What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Ginger Tea Regularly

Ginger certainly puts the “zing” in “amazing," thanks to its health benefits. This remarkable root has been revered as a culinary gem and powerful medicinal remedy for thousands of years due to its uniquely pungent, pleasantly spicy and incredibly soothing properties. Ginger’s warming quality is particularly delightful when the root is infused in hot water to make tea. From its refreshing aroma to its citrus undertones, a cup of ginger tea offers a rejuvenating yet calming sensory experience.

Beyond ginger's spicy-earthy scent and flavor, ginger offers a few research-backed health benefits, including its effects on calming a queasy stomach. "Ginger has been shown to help with nausea during pregnancy, after surgery or chemotherapy and with motion sickness,” says Elena Ivanina, M.D., a board-certified integrative gastroenterologist.

What other health benefits does ginger have? And is it okay to consume ginger tea regularly? To answer these questions, we reached out to dietitians to find out how regular ginger tea consumption impacts your health and whether there are any risks to drinking it. Plus, we include delicious ways to prepare it.

Why We Love Ginger Tea

May Ease Nausea and Vomiting

Sipping ginger tea may quell the queasy sensation in your stomach associated with nausea and vomiting. Evidence suggests that ginger may even be as effective at alleviating nausea and vomiting during pregnancy as common antiemetic medications.

But how exactly does it settle an uneasy stomach? Emmy Bright, M.S., RDN shares that ginger contains a powerful compound called 6-gingerol, which helps relieve nausea by blocking several receptors in the gut.

“Another reason ginger might be helpful for treating nausea is its ability to increase GI motility or the speed at which contents of our gut pass through," says Bright. "By speeding things up, it may help to reduce the length of time you experience unpleasant symptoms.”

May Protect Against Pathogens

Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health concern, affecting millions of people every year. This means harmful germs like bacteria, viruses and fungi are evolving and no longer responding to medications designed to stop their growth and replication. One way that microbes become more resistant is by creating protective covers called biofilms.

Interestingly, ginger may have antimicrobial effects against several harmful strains of bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella typhi, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium avium, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, more research is needed to confirm these effects. Therefore, you should always consult a health care professional to diagnose and treat potential infections accurately.

May Reduce Inflammation

Ongoing inflammation is a major contributor to the development and progression of various chronic diseases. "Different compounds in ginger, such as 6-shogaol, zingerone and 8-shogaol, have been studied and found to have anti-inflammatory properties in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis,” says Ivanina.

Ginger may impart anti-inflammatory benefits by decreasing the production and release of inflammatory molecules, such as prostaglandin E2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, ginger may lower inflammatory markers associated with disease.

May Provide Pain Relief

Regularly drinking ginger tea may also help to alleviate pain. "Ginger has been shown to be effective for reducing pain from menstrual cramping, especially when taken for the first few days of the menstrual phase,” says Bright.

Additionally, ginger may also help relieve pain associated with muscle soreness, migraines, knee osteoarthritis and chronic lower back pain. These pain-reducing effects may be due, in part, to ginger’s potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

May Support Blood Sugar Regulation

Emerging research suggests that ginger may promote blood sugar control. According to a review,  ginger may help lower fasting blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C (a measure of blood glucose levels over a three-month period) in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Although the exact mechanisms are not fully understood, experts believe that the compounds in ginger “promote glucose clearance in peripheral tissues, which is important for maintaining blood glucose balance and improving diabetes control,” says Ivanina. Simply put, ginger may aid in moving glucose from the bloodstream into cells, thereby reducing blood sugar levels.

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Nutrition Information

A 1-cup serving of ginger tea contains:

• Calories: 2
• Carbohydrates: < 1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0 g
• Total Sugar: 0 g
• Added Sugar: 0 g
  
• Total Fat: 0 g
• Saturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 g
• Sodium: 10 mg
• Calcium: 7 mg
• Potassium: 10 mg
  

Ginger tea also contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals, but it is not a significant source of these nutrients. Instead, research has highlighted that ginger tea is rich in bioactive compounds called gingerols and shogaols, which have been found to have a wide array of health benefits.

Is Ginger Tea Safe for Everyone?

Pouring a daily cup of ginger tea is unlikely to pose serious risks for most people. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers ginger safe at doses of up to 4 grams. Fortunately, common ginger tea formulations contain around 1 to 1.5 g per tea bag. However, if ginger is consumed in high amounts, it may cause several side effects, including “mild heartburn, diarrhea and mouth irritation,” says Ivanina.

You should also be cautious of ginger consumption if you take certain medications. "Ginger has antiplatelet effects, which may increase the risk of bleeding if it’s used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs, such as warfarin,” says Bright. “Also, because it may reduce blood sugar, consuming ginger alongside anti-diabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia (or low blood sugar). Ginger also might increase the risk of hypotension, or low blood pressure, when taken alongside calcium channel blockers, as it’s thought to share the same mechanism of action." For these reasons, if you're taking the above medications or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should talk to a health care professional before making ginger tea a normal part of your daily routine.

4 Ways to Enjoy Ginger Tea

Whether you decide to steep a tea bag of dried ginger or boil fresh ginger root, the preparation process is very similar and straightforward.

• Step 1: If you opt for fresh ginger, begin by peeling (optional) and thinly slicing a 1-inch piece of the ginger root.
• Step 2: Bring a cup of water and the sliced ginger to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once a rolling boil is reached, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. 
• If you use a tea bag, simply boil a cup of water.
• Step 3: Strain the tea into a cup and discard the ginger root. 
• For bagged ginger, pour the hot water into a cup over the tea bag and steep for the recommended time in the product instructions.
• Step 4: Serve warm and enjoy!

Optional Add-Ins: To enhance the flavor of your ginger tea, you can add a touch of sweetness with honey or maple syrup, add a few lemon, orange or pineapple slices or simmer your ginger along with turmeric or cinnamon sticks.

Ginger Tea Recipes to Try

Ginger Tea

4.3

Orange-Ginger Tea

Frozen Orange-Ginger-Turmeric Shots

5.0

Our Expert Take

If you’re looking for a beverage that can help relieve nausea and vomiting, reduce inflammation, ward off pathogens, alleviate pain or support blood sugar control, look no further than ginger tea. This refreshing infusion is packed with several plant compounds that not only impart its distinctively spicy flavor but also give it its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiemetic properties. So, it is safe to say that the regular consumption of ginger tea may help improve health. However, you should always talk to a health care professional before adding herbal teas to your dietary regimen, especially if you have a medical condition or take medications.