General Obstetrics and Gynecology: GynecologyThe efficacy of ginger for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting: A meta-analysis
Section snippets
Search strategy
We searched the following databases: Medline, IPA, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, HealthStar, Current Contents, bibliographies of retrieved articles; we also contacted pharmaceutical companies, authors, and experts in the field. Key words for searching were ginger, Zingiber officinale, ingwer, ingber, nausea, vomiting, and postoperative nausea and vomiting. There was no language restriction.
Criteria for trial inclusion
Trials must meet the following inclusion criteria: (1) randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating
Results
Our search yielded a total of 59 potential studies. Fifty-three studies were excluded because they were not randomized, placebo-controlled trials. We identified a recent unpublished study in Thailand by contacting an expert.12
The study by Arfeen et al18 was excluded because only the incidence of 3-hour PONV was reported. The study by Eberhart et al19 was also excluded because the amount of ginger administered was only 0.3 or 0.6 g. Finally, we included a total of 5 studies involving 363
Comment
This study summarizes evidence from randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of ginger for the prevention of PONV. We found that the incidence of PONV and POV in the ginger arm is 35% and 38%, respectively, lower than those in the placebo arm. Based on these findings, we conclude that ginger at a dose of 1 g or greater can significantly reduce the incidence of 24-hour PONV in patients undergoing gynecological and lower extremity surgery.
A systematic review by Morin et
Acknowledgment
The authors thank Professor Visanu Thamalikitkul, MD, MSc, for providing a citation of additional study.
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Cited by (159)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) preparations for prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting: A Bayesian network meta-analysis
2023, Journal of EthnopharmacologyAGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Medically Refractory Gastroparesis: Expert Review
2022, Clinical Gastroenterology and HepatologyCitation Excerpt :Although synthetic cannabinoids (eg, dronabinol, nabilone) are approved for chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, their use in gastroparesis has not been formally evaluated, with the potential to slow gastric emptying.33 Ginger improves nausea and vomiting but has not been prospectively evaluated in refractory gastroparesis.34 Erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, accelerates gastric emptying by binding to motilin receptors, thereby stimulating cholinergic activity in the antrum, and initiating phase III contractions of the migrating motor complex.35
The preventive and relieving effects of ginger on postoperative nausea and vomiting: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
2022, International Journal of Nursing StudiesCitation Excerpt :Intake of ginger had no significant effect on vomiting, which may be due to the dose taken. One article (Chaiyakunapruk et al., 2006) included five trials with a total of 363 patients and concluded that at least 1 g of ginger was effective for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting, and postoperative vomiting alone. However, in another article (Ernst and Pittler, 2000), the authors found that taking 1 g of ginger before surgery did not have a significant effect on postoperative nausea, so more trials are needed to determine the effective dose of ginger.
Supported by a grant from the Thailand Research Fund and School of Pharmacy's grant for young researchers.