Using Ginger in Pregnancy
Apr 01, 2023Ginger is one of the most common supplements taken in pregnancy. Most pregnant women take ginger in the first trimester as it can helps to decrease nausea and vomiting. But what I found interesting was that it also decreases blood pressure, blood sugar, low density lipids. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent (Kiyama, 2020).
Further research showed that taking fresh ginger may be the best to consume as the drying and packaging process may decrease the amount of the active ingredient, gingerol (Sang et al., 2020). So it may be best to consider fresh ginger during the first trimester for best anti-nausea effect. You should discuss the dose with your healthcare provider before starting to take any supplements. Further if you are taking medication to thin your blood, for diabetes or high blood pressure you should let your healthcare provider know that you are taking ginger. Also if you take ginger as a supplement into your third trimester, you should stop taking at least 2 weeks before your due date, as it can have a blood thinning effect.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggest that you try ginger in the form of capsules, candies, ginger tea, and good old ginger ale (ACOG, 2020). During my pregnancies cold ginger ale seemed to work the best. But now that I have done some research, I think making ginger tea by steeping fresh ginger would be my choice.
You can check out my podcast with pharmacist Dr. Azelia Brown on how to choose a prenatal vitamin and how to choose a supplement. The Fourth Trimester NP Show
Also the video version is on YouTube Fourth Trimester NP - YouTube
References
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2020). Morning sickness: Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Retrieved from Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy | ACOG
Kiyama, R. (2020). Nutritional implications of ginger: chemistry, biological activities and signaling pathways. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemist, 86, Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2020.108486.
Sang, S., Snook, H.D., Tareq, F.S., & Fasina, Y. (2020). Precision research on ginger: The type of ginger matters. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 68 (32), 8517-8523 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c03888
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from a qualified clinician.
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