms
   Certainty: A single dose; surrogate endpoint; no full text in PMC.
   European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2008, 20(5):436-440 (Wu et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-gid-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind crossover trial · n = 11
   Ginger stimulated gastric emptying and antral contractions in patients with functional dyspepsia, but had no impact on gastrointestinal symptoms or gut peptides.
   
   Who: patients with functional dyspepsia; three capsules of ginger (1.2 g total) or placebo, then 17 fl oz (500 mL) low-nutrient soup
   Effect: median half-emptying time 12.3 (8.5-17.0) vs 16.1 (8.3-22.6) min, P <= 0.05; symptoms, GLP-1, motilin, ghrelin unchanged
   Certainty: Very small sample, one dose. A PMC version exists, but the sections could not be extracted (no_fulltext).
   World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2011, 17(1):105-110 (Hu et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-gid-09 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · double-blind parallel randomized placebo-controlled trial · n = 52
   Ginger consumption can improve constipation, nausea, bloating, and abdominal pain in patients with RRMS.
   
   Who: patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; 500 mg ginger or placebo (corn) 3 times a day with main meals
   Effect: bloating severity -11.57 vs +3.97 mm VAS (P = 0.047), frequency P = 0.098; constipation frequency -23.63 vs +14.81 (P < 0.001)
   Certainty: A special population (MS); bloating frequency not significant; ITT 52, 49 completed.
   BMC Complement Med Ther, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-gid-10 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial · n = 51
    Supplementation with ginger root powder was safe and altered aspects of gastrointestinal bacteria composition; however, it did not change alpha- or beta diversity, bowel function, gastrointestinal symptoms, mood, or quality of life in healthy adults.
    
    Who: healthy adults aged 18 to 30; 1.2 g/d ginger (84 mg/d gingerols and shogaols) or microcrystalline cellulose for 14 days
    Effect: no change in bowel function, gastrointestinal symptoms, alpha or beta diversity; some gut bacteria shifted
    Certainty: Healthy and without symptoms, so little room for an effect.
    J Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
11. ev-gid-11 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · double-blind randomized controlled pilot trial · n = 45
    Number of treatment responders across groups was not different (57.1% placebo, 46.7% 1 gr ginger, 33.3% 2 grams ginger; p>.05).
    
    Who: IBS patients; placebo (brown sugar), 1 g or 2 g ginger daily for 28 days
    Effect: responders 57.1% placebo, 46.7% 1 g, 33.3% 2 g (p > .05); adequate relief 53.3% in both; side effects 35.7% placebo vs 16.7% ginger
    Certainty: Pilot, low power.
    Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2014, 22(1):17-20 (van Tilburg et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
12. ev-gid-12 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multicentre trial · n = 80
    The GGE03 group showed significantly improved gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS) total score and sub-scores (abdominal pain, constipation, indigestion, and reflux) compared to the placebo group
    
    Who: adults with mild to moderate functional dyspepsia; steamed ginger extract GGE03 480 mg/day or placebo for 12 weeks
    Effect: GSRS total and sub-scores (abdominal pain, constipation, indigestion, reflux) improved vs placebo, p < 0.001
    Certainty: Processed extract (not fresh ginger); no magnitudes of change in the abstract; no full text in PMC.
    Food & Function, 2025, 16(18):7316-7329 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
13. ev-gid-13 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover pilot trial · n = 11
    The after-meal gastric area was significantly smaller, with a -24% difference, following the combination of extracts, as compared with placebo (p<0.001).
    
    Who: healthy volunteers; one capsule of standardized ginger plus artichoke extract (Prodigest) or placebo before a standardized meal
    Effect: post-meal gastric area 8.4 vs 11.0 cm2, -24% vs placebo, p < 0.001
    Certainty: Combination with artichoke; blinding not described; very small sample.
    Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2016 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
14. ev-gid-14 · Observational data · before-and-after clinical study without control group · n = 51 completers of 124 assessed
    FD symptoms after ginger supplementation showed improvement in 63.7% of subjects.
    
    Who: outpatients with functional dyspepsia, H. pylori negative; 540 mg ginger root capsule before lunch and dinner for 4 weeks
    Effect: improvement in 63.7%; epigastric pain -44%, nausea -43%, early satiety -30%, postprandial fullness -20%, heartburn -12% vs baseline
    Certainty: No placebo; large dropout (51 of 124).
    Cureus, 2023, 15(9):e46061 (Aregawi et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
15. ev-gid-15 · Observational data · open-label clinical trial without control group · n = 47
    The most commonly reported adverse effects were mild bloating (14.9%), heartburn (12.8%), and diarrhea (10.6%).
    
    Who: adults 18 to 72 with Rome IV functional dyspepsia; 2 capsules of 540 mg ginger root powder per day; anticoagulant users excluded
    Effect: bloating 14.9%, heartburn 12.8%, diarrhea 10.6%, headache 2.1%; no discontinuations, no serious events
    Certainty: No control, so background FD symptoms are not separated from adverse effects.
    Current Therapeutic Research, Clinical and Experimental, 2025, 102:100792 (Aregawi et al.) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
16. ev-gid-16 · Position of an expert body · EU herbal monograph (traditional use) · n = —
    Traditional herbal medicinal product for symptomatic treatment of mild, spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence.
    
    Who: adults
    Effect: traditional use indication; well-established use is limited to preventing nausea and vomiting in motion sickness
    Certainty: Traditional use: clinical efficacy was not required.
    European Medicines Agency, HMPC, European Union herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma, Revision 1 (EMA/HMPC/885789/2022), adopted 7 May 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
17. ev-gid-17 · Position of an expert body · EU herbal monograph · n = —
    Gastrointestinal disorders: Stomach upset, eructation, dyspepsia, heartburn and nausea.
    
    Who: users of ginger root medicinal products
    Effect: common (>= 1/100 to < 1/10)
    Certainty: Frequency from a monograph, not from a separate study.
    European Medicines Agency, HMPC, European Union herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma, Revision 1 (EMA/HMPC/885789/2022), adopted 7 May 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
18. ev-gid-18 · Position of an expert body · EU herbal monograph · n = —
    As a precautionary measure it is preferable to avoid the use during pregnancy.
    
    Who: pregnant and breastfeeding women; children and adolescents
    Effect: avoid in pregnancy (precaution)
    Certainty: The monograph records 300-1000 pregnancies without defects; the restriction is precautionary. NCCIH words it more softly (may be safe).
    European Medicines Agency, HMPC, European Union herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma, Revision 1 (EMA/HMPC/885789/2022), adopted 7 May 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
19. ev-gid-19 · Position of an expert body · agency fact sheet · n = —
    Ginger can have side effects such as abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea, and mouth and throat irritation when taken orally.
    
    Who: people taking ginger supplements by mouth
    Effect: possible abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea, mouth and throat irritation
    Certainty: No frequencies; interactions named in general terms.
    NCCIH, Ginger (fact sheet), last updated February 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
20. gngb4-11 · Observational data · prospective longitudinal observational study · n = 171
    Two CAMs were independently associated with an increased risk of self-reported bleeding: coenzyme Q(10) (odds ratio [OR] 3.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.88-7.24) and ginger (OR 3.20, 95% CI 2.42-4.24).
    
    Who: 171 adults on warfarin in a Canadian hospital, 16-week diary
    Effect: Self-reported bleeding OR 3.20 (95% CI 2.42 to 4.24)
    Certainty: self-reported bleeding; ginger dose unknown
    Pharmacotherapy, 2007 · checked 2026-09-23 · we read the abstract
21. gngb4-12 · Observational data · systematic review of case reports and studies · n = 149 reports
    healthcare professionals should be aware of the increased risk of bleeding when taking several food and herbs. These include Chinese wolfberry, chamomile tea, cannabis, cranberry, chitosan, green tea, Ginkgo biloba, ginger, spinach, St. John's Wort, sushi and smoking tobacco.
    
    Who: 149 reports on 78 foods, herbs and supplements with warfarin
    Effect: Ginger listed as raising bleeding risk; no pooled estimate
    Certainty: based largely on case reports
    Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2021 · checked 2026-09-23 · we read the abstract