Is this unassuming kitchen spice the key to kidney health? Is ginger good for our kidneys if consumed in moderation?
Ginger provides a multitude of benefits, however, there are some risks associated with ginger that we must be aware of.
That being said, is there a place for this commonly used flavoring in a kidney friendly diet?
In this article, we’ll review what ginger is, its various types, the associated benefits and risks, and how ginger may affect kidney disease and kidney stones.
Let’s dive in!
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Table of Contents
What Is Ginger?
Ginger is actually a plant with long spiky green leaves. The ginger we’re familiar with as an ingredient in our cooking is actually the root of this plant.
Originating in Southeast Asia, ginger is part of a family of flower plants called Zingiberaceae. The Zingiberaceae family also provides us with other commonly used spices such as turmeric and cardamom.
Forms of Ginger
Fresh Ginger Root
The most non-processed form of ginger is the root of the ginger plant itself!
Fresh ginger is packed with flavor and can be found in the produce section of your local grocery store!
Pickled Ginger
Pickled ginger is fresh ginger root that is pickled in a sugar and salt brine.
Like most pickled foods, pickled ginger has a lot of sodium in it. Two tablespoons of pickled ginger has about 360 milligrams of sodium.
Pickled ginger is also commonly served with sushi!
Crystallized Ginger
Crystallized (or “candied”) ginger is ginger root that is cooked, tossed with sugar and dehydrated.
A 1/4 cup of candied ginger has around 35 grams of sugar. Be careful eating crystalized ginger as the number of calories and grams of sugar can quickly add up!
Dried or Powdered Ginger
Dried (or “powdered”) ginger is ginger root that is dried and made into a powder. You’ll find this ginger in the spice isle at the grocery store. This type of ginger is commonly used as a baking ingredient!
Ginger Tea
You can make ginger tea by letting fresh ginger root sit in hot water. Or, there are many ginger teas available on the market.
Be careful of other ingredients in ginger teas. Some ginger teas have ingredients that are bad for kidneys, such as licorice root. The National Kidney Foundation has a list of herbal ingredients and supplements to avoid.
Ginger Supplements or Extracts
Ginger is also available as an herbal supplement pill or liquid extract. These products are very concentrated forms of ginger.
Please be aware that herbal supplements are not regulated in the United States. (1)
Ginger Health Benefits
Most notably, ginger has been used as a treatment for nausea. Research into ginger has focused on nausea associated with pregnancy, motion sickness and cancer treatment when used with other medications. (2)
Ginger has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions including asthma, menstrual cramps, diabetes, and upset stomach. Although research investigated ginger in many of these conditions, most studies are very small and only done in animals. Therefore, the findings of these studies may not translate to humans.
Limited research has shown that ginger may help with:
- Cancer prevention, as it is a potent source of antioxidants (3)
- Inflammation, especially in arthritis (4)
- High blood sugar in animals with diabetes (5) (6)
- High blood pressure (7)
- High cholesterol (5) (8) (9)
However, we need more research to confidently recommend ginger for these health conditions. (2)
Is Ginger Good for Kidneys?
Multiple studies have investigated the impact of ginger on kidney health. Most of these studies are small and done in rats, making it difficult to form specific recommendations for humans.
However, ginger may have some beneficial effects for kidneys.
Ginger & Kidney Disease
Ginger seems to have some benefits in kidney disease. Small studies using rats have found that ginger protects kidneys from inflammation caused by a variety of health conditions, metal toxicity and pro-inflammatory fructose. (4) (6) (10) (11)
Two studies also found better kidney function in rats with diabetes when given ginger supplements. (5) (6)
However, research on the effects of ginger and kidney disease in humans is lacking. We need more research to determine if ginger is good for kidney disease. Specifically, we need more information on the amount and specific type of ginger that could be beneficial for our kidneys.
Ginger & Kidney Stones
No research has been done to see if ginger is good for kidney stones.
Ginger does have a fair amount of oxalate. And, most of that oxalate is soluble, which makes it more absorbable. (12) It is unlikely that eating or cooking with ginger will add a significant amount of oxalate to your diet. But, ginger supplements and extracts might add quite a bit of oxalate. I’d recommend avoiding ginger supplements if you have high urine oxalate.
Risks of Taking Ginger
There are some risks you should be aware of before you add a lot of ginger to your diet.
Blood Thinning
Ginger has an anticoagulant effect, which means it can help thin your blood. If you’re prescribed to take a blood thinner, such as coumadin, you should avoid ginger supplements. (13)
Low Blood Pressure
Ginger can also lower your blood pressure. If you take blood pressure medications or have a history of dangerously low blood pressure, you should speak with your doctor being taking ginger supplements.
Side Effects
Like most supplements, ginger supplements have the potential to produce side effects.
Very high doses of ginger (more than 4 grams per day) could cause: (13)
- Upset stomach
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Heartburn
- Mouth and throat irritation
Of note, risks are much higher if you take ginger in supplement form. The dose of ginger in supplements is usually much higher compared to ginger itself. Ginger used in cooking, or eaten in normal amounts, is unlikely to cause side effects.
How to Add Ginger to a Kidney Diet
If you want to add ginger to your diet, I’d recommend turning to ginger foods, rather than supplements. We need more research before I can recommend ginger as a supplement to help kidneys.
However, it is clear that ginger has some kidney healthy benefits. So, it might be a good idea to add more ginger to your day! Adding ginger in non-supplement form may provide benefits and is unlikely to cause harm.
How To Cook Fresh Ginger Root
Compared to dried ginger, fresh ginger will definitely add the most flavor to your food! Using fresh ginger is a little more work, but well worth it in my book!
To prepare fresh ginger, you can peel it using a vegetable peeler or a spoon! Then, use a sharp knife to mince, slice, or chop it.
Add minced ginger directly into homemade salad dressing or salads. Yes, you can eat ginger raw! Make your own ginger dressing for this spaghetti ginger salad!
For cooked dishes, sauté fresh ginger in a little oil along with ingredients like onion or garlic. This is a tasty way to start soups, stews, curries, or stir-fries! This Thai vegetable curry is a great example.
Convenience Ginger
You can buy fresh ginger that has already been chopped or pureed. As always, check the Nutrition Facts for these products. Many of these products have added sodium – around 130mg per teaspoon of ginger!
The Ginger People* and Lee Kum Kee* brands are low sodium options.
Ginger for Low Sodium Cooking
Because ginger is so tasty, it is a great way to make flavorful dishes without the salt. By adding tasty ingredients like ginger and other spices, you can cut back on how much salt you need.
Low sodium veggie burgers, sloppy joes and pork stir fry are other great ways to add in garlic while monitoring the amount of salt in the meal!
Final Thoughts
Using ginger as a spice to flavor your foods or eating ginger as a natural ingredient comes with little risk on kidney health.
However, ginger in supplement form often provides higher doses and may lead to various side effects.
If you’re uncertain about ginger and your specific health conditions, ask your doctor or dietitian if ginger is right for you!
Overall, ginger comes in many natural forms. When consumed in moderation, ginger has a place in every kidney friendly diet.
Happy Eating!
Melanie
how much ginger tea should I have a day? I have just found out I have stage 2 Kidney disease
Hello! You don’t necessarily HAVE to drink ginger tea if you have kidney disease. It isn’t necessarily going to help (or hurt) your kidneys. If you enjoy it, it is ok to have.
I find when I am having trouble passing urine because I am plugged up with stones I drink a diet Gingerale and its not more than a day and I am able to clear my urinary tract. Is this a coincidense?
Interesting! I like this likely is a coincidence. Perhaps the benefit is just drinking more fluid to help that stone pass!
what ginger tea would you recommend for stage 3 kidney disease
Any type of ginger tea should be ok for CKD. Ask your dietitian what is best for you!
Hi Melanie, can you expound more on your comment below. It seems like what your saying is that there are other sources of Oxalates beyond our dietary control to contend with. Could a fatty liver lend to high Oxalate levels? And how do we deal with the liver if that is what you are suggesting to focus on?
Dietary oxalate only accounts for about 50% (MAXIMUM) of urine oxalate. Suggesting that liver production of oxalate might be more important to focus on – in addition to the fact that there really is no research to suggest that a low oxalate diet reduces stone risk, although it does somewhat reduce urine oxalate levels.
Hi Lorna! Yes – that liver production of oxalate is what accounts for that other 50% of urine oxalate levels. Many of the nutrition changes I talk about aim to reduce that urine production of oxalate (excess protein and sugar, being 2 of them). You might find this article helpful! If you’d like to work with me to understand what this means for stone prevention for YOU, and get my complete answers to all your questions, I’d love to meet you in Kidney Stone Nutrition School!
Melanie, I am trying to convince some colleagues to do some research on absorption of oxalates. It boggles the mind that this hasn’t been done. We know that dairy is frequently cited as reducing the chances of calcium oxalate stones, presumably because it has no oxalate, and the calcium is then free to bind in the gut, and calcium oxalate passes right through you. So the obvious question is, if you want to take substances that are quite clearly good for you (cumin, turmeric, pepper, ginger) but they have high oxalate, can we grind them up (for spices, done!) and ingest them at the same time as something with plenty of free calcium (kale?) and thus get the benefit while absorbing little or no oxalate. It all depends on the statistics of how often an oxalate molecule can get absorbed by the body without first meeting and binding to calcium. Seems like an obvious and worthy experiment, right? Basically take metered doses of various spices, both without a calcium adjunct, and with, and see what changes in the urine.
This is certainly an interesting question! There are huge variances in how much oxalate is absorbed from person to person depending on calcium and a whole host of other factors (the gut microbiota, for example). There is also the question of how much dietary/intestinal absorption of oxalate really matters for MOST people when it comes to stone formation (people with a history of GI surgery being a big outlier here). Dietary oxalate only accounts for about 50% (MAXIMUM) of urine oxalate. Suggesting that liver production of oxalate might be more important to focus on – in addition to the fact that there really is no research to suggest that a low oxalate diet reduces stone risk, although it does somewhat reduce urine oxalate levels. So many questions to be answered!
Just had ginger tea tonight. I’ve been having trouble with my blood pressure and had upset stomach. It was very good. Will try blueberry cobbler. Looks good. Thanks for info.
Hi Peg! Yum! Let us know what you think of the Blueberry Cobbler!