The efficacy of ginger for treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Min Li, Qianjun Li, Xuecheng Zeng, Misbah Ullah Khan, Wei CaiAbstract
Background
Ginger has been shown to effectively decrease the risk of nausea and vomiting in different medical conditions. In this meta-analysis, we investigated the effect of ginger on the risk of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy.
Methods
We searched the Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science from inception to April 17, 2025, to identify randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of ginger on the incidence of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy.
Results
Finally, we included 13 randomized controlled trials with 639 participants in the ginger group and 626 participants in the comparator group assessing the efficacy of ginger for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Overall, the risk of bias was generally low, with only 2 studies showing high risks of bias. We found that ginger could not significantly lower the risk of acute nausea (RR 0.83, 95% CI (0.60, 1.15), I 2 = 38.35%) and acute vomiting (RR 0.73, 95% CI [0.51, 1.06], I 2 = 0.00%) after chemotherapy. Similarly, ginger did not significantly decrease the risk of delayed nausea (RR 0.92, 95% CI [0.66, 1.28], I 2 = 23.71%) and delayed vomiting (RR 1.17, 95% CI [0.75, 1.83], I 2 = 17.43%) among those receiving emetogenic chemotherapy. In subgroup analysis, age was the only factor associated with the preventive effect of ginger on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and ginger was more effective among those younger than 50 years.
Conclusion
This meta-analysis indicated that ginger could not significantly alter the risk of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy.