Ginger is the world's most familiar spice – and one of its most underestimated medicinal plants. Almost everyone has it in the kitchen; very few know exactly what it contains. Yet Zingiber officinale has been documented continuously in European medicine for over 2,000 years – and was only just expanded in its recognised applications by the European Medicines Agency in 2025. That is precisely what earned it the title of Medicinal Plant of the Year 2026.
Present in Europe since antiquity – a plant with 2,000 years of documentation
Ginger does not originate in Europe. The plant is native to Southeast Asia and has been cultivated for millennia in India, China and Indonesia. Yet it is one of the few plants traceable without interruption in European medicine since antiquity – which sets it fundamentally apart from many modern trend plants.
In Greco-Roman medicine, ginger was already described as "warming, digestive, mildly laxative and stomach-strengthening." Dioscorides, Galen and Celsus all referenced it in their writings. In the Middle Ages it was a standard of monastery pharmacies – Hildegard von Bingen used it in the 12th century for complaints of the gastrointestinal tract.
This continuity is medically significant: a plant that has been used repeatedly over twenty centuries in shifting cultural and scientific contexts has accumulated an empirical body of knowledge that no single laboratory study can replace. The Study Circle for the History of Medicinal Plants, which awarded the title together with the German Society for Phytotherapy, explicitly cited both the long pharmacohistorical tradition and the current reassessment by the EMA's HMPC as decisive factors.
Gingerols, shogaols, zingerone – what makes ginger effective
The medicinally used part of the ginger plant is the rhizome – botanically also called the ginger rootstock (Zingiberis rhizoma). What is commonly referred to as "ginger root" is, strictly speaking, not a root at all, but an underground stem that stores nutrients and active compounds. The designation "ginger rootstock powder," as it appears on food supplement labels, simply refers to the dried and ground rhizome – exactly what one buys as fresh ginger in the supermarket. The active compound profile differs between fresh and dried rhizome – a distinction that is relevant to the plant's effects.
| Compound class | Main representative | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Gingerols | 6-Gingerol (lead compound) | Anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, antioxidant |
| Shogaols | 6-Shogaol | Formed from gingerols during drying; stronger anti-inflammatory activity than fresh variant |
| Zingerone | — | Pungent compound; warming activity profile, antioxidant |
| Essential oils | Zingiberene, bisabolene | Carminative, digestive |
The most important mechanism of action involves the inflammatory cascade: gingerol, shogaol and zingerone inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and lipoxygenase (LOX), thereby reducing the production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, and additionally interfere with the NF-κB signalling pathway – a central regulator of inflammatory processes. These are the same molecular targets as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), albeit with different potency and selectivity.
What the EMA decided in 2025 – and why it explains the award
The actual news value behind the 2026 award lies not in tradition, but in a regulatory step: the EMA's HMPC updated its assessment of ginger in 2025 and added three new applications under "traditional use": temporary loss of appetite, relief of mild joint pain, and relief of cold symptoms.
"Traditional use" in EU pharmaceutical law does not simply mean "historically transmitted" – it has a more precise meaning: an application qualifies as traditional use when it is documented for at least 30 years, of which at least 15 years within the EU, and when no safety concerns are known. It is a regulatory quality term, not a folkloric one.
The updated monograph also confirms the already recognised application for travel sickness as "well-established use" – meaning with an even more robust evidence base. Overview of all now recognised applications:
| Category | Application |
|---|---|
| Well-established use | Prevention of nausea and vomiting in travel sickness |
| Traditional use (existing) | Relief of travel sickness symptoms; mild spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints including bloating and flatulence |
| Traditional use (new 2025) | Temporary loss of appetite; mild joint pain; cold symptoms |
Nausea – the strongest and most nuanced evidence
Few herbal remedies have been as extensively studied for antiemetic effects as ginger. The overall picture is a differentiated one.
A 2025 systematic review in Frontiers in Pharmacology (Paudel et al., 2025) synthesised meta-analyses from the past 15 years. For pregnancy-related nausea, ginger showed a statistically significant improvement in nausea symptoms compared to placebo – with no significant effect on vomiting frequency. For postoperative nausea, earlier studies show efficacy comparable to the standard antiemetic metoclopramide, though pooled analyses moderate the effect size.
The best evidence base exists for gastrointestinal effects, pregnancy nausea and as an adjunct in chemotherapy-induced nausea. For travel sickness, the evidence is not uniform – a limitation the Study Circle explicitly communicated at the time of the award. That transparency is noteworthy: an official plant designation that acknowledges the boundaries of its evidence base deserves more trust than one that does not.
The mechanism behind the antiemetic effect is not yet fully understood. A direct action on the smooth muscle of the gastrointestinal tract is discussed, as is an influence on serotonin receptors (5-HT3), which also play a central role in chemotherapy-induced nausea.
Anti-inflammatory effects and joints – what current meta-analyses show
The 2025 inclusion of mild joint pain in the EMA monograph is supported by ginger's well-documented anti-inflammatory mechanism. The Paudel et al. (2025) review summarised inflammatory marker data: ginger supplementation was associated with significant reductions in CRP (C-reactive protein), high-sensitivity CRP and tumour necrosis factor-alpha – established biomarkers of inflammatory activity.
A 2024 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Boarescu et al., 2024) examined the combination of ginger root extract with diclofenac and demonstrated synergistic enhancement of the anti-inflammatory effect compared to the drug alone – indicating that ginger can be pharmacologically relevant as a complementary component in inflammatory contexts, not merely as a substitute.
Important context: the newly added EMA indication refers specifically to mild joint pain. For moderate to severe osteoarthritis or inflammatory rheumatic diseases, there is insufficient clinical evidence for ginger as primary therapy. This is not a shortcoming – it is a precise delineation of the actually documented scope of application.
The quality question – and why it matters particularly for ginger
One of the sharpest observations around the award came from the Study Circle itself: in an analysis of commercially available ginger food supplements, gingerol content – the lead marker for active compound concentration – varied between 0.0 and 9.43 milligrams per gram. This means some products contain virtually no measurable active compound, while others contain many times more. Anyone purchasing without a declared gingerol content simply does not know what they are taking.
A further distinction applies between fresh and dried ginger: during the drying process, gingerols are partially converted to shogaols, which exhibit different and in some respects stronger pharmacological activity. Fresh ginger tea and standardised dry extract are therefore not equivalent – neither in composition nor in effect.
In practical terms: a reputable ginger preparation analytically verifies and standardises its gingerol content in the final product. Products without this information may be effective – but are not required to be.
Practical assessment: what ginger offers – and for whom
Ginger is not a substitute for medically prescribed antiemetics, not an alternative to osteoarthritis therapy, and not a cold remedy in the clinical sense. What it is: one of the best-documented medicinal plants in Europe, with a broad and well-tolerated activity profile – whose boundaries are now more clearly defined than ever before.
The EMA reassessment of 2025 should be understood not as an upgrade, but as a clarification: ginger may now officially be communicated for mild joint pain, cold symptoms and loss of appetite – on the basis of at least 30 years of documented use without known risks. That is a different foundation from a single positive study outcome.
Those wishing to use ginger as part of a herbal combination will find it paired in European botanical tradition with rosemary, peppermint and thyme – plants that in monastery medicine were also associated with circulation, warmth and vitality, and whose activity profiles complement each other well.
Ginger as part of a European herbal formula
Vital Essentia by Natura Nova combines organic ginger rootstock powder with rosemary leaf powder, peppermint leaf extract and thyme extract – complemented by methylcobalamin (Vitamin B12, 375 µg / 15,000% NRV). Vitamin B12 contributes to normal nervous system function, normal psychological function and the normal formation of red blood cells. Manufactured in Switzerland, laboratory-tested, vegan.
This article is for informational purposes only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health-related questions.
References
- Paudel KR, Orent J, Penela OG. (2025). Pharmacological properties of ginger (Zingiber officinale): what do meta-analyses say? A systematic review. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 16, 1619655. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1619655
- Boarescu I, Boarescu PM, Pop RM et al. (2024). Zingiber officinale root capsule extract synergistically enhances the anti-inflammatory effects of diclofenac sodium in experimental acute inflammation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(3), 1781. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031781
- HMPC/EMA. (2025). Community herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma (Revision). European Medicines Agency. EMA monographs
- Study Circle for the History of Medicinal Plants / German Society for Phytotherapy. (2026). Medicinal Plant of the Year 2026: Ginger. Pharmazeutische Zeitung
- German Association of Naturopaths (BDH). (2026). Medicinal Plant of the Year 2026: Ginger – Zingiber officinale. bdh-online.de
- Medtigo Journal. (2024). Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Zingiber officinale: A Comprehensive Review. journal.medtigo.com
