Ginger is an effective way of calming the upset stomach associated with morning sickness

Pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting (PRNV) or morning sickness also called nausea Gravidarum is a condition that affects more than 50% of all pregnant women, especially in their first trimester.  In a subset of pregnant women, a more acute form of morning sickness called Hyperemesis Gravidarum effects 0.5 to 2% of pregnant women, often resulting in hospitalization and bed rest, as recently and notably experienced by Princess Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William of England.

Results from several studies of pregnant women suffering from nausea and vomiting indicate that patients were more likely to use ginger over other complementary alternatives.

Clinical Trial Results of Ginger for PRNV

Ginger has been studied for its ability to alleviate pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting (PRNV).

Between 1999 and 2009, ten randomized double-blind clinical trials – totaling more than 1,000 patients – have been conducted assessing the use of ginger for the management of PRNV.  Seven out of these ten trials demonstrated that ginger was effective in reducing nausea and vomiting.  Even more significant is that approximately 1-1.5 g of ginger a day versus a placebo was shown to be significantly effective in decreasing the number of vomiting episodes in expectant mothers within the first trimester.

Ginger has shown beneficial effects on PRNV in several studies (Fischer-Rasmussen et al., 1991; Keating et al., 2002; Ozgoli et al., 2009; Smith et al., 2004; Vutyavanich et al., 2001; Willetts, 2003). Use of ginger is well tolerated with minimal side effects (Fischer-Rasmussen, 1991; Hollyer, 2002; Enysieh et al., 2009; Ozgoli et al., 2009).

For example, nausea scores were significantly lower in 32 women randomized to receive 250 mg dried ginger 4 times daily for 4 days compared to placebo (35 women); vomiting also decreased (Ozgoli et al., 2009). Two studies evaluated pregnancy outcomes in women who received ginger during pregnancy. These studies evaluated ginger 1.05 g daily for 3 weeks (Smith et al., 2004) or 1 g daily for 4 days (Vutyavanich et al., 2001) in women < 17 weeks gestation. No adverse pregnancy or birth outcome was attributable to ginger. These authors (Vutyavanich et al., 2001) conclude that ginger is a safe and effective treatment for PRNV.

All of the studies indicated that ginger was safe and no adverse events or adverse events on pregnancy outcomes were reported in these trials (Fischer-Rasmussen et al., 1991; Vuyavanich et al., 2001, Willetts et al., 2003, and Portnoi et al., 2003).

Based on these studies, a standardized and stabilized ginger product such as Zindol® will be an efficacious response to PRNV in the first trimester of pregnancy.

References

• Ensiyeh J and Sakineh M. (2009). Comparing ginger and vitamin B6 for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Midwifery. 25(6): p. 649-53.
• Fischer-Rasmussen W, Kjaer S, Dahl C and Asping U. (1991). Ginger treatment of hyper-emesis gravidarum. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 38(1): p. 19-24.
• Keating A and Chez R. (2002). Ginger syrup as an antiemetic in early pregnancy. Altern Ther Health Med. 8(5): 89-91.
• Ozgoli G, Goli M and Simbar M. (2009). Effects of ginger capsules on pregnancy, nausea, and vomiting. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009. 15(3): p. 243-6.
• Smith C, Crowther C, Willson K, Hotham N and McMillian V. (2004). A randomized controlled trial of ginger to treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol. 103(4): 639-45.
• Vutyavanich T, Kraisarin T and Ruangsri R. (2001). Ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 97(4): 577-82.
• Willetts K, Ekangaki A and Eden J. (2003) Effect of a ginger extract on pregnancy-induced nausea: a randomized controlled trial. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 43(2): 139-44.