Ginger

Clinical question 2j:

What is the effect of ginger in the treatment of nausea and/or vomiting in patients in the palliative phase of cancer, heart failure, COPD, MS, ALS or renal failure?

Recommendation

Ginger is not recommended for patients in the palliative phase with nausea and/or vomiting.

Introduction

Ginger (zingiberis rhizoma) is an herb used in complementary medicine to treat nausea. There are indications that ginger has an effect on nausea resulting from chemotherapy as well as nausea during pregnancy. The mechanism of action is not known. It is possible that the mechanism involves interaction with 5HT3 receptors via the component galanolactone [Lumb 1993].
Ginger is administered orally. Ginger is not registered in the Netherlands as a medicine.

Literature discussion

One review [Quimby 2007] was found during literature research.
Quimby performed a review on the use of ginger by cancer patients. He outlines the results of an earlier review on the use of ginger for nausea and vomiting [Ernst 2000} and the results of three studies on the use of ginger for nausea due to chemotherapy [Sharma 1997  and 1998; Zick 2005]. No outcome measures are provided. Quimby concludes that ginger reduces complaints of nausea for both nausea during pregnancy and nausea after chemotherapy [Quimby 2007]. No statement is made about nausea and/or vomiting in the palliative phase.

No statement can be made about the effectiveness of ginger for nausea and/or vomiting in patients in the palliative phase.

There are no reports of side effects of ginger.