Does ginger tea help with weight loss?

We found no trial that tested brewed ginger tea on body weight. The nearest thing is a pilot crossover trial in 10 overweight men, who drank 2 g of ginger powder dissolved in hot water with breakfast. Their thermic effect of food, the calories burned digesting the meal, was 42.7 calories a day higher than with hot water, measured over one 6 hour session per drink, and nobody's weight was recorded. Trials that did measure weight gave ginger as capsules or powder, and the two largest reviews of them disagree.

Unsettled. For the tea there is no answer, because it has not been tested. For ginger supplements, a 2024 meta-analysis of 27 trials found about 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) of weight loss on low certainty evidence, and a 2025 meta-analysis of 36 trials concluded that ginger does not seem to improve body weight or BMI.

What the trials found

The one ginger drink trial

The 10 men in that pilot trial had a BMI of about 27 and were in their late thirties. The ginger drink is the only part of it that resembles tea, and it was a measured 2 g of dried ginger powder, so the dose is known in a way a home-brewed cup is not. The rise in the thermic effect of food reached significance at P = 0.049. The area under the curve for energy expenditure did not differ, and total energy burned after the meal did not change. Hunger and the amount the men expected to eat were rated lower after the ginger drink, at P = 0.002 and P = 0.004. Those are ratings on a scale. How much the men then actually ate was not measured.

Ginger in food

A crossover trial in 22 lean young men gave a meal with 20 g of ginger against an unspiced meal. It found no reliable effect on thermogenesis, appetite, how much they ate afterward or energy balance. These were single meals, with the ginger eaten rather than drunk.

Ginger with black tea

In an 8 week trial in 204 people with type 2 diabetes, one group took 3 g of ginger a day with three glasses of black tea and the control group drank the tea alone. Body measures did not differ between the groups. About 40 people were in each arm.

Ginger capsules and powder

The 2024 meta-analysis of 27 randomized trials in 1309 adults found ginger lowered body weight by 3.4 lb (1.52 kg), with a 95 percent confidence interval of 1.5 to 5.2 lb (0.66 to 2.37 kg), and BMI by 0.58. Its authors rated the weight result low certainty, and most of the trials were Iranian. The 2025 meta-analysis pooled 36 trials and found no change in weight or BMI. It did find a waist 0.26 in (0.65 cm) smaller and body fat 1.49 percentage points lower. In one 12 week double-blind trial in 80 obese women, 2 g a day of ginger powder in tablets gave a slight but significant drop in all body measurements against placebo. Its abstract gives no figure in kilograms.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. Ginger by mouth can cause abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea and mouth and throat irritation, according to NCCIH, which gives no figures for how often. NCCIH also advises anyone taking a medicine to talk with a clinician before using ginger, because some herbs and medicines interact. Among 171 people on warfarin who kept a 16 week diary, ginger was one of the products linked with more self-reported bleeding, and the study did not separate the form or amount of ginger.

The drink matters as much as the ginger. Plain ginger tea is recorded at about 1 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), about 2 calories a cup, unsweetened. Ginger beer is a different product. In a 2014 survey of labels on 169 UK fizzy drinks, ginger beer had the most sugar, 38.5 g per 330 mL on average.

In pregnancy, an umbrella review of 18 systematic reviews found ginger supplements of 450 to 1950 mg a day did not raise the risk of miscarriage or side effects compared with placebo or vitamin B6. The reviews it drew on were mostly of low methodological quality, and the doses came from capsules rather than tea. We found no evidence on ginger tea and weight in children.

What expert bodies say

We found no expert body that recommends ginger, as tea or supplement, for weight loss. The NCCIH ginger fact sheet, updated February 2025, lists side effects and the medicines warning above and says nothing about weight. It also says ginger supplements during pregnancy may be safe.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A placebo-controlled trial of daily brewed ginger tea, with a known gingerol content, lasting at least 12 weeks with body weight as the main outcome. We found none registered.
• A measurement of how much gingerol a home-brewed cup of ginger tea carries. We found no study that reports it, so a cup cannot yet be compared with the doses in the capsule trials.
• A third, larger review that explains why the 2024 and 2025 meta-analyses of the same kind of trial came to different conclusions on weight.

More on the drink is on the ginger tea page, and the capsule and extract trials are covered in ginger and weight loss.

Sources

1. ev-gitwl-01 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover pilot trial, single test meal per condition · n = 10
   There was a significant effect of treatment (ginger vs no ginger = 42.7±21.4kcal/d, P=0.049) but no time or treatment x time interaction on TEF (Figure 1).
   
   Who: overweight men, age 39.1 +/- 3.3 y, BMI 27.2 +/- 0.3 kg/m2
   Effect: thermic effect of food +42.7 +/- 21.4 calories/d (P = 0.049); area under the curve not different (P = 0.43); total post-prandial energy expenditure not changed
   Certainty: Only trial of a ginger drink; 10 completers, one 6-hour session per arm, no weight outcome.
   Metabolism, 2012 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
2. ev-gitwl-02 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover pilot trial · n = 10
   AUC for VAS ratings was significantly lower for questions related to hunger (P=0.002) and prospective food intake (P=0.004) after ginger consumption compared to control (Figure 2).
   
   Who: overweight men, age 39.1 +/- 3.3 y, BMI 27.2 +/- 0.3 kg/m2
   Effect: lower hunger AUC (P = 0.002) and prospective food intake AUC (P = 0.004); fullness trend (P = 0.064); actual food intake not measured
   Certainty: Subjective ratings over 6 hours; no measured energy intake and no weight data.
   Metabolism, 2012 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
3. ev-gitwl-03 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover pilot trial (methods) · n = 10
   Dried ginger powder (2g, The McCormick Science Institute, McCormick & Company, Inc., Sparks, MD) was dissolved in hot water for the ginger test day.
   
   Who: overweight men in a crossover trial
   Effect: dose 2 g dried ginger powder in hot water once, with a 525 calories breakfast
   Certainty: Dose of gingerols in brewed ginger root tea is not reported in any study we found.
   Metabolism, 2012 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext
4. ev-gitwl-04 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · five-way placebo-controlled single-blind crossover trial · n = 22
   In conclusion, no reliable treatment effects on appetite, EI or energy balance were observed, although mustard tended to be thermogenic at this dose.
   
   Who: young normal-weight males, age 24.9 y, BMI 21.8 kg/m2
   Effect: no significant effect on diet-induced thermogenesis; appetite P > 0.85, ad libitum energy intake P = 0.63, energy balance P = 0.67 across spices
   Certainty: Single meals in lean young men; ginger eaten in food, not as a drink.
   Br J Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-gitwl-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 1309
   The meta-analysis showed a significant association between ginger supplementation and a reduction in body weight (WMD, -1.52 kg; 95%CI, -2.37, -0.66; P < 0.001), BMI (WMD, -0.58 kg/m2; 95%CI, -0.87, -0.30; P < 0.001), WC (WMD, -1.04 cm; 95%CI: -1.93, -0.15; P = 0.021), and percent body fat consumption (WMD, -0.87%; 95%CI, -1.71, -0.03; P = 0.042).
   
   Who: adults in RCTs of ginger supplementation, mostly capsules or powder
   Effect: body weight WMD -3.4 lb (95% CI -5.2 to -1.5; metric: -1.52 kg, -2.37 to -0.66); BMI WMD -0.58 kg/m2 (-0.87 to -0.30); GRADE low for weight
   Certainty: GRADE low; no included trial used brewed ginger tea; mostly Iranian trials.
   Nutr Rev, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-gitwl-06 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · GRADE-based systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 36 trials
   Ginger supplementation does not seem effective in improving major measurements/indices of weight, including body weight and BMI.
   
   Who: adults in RCTs of ginger supplementation
   Effect: body weight and BMI not changed; waist WMD -0.26 in (95% CI -0.42 to -0.09; metric: -0.65 cm, -1.07 to -0.24); body fat WMD -1.49% (-2.65 to -0.32)
   Certainty: Largest and newest pool; contradicts the 2024 review; capsules and powder, not tea.
   Complement Ther Med, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-gitwl-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial · n = 80
   Over 12 weeks, ginger supplementation resulted in a slight but statistically significant decrease in all anthropometric measurements and total appetite score as compared with placebo group, which were more pronounced in subjects with the AA genotype for uncoupling protein 1 and Trp64Trp genotype for ß3-adrenergic receptor gene.
   
   Who: obese women aged 18 to 45 years
   Effect: slight significant decrease in all anthropometric measures and appetite score; body composition and energy intake not different
   Certainty: Abstract gives no kilograms; genotype subgroups exploratory.
   Phytother Res, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-gitwl-08 · Observational data · cross-sectional survey of product labels · n = 169 products
   On average, ginger beer (38.5±9.9 g/330 mL) contained the highest amounts of sugars and ginger ale (22.9±7.7 g/330 mL) contained the lowest.
   
   Who: 169 carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages in 9 UK supermarkets, 2014
   Effect: ginger beer 38.5 +/- 9.9 g sugars per 330 mL; ginger ale 22.9 +/- 7.7 g
   Certainty: Label data from 2014, UK only; plain unsweetened ginger tea has no added sugar.
   BMJ Open, 2016 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-gitwl-09 · 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; form and amount of ginger not separated.
   Pharmacotherapy, 2007 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-gitwl-10 · 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 by mouth
    Effect: possible abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea, mouth and throat irritation
    Certainty: No frequencies; the page says nothing about weight loss.
    NCCIH, Ginger: Usefulness and Safety (fact sheet), last updated February 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
11. ev-gitwl-11 · Position of an expert body · agency fact sheet · n = —
    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: people taking medicines
    Effect: check with a health care provider before use
    Certainty: Interactions named in general terms only.
    NCCIH, Ginger: Usefulness and Safety (fact sheet), last updated February 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
12. gt8-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · umbrella review of systematic reviews · n = 18 reviews
    Taking ginger supplements (usually between 450 and 1950 mg daily) significantly decreases the severity and occurrence of nausea and vomiting compared to a placebo. ... Numerous studies have shown that ginger does not raise the risk of adverse effects, such as spontaneous abortion or side effects like heartburn and drowsiness, when compared to a placebo or vitamin B6.
    
    Who: pregnant women, 18 systematic reviews (8 with meta-analysis)
    Effect: reduced severity and occurrence of nausea and vomiting vs placebo; no excess adverse effects
    Certainty: included reviews mostly low methodological quality; doses from capsules, not tea
    Phytother Res, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30 · we read the abstract
13. gt8-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized controlled trial · n = 204
    This clinical trial included 204 T2DM patients randomly assigned to four intervention groups receiving 3 g cinnamon, 3 g cardamom, 1 g saffron or 3 g ginger with three glasses of black tea, and one control group consuming only three glasses of tea without any herbals, for 8 weeks. ... No significant difference was found between various medicinal plants in terms of influencing BP, serum soluble (s)ICAM-1 concentrations and anthropometric measures.
    
    Who: 204 patients with type 2 diabetes, 5 arms, 8 weeks
    Effect: no significant between-group differences in BP, sICAM-1 or anthropometrics; within-group SBP change about 1 mmHg
    Certainty: within-group changes tiny; about 40 people per arm
    Blood Press, 2016 · checked 2026-09-30 · we read the abstract
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. gt8-13 · Position of an expert body · national food survey dataset · n = 1 record
    Tea, ginger, FNDDS code 92306850, fdc_id 2710507: Energy 1 KCAL per 100 g; 1 cup 240 g; 1 small 360 g = 3.6 KCAL
    
    Who: USDA FNDDS Tea, ginger, code 92306850, fdc 2710507
    Effect: 1 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g); 1 cup 240 g = 2.4 calories; 1 small 360 g = 3.6 calories
    Certainty: unsweetened; gingerol content not in dataset
    USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Tea, ginger, fdc_id 2710507 · checked 2026-09-30 · we read the dataset