Efficacy and safety of ginger in osteoarthritis patients: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials

Bartels EM, Folmer VN, Bliddal H, Altman RD, Juhl C, Tarp S, Zhang W, Christensen R · Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Pain fell in ginger's favour by a standardized mean difference of −0.30 (95% CI −0.50 to −0.09, p = 0.005) with low inconsistency between trials (I² = 27%), and disability by −0.22 (95% CI −0.39 to −0.04, p = 0.01, I² = 0%). Against that, patients given ginger were more than twice as likely to stop treatment because of adverse events (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.04-5.22, p = 0.04). The authors call ginger modestly efficacious and reasonably safe, and rate the evidence moderate quality.

Population

593 patients across 5 randomized placebo-controlled trials of oral ginger in osteoarthritis, from 122 references screened

Intervention

Oral ginger

Comparator

Placebo

Limitations

Five trials and 593 patients is a small base, and the authors flag inadequate intention-to-treat analyses in the majority of them. An SMD of −0.30 is a small effect. PROSPERO CRD42011001777.