Can ginger water treat the common cold?
Disease description:
I’ve recently caught a cold, but I’d prefer not to take medication. A friend suggested drinking ginger tea—can ginger tea actually treat a cold?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Chen Yajuan
Ginger water can provide some therapeutic benefit for wind-cold type common colds. It helps dispel cold from the body—a key mechanism, since wind-cold colds are typically caused by external cold pathogenic factors invading the body, resulting in symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. Drinking ginger water can effectively alleviate these symptoms and thus contribute to treating the cold. However, if cold symptoms are severe, it is advisable to combine ginger water with appropriate medications to avoid missing the optimal window for treatment.
