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Whether you’re looking to ease nausea or relieve pain, this soothing beverage may help.

People have used ginger for thousands of years to treat ailments and add an earthy flavor with a spicy kick to their food. Ginger is native to Asia and belongs to the Zingiberaceae family of plants, and people typically use its edible root or stem.

It is also an ancient herbal remedy that people have used for a host of ailments, including arthritis, diabetes, cough, colds, and nausea.

Ginger is consumed in multiple ways in folk medicine, including in the form of ginger tea. You can make ginger tea by boiling the peeled root in water or milk.

What is ginger tea?

Ginger is one of the most common ingredients worldwide, used as a spice and medicinal plant.

In folk medicine, people often use it to treat coughs and the flu, among other ailments.

It has traditionally been used in numerous forms, including:

  • fresh
  • pickled
  • powdered
  • dried
  • candied
  • preserved
  • crystalized

Similarly, it is available in multiple forms, such as:

  • capsules
  • tinctures
  • extracts
  • tablets
  • tea

As mentioned above, ginger tea is made by boiling the peeled root in water or milk.

The oils and compounds responsible for ginger’s characteristic aroma and spicy flavor make up about 1–4% of the ginger root.

Two of these compounds — gingerols and shogaols — are considered ginger’s main bioactive components. This means they are the ones behind most of the health benefits of ginger and ginger tea.

Here are just some of the known and potential benefits of ginger tea.

Health benefits of drinking ginger tea

Here are 7 potential health benefits of drinking ginger tea.

1. May provide relief from motion sickness

Folk medicine suggests that ginger tea can help calm motion sickness symptoms, like dizziness, vomiting, and cold sweats.

Although researchers don’t understand exactly how ginger works, some have suggested that certain compounds in ginger block a brain receptor that has a key role in the vomiting center of the brain.

However, current research is limited or inconclusive.

Yet, if you experience nausea from time to time, ginger tea may be a good treatment to try.

2. May alleviate nausea from morning sickness or chemotherapy

Some experts believe gingerols in ginger can help relieve nausea caused by pregnancy, chemotherapy, or surgery.

Researchers suggest that ginger might be an effective and inexpensive alternative to traditional anti-nausea drugs in people who are pregnant or undergoing chemotherapy and can’t have conventional medicines.

Nevertheless, be sure to check with a healthcare professional before using ginger after surgery. It may interfere with blood clotting — although research on this is still emerging and more is needed to investigate it further.

3. May help manage blood pressure and support heart health

Research suggests that consuming ginger in daily doses of 2–6 grams may help protect against heart disease.

Ginger may do this by:

  • lowering blood pressure
  • helping prevent heart attacks
  • helping prevent blood clots
  • relieving heartburn
  • lowering cholesterol
  • improving blood circulation

4. May help manage weight and blood sugar levels

A lot of research shows that consuming ginger has beneficial effects on weight and blood sugar management.

Research suggests that ginger may help manage body weight by:

  • increasing thermogenesis — the production of heat by your body — which helps burn fat
  • increasing the breakdown of fats for energy
  • inhibiting fat storage
  • inhibiting fat absorption
  • helping control appetite

In addition, ginger may help improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing fasting insulin levels, hemoglobin A1C, and triglycerides. Hemoglobin A1C is an indication of your blood sugar levels over the past 2–3 months.

5. May relieve pain and inflammation

People have used ginger to treat inflammation for centuries, and now science backs up this practice for certain uses.

Research shows that the compounds in ginger called gingerol and shogaol help reduce the production of pro-inflammatory markers.

People have particularly studied ginger for its effect in relieving pain from osteoarthritis of the knee.

Ginger tea may also help alleviate menstrual cramps if you take it at the start of your period. Research shows it may be equally or more effective than over-the-counter pain relief medications.

6. May have cancer-fighting properties

Studies have even shown that ginger may help prevent cancer, mostly due to its gingerol and shogaol content.

Test-tube studies have shown that gingerol and shogaol may contribute to ginger’s cancer-fighting properties by causing cell death and preventing cancer cell multiplication and growth.

Other test-tube studies have shown that ginger may affect several different types of cancer cells, including pancreatic, colon, colorectal, ovarian, prostate, and lung cancers.

More studies on the effects of ginger and ginger tea on cancer in humans are needed.

7. May protect your brain

Scientists have studied ginger’s protective effects against oxidative stress and inflammation — two factors that play a decisive role in the development of brain degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Animal studies show that gingerol and shogaol may offer protection against age-associated decline of brain functions due to their antioxidant properties.

Test-tube studies also suggest that ginger extract may increase cell survival against beta-amyloid — a protein closely related to Alzheimer’s disease that can induce toxicity in brain cells.

Reference: healthline.com