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Chemotherapy-induced Organ Toxicity Mitigation · Journal article
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies · August 18, 2026
Reinforces what was already believed, rather than introducing something new.
This systematic review of 24 trials in 2409 cancer patients found that ginger is a promising adjunctive therapy for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and other treatment side effects, but evidence remains limited by heterogeneous study results and methodological variation. The review does not establish ginger as a definitive intervention, and conflicting findings—including two studies reporting harm—preclude a strong recommendation.
Systematic review. Oncology patients receiving cancer treatment, predominantly diagnosed with breast cancer.. Intervention: Ginger therapy in multiple forms: capsules, powder, tea, and aromatherapy.. n = 2,409.
25 publications covering 24 studies with 2409 patients included after systematic search of five databases Some studies reported significant improvement in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, xerostomia, nutrition, fatigue, and quality of life Other studies did not find changes in these endpoints
Two studies reported ginger-associated disadvantages but no detail on adverse event frequency or severity provided
Clinicians may consider ginger as an adjunctive supportive therapy for cancer treatment side effects, particularly nausea and vomiting, but should be aware that evidence is heterogeneous and some patients may not benefit or may experience adverse effects. The quality and consistency of available evidence do not yet support ginger as a first-line or definitive intervention.
A systematic review of 24 studies in 2409 cancer patients reporting heterogeneous but predominantly positive results for ginger in reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting, and other treatment side effects, though with acknowledged methodological limitations.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
Clinicians may consider ginger as an adjunctive supportive therapy for cancer treatment side effects, particularly nausea and vomiting, but should be aware that evidence is heterogeneous and some patients may not benefit or may experience adverse effects. The quality and consistency of available evidence do not yet support ginger as a first-line or definitive intervention.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Abstract Background Oncology patients experience many side effects of their cancer treatment, which can affect their daily life. Phytotherapy is commonly used to reduce side effects or to support the treatment. Especially ginger plays a key role in the treatment of nausea and vomiting. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the current scientific status of ginger in supportive therapy against side effects of oncological treatment. Methods In January 2025 a systematic search was conducted searching five electronic databases (Embase, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Medline). Studies concerning the use, effectiveness and potential harm of ginger therapy on cancer patients were included. There was no time limit on the publication date of the studies. 25 publications concerning 24 studies with 2409 patients were included in this systematic review after removing publications that did not meet the inclusion criteria. Results The patients were mainly diagnosed with breast cancer. The therapy concepts include ginger-capsules, -powder, -tea, and aromatherapy. Study outcomes were treatment associated symptoms, e.g. chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, xerostomia, patients‘ nutrition, fatigue, and quality of life. The studies had low to high quality and reported heterogeneous results: some studies reported significant improved symptoms of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, xerostomia, nutrition, fatigue, and quality of life, while other studies did not find any changes concerning these endpoints. Furthermore, two studies found disadvantages of ginger concerning chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Conclusions Ginger can be considered a promising candidate for complementing the supportive therapy against the side effects of cancer treatment of oncological patients. The data on this is still limited due to heterogeneous results and methodical limitations of the included studies. Trial registration As this is a systematic review, clinical trial number is not applicable.
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