PlainPill

Digestive Enzymes vs Ginger for digestion

Short answer: For digestion, more users report improvement with Ginger — 100% of 13 reports, versus 90% of 21 for Digestive Enzymes.

Digestive Enzymes has 18 meta-analyses and 31 randomized trials on PubMed; Ginger has 184 and 255.

Based on 62 reports about Digestive Enzymes and 157 about Ginger. Not medical advice.

Digestive Enzymes
Supplement
Ginger
Supplement
Users say it helped72%helped27 reports · medium confidence72%helped57 reports · medium confidence
Verdict
Mostly positive
Mostly positive
ResearchAResearch: StrongAResearch: Strong
Meta-analyses / RCTs18 / 31184 / 255
Mainly used for
Digestion
% reporting improvement
90% (21)100% (13)
Pain & inflammation
% reporting improvement
100% (3)95% (19)
Hormones
% reporting improvement
—100% (10)
Energy
% reporting improvement
—100% (5)
Focus
% reporting improvement
—100% (5)
Common side effectsstomach issuesstomach issues, dizziness, feverish feeling, hypoglycemia
Typical dose reported1 capsule / 3x daily1/2 teaspoon dried
Digestive Enzymes
Latest review conclusion

In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: applied behavioural analysis; auditory integration training; Autism Preschool Programme; casein-free diet; chelation; Child's Talk programme; cognitive behavioural therapy; digestive enzymes; EarlyBird programme; facilitated communication; Floortime therapy; gluten-free diet; immunoglobulins; melatonin; memantine; methylphenidate; More Than Words programme; music therapy; olanzapine; omega-3 fish oil; picture exchange communication system; Portage scheme; probiotics; relati

BMJ Clin Evid, 2010 ↗
What a user said
“Digestive enzymes before every meal. I take NOW FOODS Super Enzymes. ... Noticed I was calm af. Stopped taking them. Anxiety came back in about three days.”
Full Digestive Enzymes profile →
Ginger
Latest review conclusion

While most food, herbs and supplements can be safely taken in moderation, healthcare professionals should be aware of the increased risk of bleeding when taking several food and herbs. These include Chinese wolfberry, chamomile tea, cannabis, cranberry, chitosan, green tea, Ginkgo biloba, ginger, spinach, St. John's Wort, sushi and smoking tobacco. Patients should be counselled to continue to seek advice from their healthcare professionals when starting any new herbs, food or supplement.

Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2021 ↗
What a user said
“Ginger changed my life when it comes to hay fever. My wife as well. We normally stick some in some water (1/2 teaspoon dried)”
Full Ginger profile →

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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate