Scientists have been studying ginger for many years to understand how it works and whether it really helps with health problems. This research paper looks at almost 500 studies about ginger and explains what makes a good study about herbal medicines. The researchers found that important things like making sure the ginger is pure, testing it in labs first, including people from different backgrounds, and considering whether men and women respond differently are all crucial for understanding if ginger actually works. This guide helps other scientists study herbal medicines the right way.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: How scientists should properly test herbal medicines like ginger to make sure the results are trustworthy and useful
  • Who participated: This wasn’t a study with human participants. Instead, researchers reviewed almost 500 published studies about ginger to identify the best practices for testing herbal medicines
  • Key finding: Five important factors make herbal medicine research better: checking that the product is pure and real, testing it in labs first, running high-quality studies with people, including people from different ethnic backgrounds, and checking if the medicine works differently for men versus women
  • What it means for you: When you see claims about ginger or other herbal products helping with health, you can now understand what makes that research believable. Good studies should check these five things. This doesn’t tell you whether ginger works, but it shows you how to spot trustworthy research about it

The Research Details

This research is a review article, which means scientists looked at many other studies instead of doing their own experiment. The researchers gathered almost 500 papers about ginger that were published since 2009 and picked out the ones most important for understanding how ginger affects human health. They then organized these studies by looking at five key areas: whether the ginger product was pure and properly made, whether it was tested in laboratory and animal studies first, whether the human studies were well-designed, whether the people tested came from different ethnic backgrounds, and whether the results were different for men and women.

The researchers used ginger as an example to show other scientists how to properly study herbal medicines. Ginger is a good example because it’s used all over the world as a spice, in drinks, in supplements, and as a medicine, so there’s lots of research about it. By looking at ginger studies, they could identify patterns and best practices that would help scientists study other herbal medicines better.

This type of research is called a narrative review because the scientists read through many studies and summarized what they learned, rather than using strict mathematical rules to combine all the data. This approach is useful for identifying important patterns and creating guidelines for future research.

Understanding how to properly test herbal medicines is important because millions of people use them, but we don’t always know if they really work. By identifying the five key factors that make research trustworthy, this paper helps other scientists design better studies. Better studies mean we can actually know whether herbal medicines help or not, instead of just guessing. This protects people from wasting money on products that don’t work and helps them find treatments that actually do work.

This is a review article published in Planta Medica, a respected journal that focuses on plant-based medicines. The researchers looked at almost 500 studies, which shows they did thorough research. However, because this is a review rather than an original study, it doesn’t provide new experimental data. The strength of this work comes from the researchers’ expertise and their careful selection of the most important studies. The findings are based on expert judgment rather than statistical analysis, so they should be seen as guidelines and recommendations rather than proven facts.

What the Results Show

The researchers identified five critical areas that affect the quality of herbal medicine research. First, quality assessment means checking that the ginger (or other herbal product) is actually pure and contains what the label says it contains. Many herbal products vary in strength and purity, which can make results confusing. Second, pre-clinical studies mean testing the product in labs and with animals before trying it with humans. This helps scientists understand how the medicine works in the body. Third, the quality of clinical trials—studies with real people—matters greatly. Good trials use proper controls, have enough participants, and measure results carefully.

Fourth, the researchers found that ethnicity of participants is important because people from different backgrounds may respond differently to the same medicine. Many studies only test medicines on people from one ethnic group, which means we don’t know if the results apply to everyone. Fifth, sex and gender differences matter because men and women sometimes respond differently to medicines. Some herbal products might work better for women or men, or have different side effects depending on sex.

The paper emphasizes that ginger research shows these five factors are often overlooked or poorly done in herbal medicine studies. For example, many ginger studies don’t clearly describe what type of ginger was used or how pure it was. Some studies skip the lab testing phase and go straight to human trials. Many studies don’t include enough participants or don’t use proper control groups. Few studies include diverse ethnic groups, and many don’t analyze whether men and women had different results.

The researchers noted that since 2009, when ginger was last officially reviewed, hundreds of new studies have been published. This shows growing interest in understanding herbal medicines better. The paper also highlights that ginger is used in many different forms—as a spice, in beverages, in supplements, and as a medicine—which makes it harder to compare studies because they’re testing different products. The researchers found that many studies don’t clearly explain which form of ginger they used or how much of the active ingredients it contained. This variation makes it difficult to know if ginger actually works or if the differences in results are just because different products were tested.

This research builds on the last official review of ginger from 2009. Since then, the field of herbal medicine research has grown significantly, with many more studies published. However, the researchers found that many of the same problems from earlier studies still exist today. Studies still often lack proper quality control, skip important lab testing, use small numbers of participants, and don’t include diverse groups of people. This suggests that while more research is being done, the quality hasn’t necessarily improved as much as it should have. The paper essentially says that the herbal medicine research field needs to learn from these lessons and do better studies going forward.

This is a review article based on expert judgment rather than a study that tested ginger directly, so it doesn’t provide new evidence about whether ginger works. The researchers selected almost 500 studies from a much larger pool, and their selection process was based on what they thought was most important, which could introduce bias. The paper focuses on ginger as an example, so while the five factors probably apply to other herbal medicines, we can’t be completely sure without studying them too. The researchers didn’t use strict mathematical methods to combine data from different studies, so the conclusions are based on patterns they observed rather than hard numbers. Finally, because this paper was published in 2025 and reviews studies up to that point, there may be newer research that changes these conclusions.

The Bottom Line

When evaluating claims about ginger or other herbal products, look for studies that: (1) clearly describe what product was tested and confirm it’s pure, (2) include lab and animal testing before human trials, (3) use proper study designs with enough participants and control groups, (4) include people from different ethnic backgrounds, and (5) report results separately for men and women. If a study doesn’t do these things, be skeptical of the results. Confidence level: High for the importance of these factors; moderate for specific ginger recommendations until better studies are completed.

Anyone interested in herbal medicines, supplements, or natural health should understand these five factors. People considering using ginger for health reasons should look for products backed by high-quality research. Healthcare providers should use these guidelines when evaluating herbal medicine claims. Scientists and researchers studying herbal medicines should use these five factors as a checklist for designing better studies. People from diverse ethnic backgrounds should especially care because they’re often underrepresented in herbal medicine research. This research is less relevant for people who don’t use herbal products or supplements.

This research doesn’t provide a timeline for seeing benefits from ginger because it’s about how to study ginger, not about ginger’s effects. However, it suggests that better-quality studies in the future may take several years to complete and publish. If you’re currently using ginger, you won’t see changes based on this paper. But over the next 5-10 years, as scientists apply these five factors to their research, we should have clearer answers about whether ginger actually works for various health conditions.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • If using a health app to track herbal supplement use, record: (1) the specific product name and brand, (2) the form used (powder, capsule, fresh, tea), (3) the daily amount, (4) any health effects noticed, and (5) the source of the product. This helps you identify which products seem to work for you and ensures you’re using consistent products.
  • When researching herbal products in your app, use the five-factor checklist: Does the product description mention quality testing? Is there scientific research beyond just testimonials? Do studies include people like you (your age, gender, ethnic background)? Are results reported separately for men and women? Start tracking only products that meet at least three of these criteria to focus on better-researched options.
  • Create a long-term tracking system in your app that records: the herbal product used, dosage, frequency, any health improvements or side effects, and the quality of research supporting it. Review this quarterly to see if products you’re using actually seem to help you personally, while also noting whether the research supporting them is improving over time. This combines personal experience with scientific quality awareness.

This article reviews research about how to properly study herbal medicines like ginger. It does not provide medical advice about whether ginger works for any specific health condition. The findings are based on a review of existing studies, not new research proving ginger’s effectiveness. Before using ginger or any herbal supplement, especially if you take medications, have health conditions, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult with a healthcare provider. This article is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. The quality of herbal products varies widely, and not all products labeled as ginger contain the same ingredients or amounts.