Introduction

The root of the ginger plant has been used by humans across different cultures for thousands of years, not just for adding a fiery taste to cooking, but as a herbal remedy to treat everything from sore throats and muscular aches, to improving immune function.¹ This role of ginger in particular has received increasing interest by scientists in recent years, with more and more evidence supporting its benefits to the immune system, including: 

• Reducing inflammation
• Reducing cancer risk
• Helping your immune system fight infection

In this article, we’re going to go into more detail about these benefits, why they’re important to your general immune health and well-being, and some easy ways to incorporate ginger into your diet today.

Overview 

What is the immune system and why is it important? 

Most of us know the immune system as the part of the body responsible for fighting bacteria, viruses and other microbes to keep us from getting sick. But the immune system doesn’t just deal with threats from outside the body, it heals wounds we receive and destroys old or unwanted cells generated by our bodies, like cancer cells.

To recognise these threats, deal with them, and begin healing, the immune system activates a series of cellular and molecular reactions, collectively termed ‘inflammation’. Normally this process is over quickly (so-called ‘acute inflammation’), but if it goes on for too long, it’s termed ‘chronic inflammation’ and can actually be very harmful to the body.²

This balancing act; controlling microbes and cancer cells that can lead to disease, without allowing the control mechanism itself to cause disease, illustrates the important challenge faced by our immune system.

Luckily that’s where ginger can help! Mounting evidence is suggesting ginger can help the immune system control all these risk factors and reduce your chance of disease.

Inflammation and ginger

What is inflammation and why can it be bad? 

Inflammation is part of the immune system’s natural mechanism for recognising and removing harmful microbes, foreign chemicals, unwanted cells and healing tissue damage. When you cut yourself, you may notice the skin around the cut gets red, hot, swollen and painful before it gets better. This is acute inflammation, and it’s normally over pretty quickly.²

However, this isn’t always the case. Failure of the body to remove a microbe quickly, repeat acute inflammation or your immune system mistakenly attacking your cells (autoimmune disease) can all cause chronic inflammation.² If left unchecked, this response can itself cause diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and increase the risk of many others like type 2 diabetes, depression and cardiovascular disease. In fact, over 50% of all deaths in the world today can be attributed to chronic inflammatory diseases.³

Reducing the risk of chronic inflammation 

So what can we all do to manage inflammation? While some factors such as increasing age are unfortunately unavoidable, obesity, poor sleep, physical inactivity and diet can all be controlled.⁴ This last one, in particular, is relevant here as a few foods like ginger seem to be a cut above the rest in fighting inflammation.

Ginger's anti-inflammatory effects

A huge number of studies have shown ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties in both laboratory experiments and human studies.

In the lab, extracts from ginger reduced the production of molecules called prostaglandins in lab-grown cells. These signalling molecules are central to both inflammation and pain. In fact, drugs like aspirin treat pain by reducing prostaglandin synthesis in the same way, hence why ginger also seems to reduce long-term pain!⁵ In the same experiment, a rat model of arthritis was given a compound isolated from ginger. Scientists found it reduced the levels of a key proinflammatory signalling molecule, called a cytokine, in the joints, as well as reducing swelling and improving the rat’s ability to walk.⁶

Ginger also has measurable benefits in humans. At least six clinical trials have been done to investigate if ginger constituents improved pain, arthritis symptoms, inflammation or reduced proinflammatory molecules in osteoarthritis patients. All six studies showed improvements in one or more of these factors, suggesting its power in helping patients with other inflammatory conditions.⁷

Reducing cancer risk (potentially)

Another key benefit of consuming ginger to support the immune system is its potential to reduce cancer risk. 

As we’ve established, ginger contains many anti-inflammatory molecules. As chronic inflammation is associated with cancer progression, scientists are interested to see if ginger and its constituents could reduce the risk of tumour development, and treat those that have already formed. Several studies have fed ginger extracts to rats with either colon, lung or liver cancer. They found it could reduce the levels of signalling molecules that kick-start DNA to produce cytokines, as well as reduce the number of tumour cells.⁸

These studies and others also suggest ginger has an anticancer benefit beyond being anti-inflammatory. Constituent molecules in ginger reduce cancer replication, increase the rate of cancer cell death and reduce the growth of blood vessels towards the cancer cells, cutting off the fuel source that helps tumours grow.⁸

To see if these benefits translate to humans, four clinical trials have examined ginger's effect on colon cancer risk. They showed modest reductions in cancer risk factors, like reducing cell proliferation and proinflammatory enzyme levels. However these changes were mainly in those most at risk of developing colon cancer, relatively few patients participated, and the studies did not test if those receiving ginger had a lower rate of cancer development.⁷

Overall, further studies are needed to be sure that ginger has a concrete benefit in reducing cancer risk or helping its treatment. However the results seem promising, and as we will discuss below, there are few risks in adding it to your diet.

Immune-boosting effects

The classic home remedy for coughs, colds and sore throats, ginger, honey and lemon tea has been prescribed by concerned parents for their sick children for years. While this benefit is likely over-exaggerated (no, ginger does not prevent or cure COVID-19), ginger will soothe an inflamed sore throat, and may indeed have some antimicrobial effects.

One study infected lab-grown human cells with a virus called human RSV, and then treated them with ginger extract. They found it stopped viruses from entering and killing cells, as well as increasing the secretion of an antiviral cytokine.⁹ Other studies have shown ginger’s antibiotic effects on various bacteria, including those that cause gum disease.¹⁰

Ginger may also reduce the severity of allergies. During allergies, cytokines are released, in turn causing antibody production that leads to allergy symptoms. One study looking at the effect of a ginger molecule on allergies saw that lab-grown immune cells exposed to an allergen reduced their replication and produced fewer allergy-related cytokines. Live mice exposed to the same allergen showed fewer allergic reactions like sneezing and nose-rubbing when fed ginger.¹¹

Incorporating ginger into your diet

Recommended daily intake 

Ginger can easily be incorporated into your diet, and at surprisingly low doses to reap the benefits; roughly 3-4 grams per day. 1 gram equates to a ½ teaspoon of powdered ginger or 1 teaspoon of raw ginger, so use this as a guide when you use it in one of our serving suggestions below. 

Serving suggestions

1. Fresh ginger in meals- Ginger can be added to both savoury and sweet dishes, particularly in Asian cooking. This could be as fresh ginger in a stir fry, or dried ginger in cakes and curries
2. Ginger tea- A refreshing hot drink at any time of the day, ginger is often combined with fresh lemon or honey, or bought in tea bags if you don’t want to prepare it yourself
3. Ginger juice shots- There are many recipes online for this zesty juice drink, including one here by a registered dietician. Again, ginger is often combined with other ingredients like honey, fruit juice, turmeric (another anti-inflammatory-rich spice) or cayenne pepper to balance its strong flavour 
4. Smoothies- If you’re not a fan of the flavour, ginger can be added to smoothies like this to better mask it
5. Supplements- In general, ginger supplements aren’t necessary, and experts recommend enjoying ginger’s benefits in other ways. The high doses of ginger often found in supplements can have side effects, as we’ll outline below, and the supplement industry is poorly regulated. The potency, quality and number of other ingredients in the supplement aren’t always checked by sources outside of the manufacturer either, so it can be difficult to know exactly what you’re getting

Sensitivities and precautions

Although ginger has been used by people across cultures for thousands of years, some individuals may still react poorly to it.

Higher doses (around 6 grams per day) are likely to cause digestive system side effects like gastric reflux, heartburn and nausea,⁷ so start at smaller amounts if you have a sensitive stomach.

Emerging research also suggests ginger is a mild anticoagulant,¹² and may affect insulin levels.¹³ While the amounts of ginger used in cooking are likely to be fine, large dose supplements may cause side effects. In either case, if you are on blood-thinning medication like warfarin, or are diabetic, please consult your doctor. Do not take in substitution of prescribed medication.

Summary

Overall, ginger’s traditional role as a herbal remedy to aid your immune system has a strong scientific grounding, with evidence supporting its benefits in reducing inflammation, helping your body combat microbes and allergies, and maybe even reducing cancer risk. 

Beyond the immune system, ginger has other benefits including aiding digestion, acting as an antioxidant,⁷ and emerging research is supporting its role in nausea relief during chemotherapy and pregnancy,¹⁴ lowering blood sugar in diabetes,¹⁵ and aiding weight loss by decreasing hunger and burning more calories during digestion. 

By incorporating ginger into a balanced lifestyle you can benefit from its potent biological activity to support your overall well-being.