Evidence Level
Moderate
Ginger has strong traditional use and growing clinical evidence for anti-inflammatory effects. A meta-analysis by Bartels et al. (2015, 5 RCTs, n=593) confirmed significant OA pain reduction. Jalali et al. (2020, 16 RCTs) demonstrated significant reductions in CRP, IL-6, and TNF-alpha with ginger supplementation. For nausea, ginger has Level 1 evidence from multiple Cochrane reviews. Mechanistically, gingerols and shogaols are dual COX-2/5-LOX inhibitors, giving ginger broader anti-inflammatory coverage than single-pathway agents. The dried/heated form (containing more shogaols) may have greater anti-inflammatory potency than fresh ginger (more gingerols).