12 Ground Ginger Powder Health Benefits, According to a Dietitian

Ground ginger is a spice found in a bountiful array of foods and recipes, ranging from delicious stews to seasonal favorites like pumpkin pie. Though you’re likely familiar with this versatile spice, you may not know all of the holistic medicinal properties and possible health benefits that both fresh and dried ginger possess.

In this article, we’ll dig into ginger’s potential health benefits, side effects, and the best way to incorporate it into your diet, whether that’s through cooking with fresh ginger root, taking ginger supplements, or by drinking ground ginger in your favorite greens powder, like Live it Up Super Greens.

Purported ginger benefits at a glance:

1. Aids in settling the stomach
2. Promotes a balanced immune response
3. High in antioxidants
4. Aids digestion
5. Aids inflammation and soreness
6. Helps maintain healthy body weight
7. May promote skin health
8. Helps support brain function
9. Supports healthy respiratory function
10. Promotes nutrient absorption
11. Assists with dental health
12. Helps alleviate headaches

What Is Ginger?

The ginger plant thrives in warm, humid climates and is best known for its nutrient-dense roots. These roots are what you'll find in grocery stores and can be incorporated into your diet in a variety of ways. 

There are many different types of this spice, like candied ginger, ginger tea, ginger extract, jarred ginger paste, or fresh ginger in the form of whole ginger root. But ground ginger, which is ginger that has been dried and pulverized into a fine powder, is the only powder form of this spice.

Dietary ginger offers a range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and vitamin B6. Perhaps most important is gingerol, the component in ginger responsible for the plant's strong medicinal properties and a host of potential health benefits outlined below. 

What Are the Benefits of Ground Ginger Powder?

Fresh ginger root contains anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties, which is why dietitians highly praise this spice. Clinical trials have tracked and studied all the apparent benefits of ground ginger powder, making it a viable option based on your health goals and needs. Let’s get started!

1. Aids in Settling the Stomach

One of the most significant health benefits is that fresh or powdered ginger or ginger supplements, may help settle an upset stomach, such as nausea and vomiting. For those who experience morning sickness or motion sickness, consider adding ginger to your diet.

This spice may also help with bloating discomfort, stomach cramping, and painful gas. Many people may reach for a ginger ale soda to help settle their stomach troubles, but some experts suggest that real ginger may offer better results. With its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, ginger may help with stomach aches, menstrual pain, nausea and vomiting due to motion sickness, and support digestive health. 

2. Promotes a Balanced Immune Response

Ginger is antibacterial and antiviral, which can promote a balanced immune response and assist in fighting off illnesses. Consuming fresh ginger root or powdered ginger can potentially soothe a sore throat by reducing inflammation, and it has a long history of being used as an herbal remedy for colds. You can also use this spice and its anti-inflammatory properties to assist in maintaining immune resilience before you get sick.

Try adding fresh ginger to delicious recipes to support immunity during flu and cold season. Simply mixing warm water and ground ginger into your drink may help alleviate nasal congestion, pressure in your head, or upset sinuses.

3. High in Antioxidants

Ginger is also known to contain antioxidants that can help reduce stress on the body and its cells. This can give your body an extra hand at fighting off illnesses and fatigue, allowing you to potentially feel some improvement in your daily life.

Because ginger contains a high level of antioxidants, this may be a great option for anyone who wants to reduce the amount of damage caused by the oxidative stress the environment places on the body’s cells. While ginger is no miracle food, it is a superfood that has rightfully earned its title because it can promote wellness in small, unnoticeable ways.

4. Aids Digestion

Not only can ginger help settle an upset stomach, but it may also assist with supporting regularity by promoting gut health. It can help your body move things along in the digestive tract, possibly making digestion more efficient so food does not linger in the gut. This may help balance your gut microbiome, which is a delicate system that can easily be disrupted with certain foods.

Sometimes, when the gut microbiome is out of balance, a person may experience bloating, cramping, discomfort, nausea, or gas. This spice can help move digestion along in a way that supports a healthy digestive system and impacts the likelihood of these negative side effects.

5. Aids Inflammation and Soreness

Ginger may assist with inflammation in the body that negatively impacts your daily life. Because of its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic properties, the root may help with the severity of aches and pains in your joints. 

Inflammation and oxidative stress are two of the most common causes of muscle pain and soreness, and one study found that taking ginger powder after vigorous exercise resulted in "moderate-to-large" reductions in muscle pain. Ginger powder also contains gingerols and shogaols, which have been shown to help relieve pain and muscle soreness.

Although more research and study are needed, a few cases have suggested that other health benefits of ginger may include reducing swelling. These properties make ginger powder potentially beneficial for exercise recovery and injury.

6. Helps Maintain Healthy Body Weight

Additionally, this spice may help support a healthy metabolism thanks to its vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds, making it a great potential asset for supporting healthy weight management. 

Though more research is needed, ginger may aid in weight management by helping a person stay fuller longer, digesting food more quickly, and contributing to metabolic systems. . Overall, ginger is a highly nutritional ingredient to promote a balanced lifestyle alongside a diet and exercise.

7. May Promote Skin Health

Ginger’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties also support skin health, among its other health benefits. This superfood may assist with removing toxins from the skin, allowing your skin to thrive and helping people with the aging process.

To reap these potential benefits, consider regularly adding ginger to your meals or into beverages such as ginger tea. Alternatively, you could add aqueous ginger extract in an essential oil diffuser.

You can also consider using ginger in a face mask, which may help your skin texture by acting as a gentle exfoliator to remove dirt and makeup while gently accelerating the rate of cell turnover. And you don’t need to stop there: you can also incorporate ginger by using bath salts, massage oil, shampoo, toner, or scrubs that contain ginger extract to get the potential benefits of this superfood.

8. Helps Support Brain Function

Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties may also support brain health in certain situations. Experts believe that this potential health benefit comes from the spice’s documented ability to increase reaction time, serotonin, and dopamine levels, which can reduce inflammation. Because this spice can assist brain function, people who use ginger or ginger extract regularly have shown that it helps the performance and function of the brain.

9. Supports Healthy Respiratory Function

When the respiratory system becomes inflamed, mucus and phlegm accumulate in the lungs and airways. Ginger extract is a natural remedy that can affect inflammation and break up congestion in the respiratory system, which can help you breathe clearer and support a healthier airway. 

Similarly, ginger's antimicrobial properties can assist the respiratory system. Both powdered and fresh ginger root contain antioxidants that can help with inflammation caused by outside factors like pollution or smoking.

10. Promotes Nutrient Absorption 

Ginger contains compounds called gingerols, shogaols, and zingerone that may increase the secretion of bile and digestive enzymes which aid in the breakdown of food and absorption of nutrients. Ginger powder can also improve zinc and iron absorption, which are minerals that assist in maintaining immune resilience.

Furthermore, ginger’s anti-inflammatory effects on the gut may result in improved nutrient absorption and overall gut health. While more research is needed to confirm ginger powder's full impact, it’s possible that incorporating ginger powder into your diet can naturally help the body maximize nutrient absorption.

11. Assists with Dental Health

The beneficial properties of ginger powder may help improve dental health and even possibly reduce dental pain. Ginger powder has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that make it an effective way to maintain oral hygiene. Excess bacteria and a lack of cleaning promote the development of oral hygiene issues, so ginger powder may aid in maintaining the health of your gums and teeth by addressing problematic bacteria.

Because of its analgesic properties, ginger powder may help relieve toothache pain. In one study, ginger powder was found to be just as effective as ibuprofen in treating inflammation caused by an impacted molar. While the effects are still limited and more research is needed, it's plausible that ginger powder may aid dental health and dental pain. 

12. Helps Alleviate Headaches

Ginger has been used for centuries as a natural headache remedy. Headaches are frequently caused by inflammation and tension in the head or neck muscles, and ginger powder compounds such as gingerols and shogaols have been shown to help reduce inflammation. These same properties may also assist with headache-related symptoms like nausea, vertigo, and vomiting.

Taking ginger supplements, drinking ginger tea, or incorporating ginger extract oils in your home could help with stress and anxiety-related headaches, as well as tension headaches. Ginger powder can help reduce stress and promote relaxation, and one study discovered that ginger might lower cortisol levels, a stress hormone. Ginger powder, whether applied topically or consumed, may help you find headache pain relief and improve your overall well-being.

What Are the Side Effects of Ginger Root?

Though generally considered to be safe for most people, in rare cases, you could experience some negative effects from consuming ginger. Here are four possible side effects, particularly if your ginger intake exceeds the recommended dose:

1. Heartburn and reflux: If you were to take more than the recommended amount of this spice in a day, you would likely experience heartburn and reflux. Doctors recommend consuming less than 4 grams of this spice daily, as more than that could cause uncomfortable heartburn, reflux, or indigestion.
2. Digestive upset: Some people may experience nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, depending on a person’s individual health needs. 
3. Burning sensations or irritation: When taken orally, gingerol may cause mouth or throat irritation. Although this is rare, stop taking ginger and consult your doctor if this occurs. 
4. Drug interactions: If you’re taking prescription medications, always consult your doctor before you incorporate ginger supplements into your daily routine. 

How to Use Ginger

Considering all of the health benefits of this spice, you may wonder how you can get more of it in your diet. Ginger root is versatile and usually eaten fresh, candied, pickled, in teas, or taken as a dietary supplement. Medical professionals recommend that people consume no more than four grams of ginger a day.

Some people take raw ginger root by removing the outer skin, and boiling the root in water to make ginger tea. If you don’t want to deal with getting fresh ginger root from the store and using it before it spoils, you can drink bagged ginger tea or stir ground ginger into hot water. 

Ground ginger is widely used in cooking and baking. This spice can be used in a variety of ways, such as:

• Add half a teaspoon of ground ginger to season curries, stir fries, stews, soups, and sauces. Grated fresh ginger also works well for cooking and often lends a more concentrated flavor, thanks to its freshness. 
• Add a dash of ground ginger powder to your baked goods, whether it’s gingerbread, ginger cookies, pumpkin pie, homemade granola, or another recipe that would shine with ginger’s added “kick.” Alternatively, use candied ginger instead while baking to get a unique sweet-spicy flavor!
• If making chai using a tea bag, whisk powdered ginger or ginger extract into the tea along with a splash of milk. 

Pickled ginger is an excellent addition to many dishes and is often served at sushi restaurants as a palate cleanser. Consider adding pickled ginger to avocado toast, at-home rice bowls, baked or braised salmon, or a plate of roasted veggies.

The uses for ginger extend beyond the kitchen. Consider using ginger in these situations as well: 

• Buy a ginger face mask at a beauty supply store or make your own to help make your skin radiant.
• Make a ginger face scrub to help clear toxins and cleanse your skin.
• Add ginger oil to an essential oil diffuser to help relieve headaches or promote calm.
• Take a ginger-rich supplement, such as Live it Up Super Greens

No matter how you use it, ginger is a powerful superfood to have in your daily routine!

Why I Recommended Ginger-Rich Live it Up

Rushing off to buy all the ginger root you can get your hands on? Understandable. Cooking with fresh ginger, drinking ginger tea, or taking ginger supplements means you’re consuming a superfood that could positively impact your life.

One of the best ways to get all the potential health benefits of ginger without eating calorie-dense foods is with a high-quality greens powder. Live it Up Super Greens features powdered ginger alongside nutrient-dense greens like spirulina, wheatgrass, kale, barley grass, and alfalfa leaf. This green supplement offers an excellent way to get more of this amazing ingredient in your diet. 

Live it Up wants to help people reach their health goals by providing science-backed superfoods in products that taste great. Super Greens is an enjoyable, slightly sweet blend that provides potent nutrients to help boost your well-being. It’s a daily choice that takes little effort but can yield big results!

Frequently Asked Questions About Ground Ginger

When it comes to your health, you need all of the facts. Here are some commonly asked questions and answers about the health benefits of ginger.

What is ground ginger used for?

Ginger is used in many different recipes and as a natural health supplement because of its many possible advantages, like immune system support, brain function, skin health, and anti-inflammatory effects. Other possible herbal medicine uses for ginger include helping with menstrual pain, nausea and vomiting, motion sickness, upset stomach, and muscle soreness. People enjoy eating ginger or using dry ginger powder in pies, soups, stews, teas, and many Asian dishes.

Is ground ginger good for you?

Ginger is an excellent natural source of antioxidants and vitamin C, so it’s very good for most people. You can use it in ginger tea or add it to foods. However, every person is different, and some people experience rare side effects, so you should always talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about adding ginger to your diet.

How much ginger should you take per day?

Ginger is safe to eat daily, but you should keep your ginger consumption to about 3 to 4 grams. Pregnant women or people with underlying health conditions should consult their doctor to ensure their ginger intake is safe.

Does ginger actually help with nausea?

Ginger has been used for centuries in herbal medicine as a natural anti-nausea aid. Studies support this traditional use, showing that ginger can be just as effective at assisting nausea and vomiting as other anti-nausea medications. What's more is that studies show ginger’s ability to help with both pregnancy-related nausea or nausea induced by motion sickness.

Is fresh ginger or peppermint better for nausea?

Both ginger and peppermint can help with unpleasant nausea. Though these plants each have different nausea-targeting agents—gingerol in ginger and menthol in peppermint—studies show that they are both effective at lessening symptoms for some people.

However, whether ginger or peppermint is better depends on you and your body. The best way to find which works best for you is by experimenting. Whether you try sipping on tea, chewing on peppermint gum, or take a peppermint or ginger mint, explore which herb provides the most effective relief for your body.

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