Ginger for Periods

Ginger has been widely studied as a natural, non-pharmacological remedy for relieving menstrual pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea. Its bioactive components are believed to exert anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, making ginger an attractive alternative or complement to conventional NSAIDs such as Novafen, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen. Researchers have evaluated ginger’s efficacy across various dosing regimens and treatment durations, and compared it with both pharmacological treatments and other non-drug interventions like stretching exercises and progressive muscle relaxation.

Protocols Studied in Research

Ginger and Novafen for Menstrual Pain in Primary Dysmenorrhea [1]

• Protocol: In this crossover trial conducted in Iran with 168 single female students aged 18–26 with primary menstrual pain, participants were randomly allocated to receive either ginger or Novafen. Each group took a 200 mg capsule every 6 hours over two consecutive menstrual cycles, with pain severity measured by a visual analog scale (VAS) before treatment, 1 hour after drug consumption (over 24 hours), and 48 hours after onset.
• Outcome: Both ginger and Novafen significantly reduced pain intensity (VAS scores decreased from approximately 7.1–7.6 to about 3.0) with no statistically significant difference between the two, suggesting that ginger is as effective as Novafen in relieving menstrual pain.

Mefenamic Acid and Ginger for Pain Relief in Primary Dysmenorrhea [2]

• Protocol: In a randomized clinical trial with 122 female students experiencing moderate to severe primary dysmenorrhea, participants were allocated to receive either 250 mg mefenamic acid every 8 hours or 250 mg ginger capsules (zintoma) every 6 hours from the onset of menstruation, continuing for two cycles. Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analog scale.
• Outcome: Pain intensity was similar between the mefenamic acid and ginger groups in both the first and second menstrual cycles (no significant difference, p > 0.05), indicating that ginger is as effective as mefenamic acid for pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea, although the ginger group had a slightly longer menstrual duration.

Ginger for Pain Relief in Primary Dysmenorrhea [3]

• Protocol: This trial enrolled 120 university students with moderate or severe primary dysmenorrhea. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 500 mg ginger capsules or placebo three times daily, following two treatment protocols: one where treatment started two days before menses and continued through the first three days, and another where treatment was given only during the first three days of menses. Pain severity was evaluated using both a verbal multidimensional scoring system and a VAS.
• Outcome: Ginger significantly reduced both the intensity and duration of pain compared with placebo in both treatment protocols (p = 0.015 and p = 0.029 for intensity; p = 0.017 for duration in protocol one), demonstrating its efficacy in relieving dysmenorrhea when administered for 5 days.

Ginger for Relieving Primary Dysmenorrhea [4]

• Protocol: In this clinical trial conducted at Toyserkan Azad University in Iran, 70 female students with primary dysmenorrhea were randomized into two equal groups to receive either ginger capsules or placebo for 3 days during the first menstrual cycle. Pain severity was measured using a visual analog scale, and a 5‑point Likert scale was used to assess treatment response.
• Outcome: The ginger group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in pain intensity compared with the placebo group, and a higher proportion of subjects reported improvement in associated nausea symptoms, supporting ginger’s effectiveness for primary dysmenorrhea.

Ginger, Mefenamic Acid, and Ibuprofen for Pain Relief in Primary Dysmenorrhea [5]

• Protocol: In this double‑blind comparative trial, 150 students with primary dysmenorrhea were alternately assigned to three groups to receive either 250 mg ginger capsules, 250 mg mefenamic acid, or 400 mg ibuprofen four times daily for one menstrual cycle. Pain severity was assessed using a verbal multidimensional scoring system after treatment.
• Outcome: All three groups experienced a significant reduction in dysmenorrhea severity, with no significant differences among the ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen groups in terms of pain relief or patient satisfaction, indicating similar efficacy and safety profiles.

Ginger versus Stretching Exercises for Pain Relief in Primary Dysmenorrhea [6]

• Protocol: In this randomized controlled trial at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, 61 female students with moderate to severe primary dysmenorrhea were randomly allocated to either a ginger group (receiving 250 mg ginger capsules from the onset of menstruation) or an exercise group (performing belly and pelvic stretching exercises for 10 minutes, three times per week). Pain intensity was measured using a visual analog scale after the first and second menstrual cycles.
• Outcome: The exercise group showed significantly greater pain relief (lower VAS scores), a higher proportion of participants reporting mild dysmenorrhea, and a greater reduction in menstrual duration compared to the ginger group (P = 0.02 for pain relief and P = 0.006 for menstrual duration), indicating that stretching exercises are more effective than ginger for alleviating dysmenorrhea.

Ginger and Zinc Sulfate for Pain Relief in Primary Dysmenorrhea [7]

• Protocol: In this placebo-controlled randomized trial, 150 high school students with primary dysmenorrhea were randomly divided into three groups to receive ginger capsules, zinc sulfate capsules, or placebo for four days (starting the day before menstruation through the third day of menstrual bleeding). Pain severity was assessed every 24 hours using a VAS.
• Outcome: Both the ginger and zinc sulfate groups showed significantly greater reductions in pain severity compared with the placebo group (p < 0.05), with no significant difference between the two active treatments, suggesting that both ginger and zinc sulfate are effective for relieving primary dysmenorrhea.

Ginger Powder versus Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Dysmenorrhea [8]

• Protocol: In this randomized controlled trial conducted in Pune, India, 75 nursing students with dysmenorrhea were divided into three groups: one group received 1 gm ginger powder twice a day (with warm water) during the first three days of menstruation, another group practiced progressive muscle relaxation, and a control group received no intervention. Severity of dysmenorrhea symptoms was recorded using a daily symptom calendar and a 5‑point Likert scale.
• Outcome: Analysis using MANOVA demonstrated that ginger powder was significantly more effective than progressive muscle relaxation in reducing the severity of dysmenorrhea symptoms, supporting the use of ginger as a superior non-pharmacological treatment option.

Research Interpretation: Summary and Conclusion

In simple terms, the collective findings indicate that ginger significantly reduces pain intensity in primary dysmenorrhea—often performing comparably to standard NSAIDs. While ginger, whether administered as capsules, powder, or in combination with zinc sulfate, consistently alleviates menstrual pain compared to placebo, some studies suggest that stretching exercises may offer even greater relief and reduce menstrual duration more effectively. Overall, ginger emerges as a safe and effective option for managing menstrual pain, with its benefits further supported by improvements in associated symptoms such as nausea, and it may serve as a useful alternative for those seeking non-pharmacological pain relief.

Publications

[1] Adib Rad H, Basirat Z, Bakouei F, Moghadamnia AA, Khafri S, Farhadi Kotenaei Z, Nikpour M, Kazemi S. Effect of Ginger and Novafen on menstrual pain: A cross-over trial. Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Dec;57(6):806-809. doi: 10.1016/j.tjog.2018.10.006. PMID: 30545531.

[2] Shirvani MA, Motahari-Tabari N, Alipour A. The effect of mefenamic acid and ginger on pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized clinical trial. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2015 Jun;291(6):1277-81. doi: 10.1007/s00404-014-3548-2. Epub 2014 Nov 16. PMID: 25399316.

[3] Rahnama P, Montazeri A, Huseini HF, Kianbakht S, Naseri M. Effect of Zingiber officinale R. rhizomes (ginger) on pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea: a placebo randomized trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Jul 10;12:92. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-92. PMID: 22781186; PMCID: PMC3518208.

[4] Jenabi E. The effect of ginger for relieving of primary dysmenorrhoea. J Pak Med Assoc. 2013 Jan;63(1):8-10. PMID: 23865123.

[5] Ozgoli G, Goli M, Moattar F. Comparison of effects of ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen on pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Feb;15(2):129-32. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0311. PMID: 19216660.

[6] Shirvani MA, Motahari-Tabari N, Alipour A. Use of ginger versus stretching exercises for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2017 Jul;15(4):295-301. doi: 10.1016/S2095-4964(17)60348-0. PMID: 28659234.

[7] Kashefi F, Khajehei M, Tabatabaeichehr M, Alavinia M, Asili J. Comparison of the effect of ginger and zinc sulfate on primary dysmenorrhea: a placebo-controlled randomized trial. Pain Manag Nurs. 2014 Dec;15(4):826-33. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2013.09.001. Epub 2014 Feb 20. PMID: 24559600.

[8] Halder A. Effect of progressive muscle relaxation versus intake of ginger powder on dysmenorrhoea amongst the nursing students in Pune. Nurs J India. 2012 Jul-Aug;103(4):152-6. PMID: 23534170.