Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Ginger Morning Sickness

Question:
I find that eating candied (=crystallized) ginger is *wonderful* for relieving this horrible 24-hr-a-day queasiness and bloating, but I am not of the camp that believes if it's natural it can't possibly harm you, so I worry about how much might be too much for a developing baby. Especially since I am only 7 wks along. Has anyone ever seen any suggestions about the maximum amount of ginger that might be safe in early pregnancy?

Answer:
Is it really? I have been searching high and low for something to help. We are at the same stage. I'm 7w6d today,a nd very green 24/7. When is your due date? Mine is July 17th. I took some ginger capsules 1st trimester, which were 250mg each. Directions were to take up to 3 per day, so that's what, 750 mg per day. But I found that taking just one capsule in the morning was fine most days, with occassionally a second capsule at lunch time or a glass of good quality ginger ale (that actually contained actual ginger) with my meal. Well, I can tell you that it does help me a whole big lot, although of course everyone is different. It unqueasies my tummy for a little while, plus since I started nibbling ginger I have not had such horrible bloating and gas. (OTOH apparently I *am* different, because for the past couple weeks the only foods I have had any enthusiasm for, and the only ones that do not make me feel horrible for the rest of the day, are the exact opposite of what the books say people with morning sickness *should* do well with. Bland starchy foods, or vegetables, make me feel ghastly... OTOH, give me an order of KFC Popcorn Chicken or a greasy fast-food fried-chicken-filet sandwich, and my tummy is happy for hours :-P) It seems that the dosage of ginger mostly recommended as putatively safe in pregnancy is the 750-1000mg/day dosage that Karen, the poster in the message after yours, recommended (thanks Karen!). At first this # scared me because 1 g of crystallized ginger would be, like, one tenth of one tiny nibble! However, I did some more-extensive googling [having no access to a Real Library at present] and it *seems*, according to one website I found (http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,787,00.html), that the recommended maximum of 750-1000mg/day is for a relatively pure ginger preparation in pill form, not for raw gingerroot itself. That website claims that a cup of ginger tea (1/2 tsp grated gingerroot steeped in 8 oz hot water for 5-10 min) contains about 250 mg of ginger; an 8 oz glass of real ginger ale contains about 1000 mg; and a 1-across 1/4-thick slice of crystallized ginger contains about 500 mg. Since crystallized ginger has a whole lot of fiber, sugar and moisture in it, I guess that sounds vaguely reasonable to me... ...but does anyone know anything more about this? BTW, the abovementioned website also warns Don't treat pregnancy-related nausea with ginger for longer than the first two months of pregnancy. Similarly, don't take more than 250 mg four times a day during pregnancy without consulting your obstetrician. Avoid medicinal amounts of ginger if you have gallstones unless your doctor advises you otherwise; the herb increases bile flow. Also, note that another website (http://www.injurednewborn.com/maia/ginger.html - again, I have no clue whatsoever about the accuracy of these sites' information) says Since ginger is also used to promote menstruation, some caution should be exercises in its use during pregnancy. However, it is safe for most mothers. The dose to trigger menstruation is 20-28 grams. A glass of ginger beer contains about 1 gram, while a highly spiced dish might contain 500 mg. So there is a wide margin of safety. But women with a history of miscarriage may not want to take this risk.