Does ginger reduce inflammation?

On blood tests, a little. A 2025 meta-analysis of 29 randomized trials of ginger supplements found C-reactive protein, the standard blood marker of inflammation, fell by 0.86 mg/L, with a confidence interval from 0.62 to 1.10. The authors say the benefit sits mainly in people with underlying health conditions and that the trials disagree so much that the result should be read cautiously.

Established. Ginger supplements lower CRP modestly in trials. Three separate meta-analyses agree on the direction, with pooled falls of 0.86, 0.84 and, in type 2 diabetes, 0.42 mg/L.

Unsettled. Whether that changes anything you would feel or any disease outcome is not known. The trials measured blood markers, the results vary widely between them, and the diabetes authors call their reduction relatively small, with unknown clinical meaning.

What the trials found

Blood markers

The 29-trial analysis also found TNF-alpha fell by 1.90 pg/mL (95% CI 1.18 to 2.61) and IL-6 by 1.15 pg/mL (95% CI 0.41 to 1.90). An earlier meta-analysis of 16 trials in 1,010 people agreed on CRP, hs-CRP and TNF-alpha, but the heterogeneity was above 89% for each, and its CRP estimate, a standardized difference of -5.11, points to outlier trials rather than a typical effect. That analysis found no significant change in IL-6 (SMD -0.45, 95% CI -1.29 to 0.38) or in the adhesion molecule sICAM. So the two largest analyses disagree on IL-6.

In type 2 diabetes, 5 trials found hs-CRP fell by 0.42 mg/L (95% CI 0.05 to 0.78), TNF-alpha by 2.13 pg/mL and IL-6 by 0.61 pg/mL. Every trial in that analysis was at high risk of bias. An older meta-analysis of 9 studies, mixing trials with prospective studies, found CRP fell by 0.84 mg/L (95% CI 0.31 to 1.38). More ginger did not mean a bigger fall: the dose slope was -0.20, with an interval from -0.95 to 0.55 that crosses zero.

Inflamed joints

Knee osteoarthritis is where ginger has been tested on symptoms. Three trials comparing 166 patients on ginger with 164 on placebo found pain was the only clinical measure that fell. Stiffness, function and quality of life did not change. A 2025 network meta-analysis of knee osteoarthritis trials found ginger cut pain by 11.89 points on a 100-point scale against placebo, with a wide interval from 1.01 to 22.49, and ranked it below Boswellia and curcumin. A separate pooling of 5 trials in 593 people with osteoarthritis, using capsules of 250 to 1000 mg a day for 3 to 12 weeks, found a modest pain reduction, a standardized difference of -0.30 (95% CI -0.50 to -0.09), on moderate quality evidence.

In 30 adults aged about 56 with mild to moderate joint and muscle pain, 125 mg a day of a specialized ginger extract for 58 days eased pain ratings and shifted several inflammatory markers, mainly two days after a resistance exercise session. It was a small trial of a CO2 extracted, fermented product, which is a long way from ginger in food.

Rheumatoid arthritis is barely tested. A meta-analysis of 47 trials of dietary polyphenols in rheumatoid arthritis found only one trial of ginger extract, too few to pool.

Who should be careful

The trials above used supplements and extracts, and their side effect reporting was patchy. Across 39 knee osteoarthritis trials with 4,599 patients, no supplement, ginger included, raised adverse events against placebo, though only 5 of 41 trial reports described events linked to the treatment. The 5-trial osteoarthritis pooling found the opposite signal. Ginger capsules carried a 12 percentage point higher risk of a side effect than placebo (95% CI 2 to 23), mostly in the gut, and no serious events.

Not for everyone. If you take warfarin, ask before using ginger supplements. Among 171 warfarin users who kept a 16-week diary, ginger was one of the products linked with more self-reported bleeding, though exposure and bleeding were both self-reported. A systematic review of warfarin interactions also lists ginger among foods and herbs to watch for bleeding risk, based largely on case reports.

We have no cards here on children or on pregnancy in relation to inflammation. Ginger in pregnancy is covered on the morning sickness page.

What expert bodies say

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says ginger taken by mouth can cause abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea and mouth and throat irritation. It tells anyone on medicines to talk with a health care provider first because some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways. We found no position from a US or European body on ginger for inflammation itself.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• Large randomized trials at low risk of bias, with a standardized ginger dose and clinical outcomes rather than blood markers alone. The pooled marker analyses have heterogeneity of 89 to 98%, so the typical size of the effect is uncertain.
• More than one trial of ginger in rheumatoid arthritis.
• Consistent side effect reporting, which would resolve whether ginger capsules raise mild gut complaints or not.

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

Sources

1. ev-ginf-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 29 trials
   CRP (WMD = -0.86 mg/L; 95% CI = - 1.10, - 0.62), TNF-α (WMD = - 1.90 pg/mL; 95% CI = - 2.61, - 1.18), IL-6 (WMD = - 1.15 pg/mL; 95% CI = - 1.90, - 0.41)
   
   Who: adults in 29 randomized controlled trials of ginger supplementation
   Effect: CRP WMD -0.86 mg/L (95% CI -1.10 to -0.62); TNF-alpha WMD -1.90 pg/mL (-2.61 to -1.18); IL-6 WMD -1.15 pg/mL (-1.90 to -0.41)
   Certainty: high heterogeneity; GRADE-assessed, grades not in abstract
   Inflammopharmacology, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-ginf-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 29 trials
   Ginger supplementation may improve inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers, particularly in individuals with underlying health conditions. Given the high heterogeneity among studies, findings should be interpreted cautiously.
   
   Who: adults in 29 RCTs, healthy and with chronic disease
   Effect: larger effect in unhealthy participants; IL-6 effect non-linear with dose and duration
   Certainty: authors' own caveat
   Inflammopharmacology, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-ginf-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 1010
   There was a significant reduction of circulating CRP (SMD: -5.11, 95% CI: -7.91, -2.30, I2 = 98.1%), hs-CRP (SMD: -0.88, 95% CI: -1.63, -0.12, I2 = 90.8%) and TNF-α levels (SMD: -0.85, 95% CI: -1.48, -0.21, I2 = 89.4%) following ginger supplementation.
   
   Who: participants of 16 randomized controlled trials of ginger supplementation
   Effect: CRP SMD -5.11 (95% CI -7.91 to -2.30, I2 98.1%); hs-CRP SMD -0.88 (-1.63 to -0.12); TNF-alpha SMD -0.85 (-1.48 to -0.21)
   Certainty: SMD of -5 with I2 98% signals outlier trials; magnitude not credible as a typical effect
   Cytokine, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-ginf-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 1010
   However, meta-analysis results did not show any significant impact of ginger supplementation on IL-6 (SMD: -0.45, 95% CI: -1.29, 0.38, I2 = 89.2%), and sICAM levels (SMD: -0.05, 95% CI: -0.36, 0.26, I2 = 00.0%).
   
   Who: participants of 16 randomized controlled trials of ginger supplementation
   Effect: IL-6 SMD -0.45 (95% CI -1.29 to 0.38); sICAM SMD -0.05 (-0.36 to 0.26)
   Certainty: IL-6 result disagrees with the 2025 meta-analysis (ev-ginf-01)
   Cytokine, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-ginf-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 5 trials
   Pooled findings of the five RCTs demonstrated that ginger supplementations had significantly reduced hs-CRP (WMD -0.42 mg/L; 95% CI, -0.78, -0.05, P = 0.03), TNF-α (-2.13 pg/mL; 95% CI: -3.41, -0.86, P = 0.001), and IL-6 (WMD: -0.61 pg/mL; 95% CI: -0.92, -0.30, P = 0.001) levels in patients with T2DM.
   
   Who: patients with type 2 diabetes in 5 randomized controlled trials
   Effect: hs-CRP WMD -0.42 mg/L (95% CI -0.78 to -0.05); TNF-alpha -2.13 pg/mL; IL-6 -0.61 pg/mL
   Certainty: all trials high risk of bias; authors call the reduction relatively small, clinical meaning unknown
   Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-ginf-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies · n = 9 studies
   Random-effects meta-regression revealed that changes in serum CRP levels were independent of the dosage of ginger supplementation (slope -0.20; 95% CI -0.95 to 0.55; p=0.60).
   
   Who: participants of 9 prospective studies of ginger supplementation
   Effect: CRP WMD -0.84 mg/L (95% CI -1.38 to -0.31, I2 56.3%); meta-regression on dose slope -0.20 (95% CI -0.95 to 0.55), p=0.60
   Certainty: included prospective studies, not only RCTs
   Food Nutr Res, 2016 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-ginf-07 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis · n = 330
   Three studies assessed the effects of ginger on OA symptoms in 166 patients compared to 164 placebo controls. Pain was the only clinical parameter that significantly decreased.
   
   Who: patients with knee osteoarthritis, 166 on ginger and 164 on placebo in 3 studies
   Effect: pain decreased significantly; stiffness, function and quality of life not changed
   Certainty: three small trials; pain effect size not in abstract
   Nutrients, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-ginf-08 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 4599 (whole network)
   and ginger (MD = 11.89, 95% CI: 1.01 to 22.49, p < 0.05) were associated with statistically significant reductions in pain.
   
   Who: adults with knee osteoarthritis in placebo-controlled RCTs, ginger arm from six studies
   Effect: VAS pain MD 11.89 (95% CI 1.01 to 22.49) vs placebo
   Certainty: wide interval; ginger ranked below Boswellia and curcumin
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
9. ev-ginf-09 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 4599
   No supplement was associated with increased adverse events compared to placebo.
   
   Who: adults with knee osteoarthritis in 39 RCTs of eggshell membrane, vitamin D, Boswellia, curcumin, ginger, krill oil or collagen
   Effect: no increase in adverse events vs placebo
   Certainty: adverse event reporting inconsistent across trials (only 5 of 41 reported intervention-related events)
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-ginf-10 · Observational data · prospective longitudinal cohort · n = 171
    The CAM therapies associated with an increased risk of self-reported bleeding included cayenne, ginger, willow bark, St. John's wort, and coenzyme Q(10).
    
    Who: 171 adults on warfarin anticoagulation, Canadian hospital, 16-week diary
    Effect: ginger use associated with increased risk of self-reported bleeding
    Certainty: self-reported exposure and bleeding; no INR effect shown for ginger
    Pharmacotherapy, 2007 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
11. ev-ginf-11 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized placebo-controlled parallel-arm trial · n = 30
    Results: There was evidence that ginger supplementation attenuated perceptions of muscle pain in the vastus medialis; improved ratings of pain, stiffness, and functional capacity; and affected several inflammatory markers (e.g., IL-6, INF-ϒ, TNF-α, and C-Reactive Protein concentrations), particularly following two days of recovery from resistance exercise.
    
    Who: 30 men and women aged about 56 with mild to moderate joint and muscle pain, 125 mg/d ginger extract (10% gingerols) or placebo for 58 days
    Effect: lower muscle pain ratings, better stiffness and function; changes in IL-6, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and CRP mainly after 2 days of recovery from exercise
    Certainty: small; specialized CO2-extracted fermented extract; marker changes reported as 'evidence', not a single primary result
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
12. ev-ginf-12 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 3852
    Pomegranate extract, Resveratrol, Garlic extract, Puerarin, Hesperidin, Ginger extract, Cinnamon extract, Sesamin only involve in 1 RCT.
    
    Who: patients with rheumatoid arthritis in 47 RCTs of 15 dietary polyphenols
    Effect: ginger extract tested in 1 RCT; polyphenols overall did not increase adverse events
    Certainty: no pooled estimate possible for ginger alone
    Front Immunol, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
13. gt8-14 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · evidence review panel using meta-analysis of RCTs (GRADE) · n = 593
    The meta-analysis of five trials (593 participants) showed moderate-quality evidence for a statistically significant reduction in pain as compared with placebo (SMD = –0.30, 95% CI = –0.50 to –0.09, P = 0.005, I2 = 27%). ... Compared with placebo, a 12% greater risk of experiencing an adverse event was noted following ginger (risk difference [RD] = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.23, P = 0.02, I2 = 49.00%)
    
    Who: adults with osteoarthritis in RCTs, capsules 250-1000 mg/d for 3-12 weeks
    Effect: pain SMD -0.30 (95% CI -0.50 to -0.09); adverse events risk difference 0.12 (95% CI 0.02 to 0.23), mainly gastrointestinal
    Certainty: capsules not tea; moderate certainty; no serious adverse events
    Pain Med, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30 · we read the fulltext
14. gt8-11 · 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. ... The use of ginger dietary supplements during pregnancy may be safe. ... If you take any type of medicine, talk with your health care provider before using ginger or any other herbal products; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.
    
    Who: general public
    Effect: side effects listed; pregnancy use may be safe; possible herb-drug interactions
    Certainty: T2 summary, no own analysis; page updated February 2025
    NIH NCCIH, Ginger: Usefulness and Safety, updated February 2025 · checked 2026-09-30 · we read the section
15. 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