5 Ginger Essential Oil Benefits (Full Health Benefits Listed)

When you think of ginger essential oil benefits, the first thing that comes to mind is digestive uses but there are more healing properties to know! Sip some ginger ale, or have a delicious ginger chew – it’ll make your tummy feel better! I hear a mom’s voice in my head when I think about ginger. Its soothing effects on digestive health are just the beginning of what ginger oil can offer you.

Culinary Ginger Uses

What we use in the kitchen is the rhizome (part of the root like an underground stem) of the ginger Zingiber officinale plant. At the end of the growing season, the whole plant is dug up and the rhizomes are harvested for use. Portions of the plant are retained for replanting, which starts the whole process again for another year.

Ginger stores well and has a wide range of preparation possibilities from ginger extract for food flavoring, to sugared slices, which made it a folk medicine staple early in human history. Once harvested, there are many forms of ginger root as it can be chopped, grated, dried and powdered, even candied. It’s added to both sweet and savory recipes, food and drink alike.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

Not only has ginger established itself throughout history for its flavor and versatility, but the medicinal benefits of ginger are obvious and well suited to its uses. According to the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, ginger has been used for at least 2500 years, traditionally for its digestive properties to encourage gastrointestinal health, relieving: (linked below)

• Digestive upset
• Diarrhea
• Occasional Nausea

And, in more recent years, the review notes that researchers are finding even more potential benefits, specifically in the aromatic compounds:

Some pungent constituents present in ginger and other zingiberaceous plants have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and some of them exhibit cancer-preventive activity in experimental carcinogenesis. (1)

Could ginger as a natural remedy for digestive issues have protected earlier generations from the plague of cancer that we currently face today? Details remain to be seen, but we can certainly take a page from traditional recipes to incorporate more ginger into our daily lives. Include more ginger in your diet by making recipes such as:

• Ginger-seasoned stir-fries
• Ginger snaps
• Gingerbread
• Ginger ale
• Ginger beer
• Ginger sauces
• Ginger marinades
• Ginger-seasoned desserts
• Candied ginger

The root is well-established as beneficial for digestion, and you will get some amount of the essential oil compound with it, as well.

What Makes Up Ginger Oil

The benefits of ginger essential oil are also derived from the so-called ginger root (that’s actually a rhizome), via steam distillation. As with any essential oil, the actual compounds will vary based on where and how the plant is grown.

Still, some of the most commonly present constituents in this essential oil include citral, zingiberene, and camphene, all from the terpene hydrocarbons category of chemical compounds.

According to an analysis of ginger essential oil from a 2015 analysis, the chemical components include free-radical scavenging capabilities and boosting the body’s natural antioxidants. (2) Ginger essential oil is used to add a spicy note to perfumes and in aromatherapy blends as well as culinary preparations.

5 Ginger Essential Oil Benefits for Wellness

We love to diffuse ginger around Christmastime especially for its spicy, festive scent reminding us of holiday treats. There are some specific benefits of ginger essential oil to keep in mind when choosing oils. Ginger’s benefits are primarily digestive, but you may be surprised at just how effective it might be – or what else it might be used for!

1. Gastroprotection

Ginger root has been used as a digestive aid throughout its long history. Of course, the whole root carries many benefits in its various components. The essential oil itself still retains the benefit of being a digestive aid, which is both important for potency as well as ease of use. A recent study depicted an example of the protective effects that ginger essential oil – as well as turmeric – can have on ulcers specifically. The study was conducted in a lab on rat stomachs, but the essential oil was shown to reduce oxidative stress and reduce the damage the ulcers inflicted. (3)

Properly incorporate a couple of drops of ginger essential oil in your culinary preparations when the need for extra digestive support arises.

2. Nausea Relief

Probably the most reliable and definitely the easiest remedy to “apply,” simply inhaling ginger essential oil is quite effective against nausea. An encouraging body of study is being done on this effect to help relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea. A full review of the effects of aromatherapy on nausea found that, of the studies that have been conducted, “the inhaled vapor of peppermint or ginger essential oils not only reduced the incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting.” (4) Sixty women with breast cancer volunteered to use ginger essential oils during chemotherapy, and acute nausea, as well as appetite loss and functioning, were improved over placebo. (

Create an inhaler with some cloth that has a couple of drops of ginger essential oil, or simply open the bottle and sniff for relief of waves of nausea.

Learn more about how to heal your digestive system naturally with our Heal Your Gut Summit.

3. Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural response of the immune system to protect the body from injury or infection. However, chronic inflammation can lead to various health issues. Thankfully, ginger oil has anti-inflammatory properties and has shown potential in reducing inflammation.

A trial using Swedish massage with ginger essential oil in short-term and long-term treatments found improvement in chronic low back pain, even at disability levels. The active compounds in ginger oil, such as gingerol and zingiberene, have been found to possess anti-inflammatory properties. (6)

Another study investigated the effects of ginger essential oil on inflammatory markers in individuals with osteoarthritis. The results showed a significant reduction in inflammation markers, suggesting it may be beneficial for managing conditions, such as arthritis, joint pain, and more. (7)

In addition to its potential for reducing inflammation, ginger essential oil may also help alleviate pain associated with inflammation such as sore muscles. It has been traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine for its analgesic properties on achy muscles or menstrual cramps.

Add ginger essential oil to carrier oils to massage into painfully inflamed areas in a diluted topical application.

4. Cancer Prevention

In vitro and the markers of their actions inhibited in vivo (in the body!) (7) We don’t yet have indication of how to maximize these benefits, but including ginger essential oil in your regular aromatherapeutic use can only help!

It’s important to understand how essential oils for cancer work – both in the therapeutic properties, and in supporting side effects from traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy. Learn more about cancer and essential oils in this report.

Add drops of ginger oil to an essential oil diffuser to help manage occasional nausea and digestive upset during treatments.

5. Antioxidant Properties

Ginger essential oil is known for its potent antioxidant properties, which can benefit the body in various ways. Antioxidants play a crucial role in protecting the body against oxidative stress caused by harmful free radicals. More research is needed to fully understand the potential of these antioxidant activities in preventing or treating chronic diseases in humans but ginger oil should definitely be a consideration to add to your family’s medicine cabinet!

Suggested Oils to Blend with Ginger

Synergy is a major part of aromatherapy, which means oils typically perform better when combined with others. Try ginger with these oils for both scent combinations and effect enhancements…

• Citrus: orange, bergamot, neroli.
• Floral: geranium, rose, ylang ylang.
• Woodsy/Earthy: eucalyptus, frankincense, sandalwood, cedarwood.

You can use them as part of your aromatherapy diffuser blends or more.

References: