An eighth teaspoon of powdered ginger was found to work as well as the migraine headache drug sumatriptan (Imitrex) without the side effects.
Ginger for Migraines
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Many successful herbal treatments start like this: some doctor learns that some plant has been used in some ancient medical tradition—like ginger for headaches—and figures, hey, they have patients with headaches, and since it’s just some safe common spice, advises one of their migraine patients to give it a try. At the first sign of a migraine coming on, the patient mixes a quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger in some water, drinks it down, and poof, within a half hour, the migraine goes away. And, it works every time, no side effects.
This is what’s called a case report, which is really just a glorified anecdote. But, case reports have played an important role in the history of medicine. AIDS was first discovered as a series of case reports. Some young guy walks into a clinic in Los Angeles with a bad case of thrush, and the rest is history. Or, reports of an unusual side effect of a failed chest-pain drug leading to the billion dollar blockbuster, Viagra. Case reports may be the “lowest” or “weakest” form of evidence, but they are often the “first line of evidence.” That’s where everything begins. So, a report like this isn’t helpful in and of itself, but it can inspire researchers to put it to the test. The problem is, who’s going to fund it? The market for migraine drugs is worth billions of dollars. A quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger costs about a penny. So, who’d fund a study pitting ginger versus the leading migraine drug? No one, until now.
A double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial comparing the efficacy of ginger to sumatriptan, also known as Imitrex–one of the top-selling billion-dollar drugs in the world in the treatment of migraine headaches. They tried using just one eighth of a teaspoon of powdered ginger, versus a good dose of the drug. And, they both worked just as well, just as fast. Most started out in moderate or severe pain before. But, after the drug or ginger, ended up in mild pain or pain-free. The same proportion of migraine sufferers reported satisfaction with the results either way. And, so as far as I’m concerned, ginger won—not only because it’s a few billion dollars cheaper, but because there were significantly fewer side effects in the ginger group. On the drug, people reported dizziness, a sedative effect, vertigo, and heartburn. The only thing reported for ginger was an upset tummy, in about one out of 25 people—though taking a whole tablespoon of ginger powder at one time on an empty stomach could irritate anyone’s tummy (just as a note of caution).
Sticking to an eighth of a teaspoon is not only up to 3,000 times cheaper than the drug, but you’re probably less likely to end up as a case report yourself—of people who have had a heart attack, or died, after taking the drug.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- M Maghbooli, F Golipour, A Moghimi Esfandabadi, M Yousefi. Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine. Phytother Res. 2014 Mar;28(3):412-5. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4996.
- T Mustafa, K C Srivastava. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in migraine headache. J Ethnopharmacol. 1990 Jul;29(3):267-73.
- H G Desai, R H Kalro, A P Choksi. Effect of ginger & garlic on DNA content of gastric aspirate.Indian J Med Res. 1990 Apr;92:139-41.
- M S Gottlieb.Discovering AIDS. Epidemiology. 1998 Jul;9(4):365-7.
- S F Campbell. Science, art and drug discovery: a personal perspective. Clin Sci (Lond). 2000 Oct;99(4):255-60.
- H A Ghofrani, I H Osterloh, F Grimminger. Sildenafil: from angina to erectile dysfunction to pulmonary hypertension and beyond. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2006 Aug;5(8):689-702.
- J P Vandenbroucke. In defense of case reports and case series. Ann Intern Med. 2001 Feb 20;134(4):330-4.
- G D Solomon. Reducing the cost of headache medication. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2009 Jun;13(3):227-30.
- L Wood. Research and Markets: GlobalMigraine Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2023 - A Potential $3.7Billion Market. 2014 Sept 11. Reuters
- S Wasson, V K Jayam. Coronary vasospasm and myocardial infarction induced by oral sumatriptan.. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2004 Jul-Aug;27(4):198-200.
- K Laine, T Raasakka, J Mäntynen, P Saukko. Fatal cardiac arrhythmia after oral sumatriptan. Headache. 1999 Jul-Aug;39(7):511-2.
Images thanks to Unsplash via Pixabay
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Many successful herbal treatments start like this: some doctor learns that some plant has been used in some ancient medical tradition—like ginger for headaches—and figures, hey, they have patients with headaches, and since it’s just some safe common spice, advises one of their migraine patients to give it a try. At the first sign of a migraine coming on, the patient mixes a quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger in some water, drinks it down, and poof, within a half hour, the migraine goes away. And, it works every time, no side effects.
This is what’s called a case report, which is really just a glorified anecdote. But, case reports have played an important role in the history of medicine. AIDS was first discovered as a series of case reports. Some young guy walks into a clinic in Los Angeles with a bad case of thrush, and the rest is history. Or, reports of an unusual side effect of a failed chest-pain drug leading to the billion dollar blockbuster, Viagra. Case reports may be the “lowest” or “weakest” form of evidence, but they are often the “first line of evidence.” That’s where everything begins. So, a report like this isn’t helpful in and of itself, but it can inspire researchers to put it to the test. The problem is, who’s going to fund it? The market for migraine drugs is worth billions of dollars. A quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger costs about a penny. So, who’d fund a study pitting ginger versus the leading migraine drug? No one, until now.
A double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial comparing the efficacy of ginger to sumatriptan, also known as Imitrex–one of the top-selling billion-dollar drugs in the world in the treatment of migraine headaches. They tried using just one eighth of a teaspoon of powdered ginger, versus a good dose of the drug. And, they both worked just as well, just as fast. Most started out in moderate or severe pain before. But, after the drug or ginger, ended up in mild pain or pain-free. The same proportion of migraine sufferers reported satisfaction with the results either way. And, so as far as I’m concerned, ginger won—not only because it’s a few billion dollars cheaper, but because there were significantly fewer side effects in the ginger group. On the drug, people reported dizziness, a sedative effect, vertigo, and heartburn. The only thing reported for ginger was an upset tummy, in about one out of 25 people—though taking a whole tablespoon of ginger powder at one time on an empty stomach could irritate anyone’s tummy (just as a note of caution).
Sticking to an eighth of a teaspoon is not only up to 3,000 times cheaper than the drug, but you’re probably less likely to end up as a case report yourself—of people who have had a heart attack, or died, after taking the drug.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- M Maghbooli, F Golipour, A Moghimi Esfandabadi, M Yousefi. Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine. Phytother Res. 2014 Mar;28(3):412-5. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4996.
- T Mustafa, K C Srivastava. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in migraine headache. J Ethnopharmacol. 1990 Jul;29(3):267-73.
- H G Desai, R H Kalro, A P Choksi. Effect of ginger & garlic on DNA content of gastric aspirate.Indian J Med Res. 1990 Apr;92:139-41.
- M S Gottlieb.Discovering AIDS. Epidemiology. 1998 Jul;9(4):365-7.
- S F Campbell. Science, art and drug discovery: a personal perspective. Clin Sci (Lond). 2000 Oct;99(4):255-60.
- H A Ghofrani, I H Osterloh, F Grimminger. Sildenafil: from angina to erectile dysfunction to pulmonary hypertension and beyond. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2006 Aug;5(8):689-702.
- J P Vandenbroucke. In defense of case reports and case series. Ann Intern Med. 2001 Feb 20;134(4):330-4.
- G D Solomon. Reducing the cost of headache medication. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2009 Jun;13(3):227-30.
- L Wood. Research and Markets: GlobalMigraine Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2023 - A Potential $3.7Billion Market. 2014 Sept 11. Reuters
- S Wasson, V K Jayam. Coronary vasospasm and myocardial infarction induced by oral sumatriptan.. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2004 Jul-Aug;27(4):198-200.
- K Laine, T Raasakka, J Mäntynen, P Saukko. Fatal cardiac arrhythmia after oral sumatriptan. Headache. 1999 Jul-Aug;39(7):511-2.
Images thanks to Unsplash via Pixabay
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Ginger for Migraines
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For more on ginger root:
- Dr. Greger’s Natural Nausea Remedy Recipe
- Reducing Radiation Damage With Ginger & Lemon Balm
- Which Spices Fight Inflammation?
- Spicing Up DNA Protection
- Ginger for Nausea, Menstrual Cramps, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Ginger for Osteoarthritis
- Benefits of Ginger for Menstrual Cramps
- Ground Ginger to Reduce Muscle Pain
- Is Ginger Beneficial in a Diabetic Diet?
Avoiding aspartame (Aspartame & the Brain) and using lavender may also help (Lavender for Migraine Headaches). If you have cluster headaches, ask your physician about capsaicin (Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches?).
2020 Update – I just added a new video on migraines: Foods that Help Headache & Migraine Relief.
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