New Research: Ginger For Seasonal Allergies (Safe For Pregnant & Lactating Moms)

in Allergies, Breastfeeding, Pregnancy

Seasonal allergies can interfere with your quality of life and may get worse during pregnancy. Allergies occur in 20-30% of pregnant women! Unfortunately, antihistamines come with a few unpleasant side effects, and some antihistamines may not be safe to take while pregnant.

New research shows that ginger root may be as effective as loratadine (aka Claritin) for treating seasonal allergies. Ginger root has the benefit of being safe for pregnant and lactating women, and it also has fewer side effects than conventional antihistamine medications.

How Much Ginger Is Needed To Treat Seasonal Allergies?

In the study looking at the efficacy of ginger for treating seasonal allergies, people were given 250 mg of ginger twice per day for six weeks. This treatment was compared with a placebo and with standard loratadine treatment.

After 6 weeks, ginger and loratadine resulted in the relief of allergy symptoms (eg. itching, runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing). However, ginger had the additional benefit of increasing nasal volume (probably by decreasing inflammation).

If you’re considering taking ginger for allergy relief, make sure to discuss it with a healthcare provider first, and try it for at least one to two months. The study showed that the effects of ginger treatment improved over time.

Seasonal allergies are best treated with an integrated approach that takes into account the underlying causes of allergies.

A Note About Ginger While Breastfeeding

Ginger is commonly consumed worldwide and considered likely safe during breastfeeding. In Turkey and some parts of Asia, ginger is traditionally taken to increase milk supply. Research affirms the traditional practice of using ginger to increase breast milk supply.

Summary

New research shows that ginger may be a safe and effective treatment for seasonal allergies (aka allergic rhinitis). The dose studied was 250 mg of ginger twice per day for six weeks. Ginger has the benefit of being quite safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Ginger is best used as part of a holistic approach to treating seasonal allergies.

References:

Yamprasert, R., Chanvimalueng, W., Mukkasombut, N., & Itharat, A. (2020). Ginger extract versus Loratadine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled trial. BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 20(1), 119. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-2875-z

Kar S, Krishnan A, Preetha K, Mohankar A. A review of antihistamines used during pregnancy. J Pharmacol Pharmacother. 2012 Apr;3(2):105-8. doi: 10.4103/0976-500X.95503. PMID: 22629082; PMCID: PMC3356948.

Gonzalez-Estrada, A., & Geraci, S. A. (2016). Allergy Medications During Pregnancy. The American journal of the medical sciences, 352(3), 326–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2016.05.030

Viljoen, E., Visser, J., Koen, N., & Musekiwa, A. (2014). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting. Nutrition journal, 13, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-13-20

Ginger. (2022). In Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). National Library of Medicine (US).