Ginger: 6 Real Benefits and How to Cook With It
By Oriental Bite Kitchen Team · Updated 2026-09-15
No Chinese kitchen runs without ginger. It goes into fish to cut the smell, into greens to warm them, into tea when you're cold. It also happens to be one of the better-studied plants in the whole pantry — which makes it a rare case where the traditional use and the clinical evidence agree.
Fresh and dried are different medicines
In Chinese practice, fresh ginger (生姜) is warming and used for acute complaints — a cold, a queasy stomach. Dried ginger (干姜) is hotter and drier, and used for ongoing cold patterns and deeper digestive weakness. It's a useful distinction even if you only care about cooking: fresh for aroma and top notes, dried for background heat.
Six benefits with the evidence behind them
- Nausea — strong. This is the best-supported use by far, for motion sickness, pregnancy nausea and post-operative nausea, at around 1 g a day.
- Digestion — moderate. Ginger speeds gastric emptying, which is one reason it's served with rich or heavy dishes.
- Inflammation — modest. Small trials show reduced markers such as CRP in some groups. Not a substitute for treatment.
- Warmth and circulation — traditional, plausible. The sensation of warmth after ginger tea is real; whether it meaningfully changes circulation is unproven.
- Cold symptoms — weak. Some evidence for sore throat relief; the famous study on colds used a blend, not ginger alone.
- Blood sugar — early. A few small trials suggest modest fasting-glucose improvements. Promising, not established.
How much is useful
Culinary use — a thumb of fresh ginger a day — is comfortably within safe range. For nausea, 1 g of dried ginger or about 5 g of fresh is the usual trial dose. Amounts above 4 g a day of dried ginger are best discussed with a doctor, particularly alongside blood thinners.
Cooking with it, lightly
- Steamed fish. Ginger slivers under and over the fillet, hot oil poured at the end. Our Ginger Steamed Cod Job's Tears Bowl is this dish in a bowl.
- Poached chicken. Ginger and spring onion in the poaching water, then a dipping sauce built on the same two aromatics. See Chicken Breast & Asparagus.
- Greens. Ginger in the wok makes plain steamed greens interesting with no extra oil.
- Tea. Fresh slices in hot water, with a little goji or honey. The simplest digestive aid there is.
Who should be careful
Ginger thins the blood mildly, so take care if you're on anticoagulants. Very high doses can cause heartburn or stomach discomfort. People with gallstones should keep intake moderate, since ginger stimulates bile flow.
FAQ
What is ginger good for?
The strongest evidence is for nausea — motion sickness, pregnancy and post-surgery — at about 1 g a day. It also supports digestion by speeding gastric emptying, and shows modest anti-inflammatory effects in small trials.
Should I use fresh or dried ginger?
Fresh for aroma and everyday cooking, especially with fish and greens. Dried is hotter and more concentrated, better for slow-braised dishes and for ongoing digestive complaints. In Chinese practice they're treated as two different ingredients.
Can I drink ginger tea every day?
Yes, for most people a daily cup is fine and pleasant. Keep an eye on heartburn if you're sensitive, and check with a doctor if you take blood-thinning medication, since ginger has a mild antiplatelet effect.
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