Ginger has been used in cooking as an herbal seasoning to cook, and it has been usedand in early pregnancy as a remedy for treating nausea and vomiting for years in Asia. According to Heitmann et al. (2012), up to 80% of women have nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) and it can impact their lives negatively. Now, is it safe for pregnant women and for the baby the usage of ginger to stop nausea and vomiting? The nutritional intake of ginger is an important topic because, lately, more pregnant women have been using medications or herbs without discussing them with their doctors. The easy access to the internet has made us think we know everything.
Both articles showed that it was true what the title of the article states “evidence of effectiveness is not the same as proof of safety.” It is not. Just because ginger is natural, it meansdoes not mean it is necessarily safe. The study conducted by Heitmann et al. (2012) claims that even with a low sample size of studies, the root of ginger remains safe to use during pregnancy. The dosage and the type of ginger are the key to the success. The article saysstates that the doses most used were between 1,000 mg and 1,500 mg per day.
The studies show that the use of ginger needs to be avoided if a pregnant woman takes anticoagulant therapy if she has a history of miscarriage, vaginal bleeding, or clotting disorder. An interesting fact is, that non-smoker pregnant women with higher levels of education announced the use of ginger during pregnancy and are the ones who have used folic acid before and during or only during pregnancy. Additionally, ginger has no association with the baby being born with malformations. (Heitmann et al., 2012).