Gin Gins Ginger Chews for Pregnancy Nausea Relief, 1lb (2 pack)

Description

Ginger chews for pregnancy are the one nausea remedy in this category with actual clinical evidence behind the ingredient, and Gin Gins from The Ginger People are the best-known version. Chewy, individually wrapped, properly spicy, and made with 10% fresh ginger, which is a real amount rather than a flavouring. This listing is a 1 lb two-pack.

The evidence is worth getting right, because it's more specific than "ginger helps".

What the research actually shows

Pooled analyses of randomized trials put the useful dose at roughly one gram of ginger a day, taken for at least four days. At that dose, one meta-analysis found around a fivefold likelihood of improvement in nausea in early pregnancy compared with placebo. That's a genuine effect, and it puts ginger well ahead of most things sold for morning sickness.

Now the limit that matters. A separate systematic review and meta-analysis found ginger significantly improved nausea but did not significantly reduce the number of vomiting episodes. So if you're feeling sick, ginger is a reasonable thing to try. If you're actually being sick, several times a day, ginger is not the tool for that and reaching for more of it will waste time you don't have.

Interestingly, the same work found lower daily doses, under about 1,500 mg, did better for nausea than higher ones. More is not better here.

What that means for these chews

At 10% ginger, you need a couple of chews to get into the studied range, not one. That's the practical translation nobody puts on the packet. Spread them through the day rather than eating them together, and give it several days before deciding whether they help, since the trials ran four days or more.

They're also, straightforwardly, hot. Gin Gins are properly gingery, and that's the point, but if strong flavours are currently your enemy this may not be your product. The sour fruit drops are the gentler option, though they contain no ginger and work differently.

Why women love it

• 10% fresh ginger: a real amount, not a flavour note, which is what separates these from most "ginger" sweets
• The ingredient with evidence: around 1 g daily is associated with meaningfully improved nausea
• Individually wrapped: bag, car, desk drawer, bedside table
• Chewy rather than hard: lasts longer, and the warmth builds slowly
• Non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, no artificial sweeteners
• A 1 lb two-pack lasts, which matters for something you're meant to take daily for days
• Useful well beyond pregnancy: motion sickness, travel, ordinary queasiness

Best for

• Women with mild to moderate nausea who want the option with real evidence behind it
• Anyone who likes ginger and finds the heat grounding rather than off-putting
• Those wanting a non-medication option to try first, or something alongside what a provider has advised
• People who need enough supply to take them daily for several days, as the trials did
• Less useful if you're vomiting rather than nauseated. Ginger doesn't reliably help that
• Not first-line. That's vitamin B6, with or without doxylamine. See Mindy's note
• Contains sugar, worth accounting for with gestational diabetes

Related reading

Mindy's guide to managing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is the piece to read alongside this one: it sets out the treatments in the order a provider would try them, so you can see where ginger actually sits. Her timeline of early pregnancy symptoms covers when nausea typically starts, peaks and eases, which is often the reassurance people actually need.

Explore more

These sit in our pregnancy essentials collection, curated by Mindy Motta, FNP-C. If ginger is too strong right now, the sour Preggie Pop Drops are gentler, with the honest caveat that they contain no ginger at all. And if nausea is wrecking your sleep too, the Unisom SleepTabs page explains the doxylamine question worth raising with your provider.

A quiet companion for the wait

First trimester nausea is weeks of low-grade endurance that nobody can see. Our affirmation candles were made for long stretches like that, though if scent is a trigger right now, keep this one for later.

A note from Mindy on ginger, and on what we used to say here

First, a correction. This page used to describe these chews as an alternative to anti-nausea medication, and joked about who needs chalky pills. That was wrong and I've taken it out. Ginger is not an alternative to treatment, and making light of medication on a page read by people who are genuinely unwell isn't something I want under my name.

Here's the accurate version. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists names vitamin B6, alone or combined with doxylamine, as safe, effective first-line pharmacotherapy for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Ginger appears in the same guidance as a nonpharmacologic option with some demonstrated benefit for nausea. Both belong. They just sit in a different order than the marketing implies.

I recommend ginger often, and I'm specific about it. About a gram a day, for at least four days before you judge it, which is a couple of these chews rather than one. Don't take much more; the data suggests lower doses actually did better for nausea. And know what you're asking it to do: ginger reduces the feeling of nausea, and does not reliably reduce vomiting. If you're being sick repeatedly, this is not your treatment and you should be asking for one.

If you get to the medication conversation, one detail saves people a wasted trip. Doxylamine plus B6 is what's sold on prescription as Diclegis, and many people assemble the same thing over the counter. Unisom SleepTabs are doxylamine. Unisom SleepGels are diphenhydramine. Different drugs, similar boxes, same shelf. The tabs are the ones in the regimen. Please don't work doses out from the internet, mine included. Ask your provider.

And the line I'd underline. Get seen if you can't keep fluids down for a day, if you're losing weight, if your urine is scant or dark, if you're dizzy standing up, or if you're vomiting many times a day. That can be hyperemesis gravidarum. It's treatable, and it is not something to be brave about. Being handed ginger sweets when you needed medical care is a story I have heard too many times.

— Mindy Motta, FNP-C

FAQs

Do ginger chews actually help pregnancy nausea?

Yes, for nausea specifically, with reasonable evidence. Pooled trial data puts the useful dose at around one gram of ginger daily for at least four days, and at that dose one meta-analysis found roughly a fivefold likelihood of improvement in early pregnancy nausea compared with placebo. The important limit is that ginger has not been shown to reliably reduce vomiting, only the feeling of nausea.

How many Gin Gins do I need for the studied dose?

More than one. These are 10% ginger, and the researched dose is around a gram of ginger a day, so a couple of chews spread through the day gets you into range. Don't overdo it either: analyses suggest doses under about 1,500 mg did better for nausea than higher ones. Give it four days or more before deciding whether it works for you.

Are Gin Gins safe during pregnancy?

Ginger at culinary and low supplement doses is generally considered safe in pregnancy, and ACOG lists it as a nonpharmacologic option for nausea. These are sweets with ginger in them. Two practical notes: they contain sugar, which matters with gestational diabetes, and ginger can worsen reflux for some people, which is common later in pregnancy. Mention it to your provider if you're on blood thinners.

Does ginger help with vomiting or just nausea?

Just nausea, on the current evidence. A systematic review found ginger significantly improved nausea symptoms but did not significantly reduce the number of vomiting episodes compared with placebo. That's the single most useful thing to know about ginger, because if you're vomiting repeatedly it means you need something else rather than more chews.

What's the difference between these and Preggie Pop Drops?

These contain real ginger at around 10% and have evidence behind the ingredient. Preggie Pop Drops in the assorted pack contain no ginger at all; they're sour fruit candy that helps through taste and the act of sucking something. Choose these if you want the active ingredient, the drops if you want something gentler or ginger is currently unbearable.

What is the first-line treatment for morning sickness?

ACOG names vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) alone, or B6 with doxylamine, as safe and effective first-line pharmacotherapy. That combination is sold on prescription as Diclegis. Ginger is listed separately as a nonpharmacologic option with some benefit. Ginger chews are a reasonable thing to try for mild nausea, and are not a replacement for treatment if nausea is significant.

When should I call my provider instead?

If you can't keep fluids down for 24 hours, you're losing weight, you're passing little or very dark urine, you're dizzy on standing, or you're vomiting many times a day. That picture can be hyperemesis gravidarum, which is treatable and shouldn't be endured. Call rather than waiting for your next appointment.

Can I eat these outside pregnancy?

Yes, and plenty of people do. Ginger has evidence for motion sickness and general queasiness too, and these are just ginger candy. Nothing about them is pregnancy-specific beyond how they're marketed.