A CUP OF GINGER

Ginger water can be easily made at home and is a convenient way of consuming ginger for its potential health benefits.

People have used ginger for thousands of years, as both a flavoring in foods and a natural remedy, to treat a variety of conditions, such as pain and nausea.

In this article, we examine the potential benefits and risks of ginger, and some of the scientific evidence for these, as well as how to make ginger water at home.

Health benefits

Although there are studies that support the potential health benefits of ginger, there is limited research on drinking ginger water specifically. Most studies do not indicate whether the participants took ginger in capsule form, added it to food, or drank it as ginger water or tea.

However, ginger and ginger water may be helpful for the following conditions:

Pain

Ginger water may help decrease some types of pain. In a studyTrusted Source that involved 60 adults with migraine pain, researchers found using ginger as an add-on therapy was better than taking painkillers alone.

Nausea

People have long used ginger as a herbal treatment for nausea. In a 2015 reviewTrusted Source, researchers looked at nine studies in which people used ginger for postoperative nausea, chemotherapy side effects, viral nausea, and morning sickness. The studies, although not always clinically watertight, all indicated that ginger provided a reduction in nausea and vomiting.

Cholesterol levels

One studyTrusted Source in rats suggests that ginger might reduce cholesterol levels. The rats ate a high-cholesterol diet, which increased their total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoproteins. The researchers then found that also feeding the rats supplements containing ginger prevented high cholesterol in the bloodstream.

However, more research is needed to determine if ginger would have the same effects on cholesterol levels in humans.

Blood sugar control

Ginger water may help control fasting blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

In one 12-week studyTrusted Source, researchers divided 41 people with type 2 diabetes into two groups. One group took 2 grams of a ginger powder supplement each day, while the second group received a placebo drug. The people who took the ginger experienced a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar.

Weight loss

In another studyTrusted Source, researchers divided 10 men into two groups. One group drank hot ginger water after eating breakfast. The other group did not. The men who drank the ginger water reported greater feelings of fullness.

Although the study was small, and additional studies are necessary, it suggests that ginger water might have a role in weight management.