Avoid Mixing These 5 Medications with Ginger Supplements

While ginger supplements are popular for aiding digestion and relieving pain, they can interact with certain medications, raising potential health risks.

Experts generally consider 3-4 grams of ginger daily safe for most individuals. Pregnant women, however, should limit intake to no more than 1 gram per day. Exceeding 6 grams daily could lead to gastrointestinal upset.

1. Diabetes Drugs

Individuals managing diabetes typically use medications to regulate blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy A1C. Ginger can also influence blood sugar, and excessive consumption alongside medications like insulin and metformin might lower blood glucose levels too drastically, leading to hypoglycemia.

2. Blood Pressure Medications

Blood pressure drugs rank among the most frequently prescribed medications in the U.S. Combining these with ginger may lower blood pressure excessively, as ginger can affect hormones involved in regulating blood pressure. Furthermore, ginger influences calcium channels integral to maintaining a steady heart rhythm.

3. Blood Thinners

Blood thinners come with warnings against combining them with particular foods, beverages, and supplements due to an increased bleeding risk. While ginger contains beneficial antioxidants, it may have blood-thinning effects by interfering with thromboxane, a substance responsible for blood clotting.

4. Certain Cancer Drugs

Ginger is often used to alleviate nausea, including as a side effect of cancer treatments. Although recommended by healthcare providers for managing symptoms like vomiting, ginger can occasionally interact with cancer medications and cause liver problems. In rare cases, large quantities of ginger tea consumed alongside the chemotherapy drug crizotinib have been linked to liver damage, emphasizing the need for consulting a doctor when considering complementary remedies.

5. Pain Medications

Combining ginger with pain medications, from over-the-counter aspirin to prescription drugs like morphine, may be unsafe. Since aspirin thins the blood, using it alongside ginger could elevate bleeding risk similarly to anticoagulants like warfarin. Additionally, ginger may amplify the effects of strong painkillers such as morphine, raising concerns, as opioids can dangerously slow respiration and decrease blood pressure. Mixing these with other substances, including ginger or alcohol, heightens the risk of severe complications.