Please note: this article discusses a scientific study and is for information only. It is not advice to replace medication. Always discuss changes to your treatment with your doctor.
In 2014, a small but interesting study was published that compared ginger powder with sumatriptan for an acute migraine attack. The results were striking, reason enough to set out the findings, including the necessary nuance.
What the study found about ginger
In the study by Maghbooli et al. (2014), participants received 250 mg of ginger powder at the start of a migraine attack. The findings:
- 88% of users were satisfied with the effect of ginger.
- Only 4% of users experienced side effects, and only digestive complaints were reported. This even though ginger is often used precisely to relieve digestive complaints.
- Ginger works by inhibiting vascular dilation, which happens by suppressing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP is a protein involved in pain transmission and vasodilation during a migraine attack. By blocking CGRP, ginger can prevent excessive widening of the blood vessels, which can reduce the intensity of the migraine.
- In terms of effectiveness, 64% of people experienced an improvement of at least 90% in their migraine symptoms after two hours. This makes it a fast-acting option for many patients.
What the study found about sumatriptan
Sumatriptan is a triptan, a selective serotonin receptor agonist that doctors prescribe for acute migraine. In the same study, 50 mg of sumatriptan was compared with 250 mg of ginger powder:
- 86% of users were satisfied with the effect of sumatriptan.
- No fewer than 20% of users experienced side effects, including dizziness, heartburn or a numb feeling.
- Sumatriptan works by inhibiting vascular dilation via serotonin pathways, which helps stabilise the blood vessels and reduce the pain.
- 70% of users experienced an improvement of at least 90% in their symptoms after two hours, which makes it very effective for acute migraine attacks.
What can we conclude from this?
The study shows that in this setting, ginger gave results comparable to sumatriptan, with fewer reported side effects. That is interesting, but there are important caveats:
- This is a single study with a limited number of participants. That is not enough to draw firm conclusions.
- Triptans have been studied extensively in dozens of large trials. Ginger has not.
- If you use triptans on a doctor’s advice, you should never replace them on your own with something else.
What the research does show is that there are natural substances worth investigating further in the context of migraine. Ginger is one of them.
Sources
- Maghbooli M, Golipour F, Moghimi Esfandabadi A, Yousefi M. Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine. Phytother Res. 2014 Mar;28(3):412-5. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4996. PMID: 23657930.
- Fila M, Chojnacki J, Sobczuk P, Chojnacki C, Blasiak J. Nutrition and Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide (CGRP) in Migraine. Nutrients. 2023 Jan 6;15(2):289. doi: 10.3390/nu15020289. PMID: 36678160.
