Research review
Does ginger help with infection? What the research does and doesn't show
No controlled human trial testing ginger against a cold, flu, sinus infection or any other human infection was found. What exists is laboratory research: ginger compounds have shown antimicrobial and antiviral activity against bacteria and viruses in a dish, which is a different question from what happens when a person drinks ginger tea or takes a ginger supplement while sick.
No controlled human trial testing ginger against a cold, flu, sinus infection or stomach flu was found. What exists instead is laboratory research: a ginger extract has been shown to inactivate a virus and inhibit bacteria in a dish, which is a different question from what happens when a person drinks ginger tea or takes a ginger supplement while sick.
What the evidence doesn't support
It doesn't support ginger tea, capsules or any other form of ginger as a tested treatment or preventive for a cold, flu, sinus infection or stomach flu in a person — no controlled human trial answering that question was found in the search behind this page. It doesn't support laboratory antimicrobial or antiviral findings as evidence of what ginger does inside the body: a compound that inactivates a virus on contact in a lab dish hasn't been shown to do the same thing once swallowed, digested and absorbed. And it doesn't support ginger as a substitute for rest, fluids, or a doctor's evaluation of an infection that's severe, prolonged or accompanied by a high fever.
What the trials found
No human infection trial. A search of the published literature for a controlled human trial testing ginger, in any form, against a cold, influenza, sinus infection or stomach flu did not turn up one. The traditional and widely repeated use of ginger tea for cold and flu symptoms rests on custom and folk practice, not a clinical trial that measured whether people who took ginger got sick less often, recovered faster, or had milder symptoms than people who didn't.
What the laboratory research actually shows. A 2016 study tested aqueous extracts of several foods, including ginger, against feline calicivirus — a virus used in food-safety research as a stand-in for human norovirus — in a cell-culture dish. Ginger extract inactivated part of the virus's titer on direct contact and reduced infection of the cells when applied around the time of exposure, at lab concentrations well above what a person would consume. Pretreating the cells themselves (rather than the virus) with the extract had no effect. This is a food-safety and lab-chemistry finding about virus particles and cells outside a body, not a study of a person taking ginger while sick, and it used a different virus than the ones that cause a common cold or flu.
Background on the ingredient. An NIH reference monograph on ginger describes its active compounds (gingerols and shogaols) and confirms ginger's status as generally recognized as safe as a food flavoring; it doesn't report ginger as a studied treatment for a cold, flu or other infection.
| Source | Type | What it actually measured |
|---|---|---|
| Literature search, this page | Absence of trials | No controlled human trial testing ginger against a cold, flu, sinus infection or stomach flu found |
| 2016 lab study | In-vitro | Ginger extract inactivated a foodborne virus (norovirus stand-in) in a dish, at lab concentrations |
| NIH monograph | Reference database | Documents ginger's compounds and GRAS food status; no infection-treatment data |
Questions people ask
Is ginger root tea good for flu?
No controlled human trial has tested ginger tea, or any other ginger preparation, against the flu. What's been studied is a lab-dish finding that a ginger extract can inactivate a different virus (a norovirus stand-in used in food safety research) — that doesn't answer what ginger tea does for a person with the flu.
Is ginger root good for sinus infection?
No controlled human trial testing ginger against a sinus infection was found. The lab research on ginger's antimicrobial activity, described above, was conducted in a dish, not in people with a diagnosed sinus infection.
Is ginger root good for stomach flu?
No controlled human trial testing ginger against stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis) specifically was found. Separately, ginger has been studied for nausea from other causes — see ginger benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for that research, which is a different question from treating the underlying infection.
Ginger root for colds and flu — does it work?
There's no controlled human trial to answer that directly. The honest answer is that this is a traditional use without a clinical trial behind it, not a studied and confirmed effect.
When to talk to a doctor
A cold usually resolves on its own, but a fever that's high or prolonged, symptoms that worsen instead of improve, or signs of a sinus, ear or lower-respiratory infection are reasons to see a doctor rather than rely on a supplement with no human trial behind it for this use. Ginger is not a substitute for antiviral or antibiotic treatment when one is needed.
Related reading: ginger benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, ginger tea, and ginger side effects.
Sources
- In Vitro Antiviral Activity of Clove and Ginger Aqueous Extracts against Feline Calicivirus, a Surrogate for Human Norovirus A 2016 lab study found a ginger extract inactivated a foodborne virus (a stand-in for human norovirus) when it contacted the virus directly in a dish, and reduced infection when added to cells around the time of exposure — a laboratory finding about virus particles and cells in a dish, not a study of a person consuming ginger.
- Ginger A National Institutes of Health reference database describes ginger's active compounds (gingerols, shogaols), confirms its GRAS food-flavoring status, notes it's commonly used for nausea and motion sickness, and flags mild common side effects plus a bleeding-risk interaction with warfarin.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.