Verdict No. 3056 · Search date 2026-09-08 · Methodology v1.0
Ginger extract 400 mg standardized to 5% active ingredient as add-on therapy,
does it really help with Improvement of 2-hour pain-relief response in acute migraine?
30-Second Summary
C
Evidence Grade C · 50 · Safety caution
Only two-hour pain relief is judged; pain freedom, recurrence, and prevention are separate.
Caution. This was administered with IV ketoprofen in medical care. NSAID contraindications and gastrointestinal, renal, bleeding, and migraine-medicine interaction risks require clinical assessment.
What the
research showsGrade C with 50 points. In a 60-person emergency-department trial, adding 400 mg ginger extract to IV ketoprofen 100 mg improved the two-hour clinical response versus placebo add-on (P=.04). The prespecified outcome was pain relief, not pain freedom, and exact events, RR, and 95% CI are unavailable.
research showsGrade C with 50 points. In a 60-person emergency-department trial, adding 400 mg ginger extract to IV ketoprofen 100 mg improved the two-hour clinical response versus placebo add-on (P=.04). The prespecified outcome was pain relief, not pain freedom, and exact events, RR, and 95% CI are unavailable.
What the
ads claimThis cannot be extended to migraine prevention, ginger monotherapy, triptan replacement, or two-hour pain freedom.
ads claimThis cannot be extended to migraine prevention, ginger monotherapy, triptan replacement, or two-hour pain freedom.
Useful facts when choosing a product
- This verdict applies only to the exact formulation, route, dose, duration, population, endpoint, and comparator shown above.
- Ginger food, powder, standardized extract, essential oil, topical products, and combination products are not interchangeable.
- Caution. This was administered with IV ketoprofen in medical care. NSAID contraindications and gastrointestinal, renal, bleeding, and migraine-medicine interaction risks require clinical assessment.
Chamgap Semantic Classification Code
Permanent code issued
S.standardized-ginger-extract.oral-addon.migraine-pain-relief-2h.improve.addonSupplements and nutraceuticals > Standardized ginger extract > Oral add-on > Migraine two-hour pain relief > Improvement claim > Add-on to IV ketoprofen
Issued for pain relief, excluding pain freedom, prevention, and equivalence to sumatriptan. The code identifies the intervention and claim; it never contains the evidence grade, score, or safety result.
Exact Claim Classification
These independent facets prevent evidence from different forms, routes, populations, effects, and comparators from being mixed.
| Intervention class | S · Supplement or nutraceutical |
|---|---|
| Canonical ingredient or intervention | Standardized ginger extract |
| Source or part used | Rhizome extract of Zingiber officinale |
| Formulation or processing | 400-mg capsule, 5% active ingredient; exact gingerol/shogaol profile unverified |
| Route | Oral add-on |
| Dose | Single 400-mg dose during an acute attack |
| Duration | Single dose with two-hour follow-up |
| Population | 60 adults presenting to an emergency department with episodic migraine, one to six attacks per month |
| Effect or condition | Improved two-hour pain-relief response |
| Primary endpoint | Two-hour pain-relief clinical response |
| Comparator | The same IV ketoprofen 100 mg plus cellulose placebo |
| Duplicate-detection key | 5-percent-ginger-extract|400mg-capsule|oral-addon|adult-ed-episodic-migraine|2h-pain-relief|single-dose |
Gap Measurement · Verdict 3056 · C 50
What the research actually shows
The NCT02568644 placebo-add-on trial was separated from an active-comparator sumatriptan trial.
Why this is classified as C (50)
A registered double-blind add-on signal remains, but missing exact magnitude and confidence intervals plus multiple time points yield C with 50 points.
Counterpoint. A 100-person ginger-powder versus sumatriptan trial was not a noninferiority design and cannot prove equivalence.
Rejudgment record. Independent Codex cross-check — One formulation, one route, one population, one claim, one principal endpoint and comparator
Scoring profile behind this grade
| Endpoint | P | Patient-reported treatment goal - the symptom is the goal |
| Replication | R1 | Single confirmatory trial |
| Independence | I2 | Decisive evidence is publicly or non-profit funded |
| Effect size | EX | The clinical size of the effect could not be judged |
| Precision | CX | No pooled confidence interval could be confirmed |
The scoring table and the verdict agree (C).
Cross-check — AI research and Codex final gate
AI was used for research and drafting. Blind grading, adversarial audit, and the methodology boundary rules were then reapplied before Codex performed the final evidence, grade, copy, and build checks. If a grade cannot be narrowed, both evidence positions and their reasons are published.
Evidence Table
| Study | Design | Sample | Funding | Endpoint | Result | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) addition in migraine acute treatment | The cited design, allocation, masking, endpoint hierarchy, and analysis limitations were independently checked. | 60 | Funding, product support, employee authorship, and declared conflicts were assessed separately. | The principal endpoint contract is preserved; secondary outcomes remain separate. | Verified estimates are preserved; missing confidence intervals or event counts were not invented. | Evidence weight reflects directness, formulation match, endpoint hierarchy, and reporting limitations. |
| Comparison between the efficacy of ginger and sumatriptan in the ablative treatment of the common migraine | The cited design, allocation, masking, endpoint hierarchy, and analysis limitations were independently checked. | 5 | Funding, product support, employee authorship, and declared conflicts were assessed separately. | The principal endpoint contract is preserved; secondary outcomes remain separate. | Verified estimates are preserved; missing confidence intervals or event counts were not invented. | Evidence weight reflects directness, formulation match, endpoint hierarchy, and reporting limitations. |
Receipt — 2 References
All 2 cited sources were verified for existence at the original page (as of 2026-09-08).
Martins LB et al. Cephalalgia. 2019;39:68-76. PMID: 29768938. DOI: 10.1177/0333102418776016. NCT02568644.
checkedMaghbooli M et al. Phytother Res. 2014;28:412-415. PMID: 23657930. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4996.
checkedResearch and draft: AI used · Cross-check: blind grading and adversarial audit
Final verification and publication gate: Codex · Verification cutoff: 2026-09-08 · Corrections: none
Final verification and publication gate: Codex · Verification cutoff: 2026-09-08 · Corrections: none
Cite this verdict
[Chamgap] Ginger Extract for Acute Migraine—A Ketoprofen Add-on Trial Improved 2-Hour Response, Not Proven Pain Freedom — Evidence Grade C·50. 2 cited sources checked. Source: https://chamgap.com/en/verdicts/cognition/oral-ginger-extract-addon-acute-migraine-two-hour-pain-relief/ · CC BY 4.0CC BY 4.0 — free to use with attribution; do not distort grades, numbers, or verdict meaning.
What this document does and does not do
Chamgap is an information source. It reports what research has and has not confirmed; it does not tell readers what to take or buy. That decision belongs to readers and, when needed, medical or legal professionals. This verdict reflects literature available up to the search date and may change as new research appears. Nothing here is medical advice.