Does ginger help with cholesterol? What the research does and doesn't show

A 2026 systematic review pooling 41 randomized trials found small average differences favoring ginger over placebo on three lipid measures: triglycerides, LDL and HDL. Each difference was modest in absolute terms, and the trials behind it used a wide range of doses in a mix of healthy and metabolically unwell populations — not one consistent protocol aimed at diagnosed high cholesterol.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support ginger as a treatment for diagnosed high cholesterol or dyslipidemia, and no trial has tested it as a substitute for a prescribed cholesterol medication. It doesn't support one specific milligram amount, since the pooled trials varied widely in dose and duration and the lipid results aren't broken out by dose. And the LDL and HDL findings came with wide confidence intervals, meaning the true average effect could be close to zero for some populations even though the pooled result was statistically significant.

What the trials found

The same 2026 systematic review discussed on does ginger help with blood pressure? pooled 41 randomized controlled trials of ginger supplementation and reported, across that pooled group, triglycerides about 11.98 mg/dL lower (95% CI -23.27 to -0.69), LDL about 4.55 mg/dL lower (95% CI -8.43 to -0.68), and HDL about 0.80 mg/dL higher (95% CI 0.01 to 1.59) in ginger groups compared with placebo groups, on average. All three differences reached statistical significance, but each is small relative to typical lipid panel ranges, and the CI for LDL and HDL both sit close to zero at one end. The review's authors reported the average effects tended to be larger in trials of people who already had a metabolic condition (type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, for example) than in healthy volunteers, and that trial-to-trial variation in ginger dose and duration was wide enough that no clear optimal amount could be identified from the pooled data.

Marker	Average difference vs. placebo	95% CI
Triglycerides	11.98 mg/dL lower	-23.27 to -0.69
LDL	4.55 mg/dL lower	-8.43 to -0.68
HDL	0.80 mg/dL higher	0.01 to 1.59

Questions people ask

Does ginger root lower cholesterol?

A 2026 pooled review of 41 trials found small average decreases in LDL and triglycerides, and a small average increase in HDL, with ginger compared to placebo. These are modest pooled averages across trials with different doses, not a demonstrated effect at one specific amount.

Does ginger tea lower cholesterol?

The trials behind this finding used ginger supplements, not brewed tea, so this evidence doesn't extend to ginger tea specifically.

How much ginger should I take for cholesterol?

The pooled review doesn't report one dose tied to the lipid results specifically. See how much ginger should you take a day for the range of amounts used in ginger research generally.

When to talk to a doctor

Diagnosed high cholesterol is managed medically, and ginger is not a substitute for a prescribed cholesterol medication — no trial has tested it as one. If you take a cholesterol medication or any other prescription, ask a doctor before adding ginger. See ginger and medications: what to check.

Related reading: ginger benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, does ginger help with diabetes?, and does ginger help with blood pressure?.