Effects of ginger capsules on pregnancy, nausea, and vomiting.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ginger in nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. DESIGN This was a single blind clinical trial study. SETTING The study was conducted in a selected prenatal care clinic of Isfahan City hospitals. SUBJECTS The subjects included 67 pregnant women who complained of nausea and vomiting from Isfahan city hospitals participated in the study. INTERVENTION The participants were randomly assigned to two groups, an experimental group and a control group. The groups were matched according to the age, gestational age, parity, occupational status, and educational level of the participants. The experimental group received ginger 250 mg capsules for 4 days, and the control group received placebo with the same prescription form. OUTCOME MEASURES Effects of treatment of nausea were evaluated twice daily for 4 days by a before-and-after treatment questionnaire. RESULTS The mean ages of the experimental and control groups were 24.1 +/- 4.8 and 23.3 +/- 5 years, respectively. The mean gestational age was 13 +/- 3 weeks, and the mean parity was 1.6 +/- 0.8. The ginger users demonstrated a higher rate of improvement than the placebo users did (85% versus 56%; p < 0.01). The decrease in vomiting times among ginger users was also significantly greater than among the women who received the placebo (50% versus 9%; p < 0.05). DISCUSSION A daily total of 1000 mg of ginger in a capsule preparation can be suggested by care providers as a means of decreasing pregnancy nausea and vomiting in women who tend to herbal medicines. CONCLUSION Ginger is an effective herbal remedy for decreasing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.