The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the clinical impact of Zingiber officinale (ginger) as an antiemetic. A systematic search of the literature was performed using the databases of Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Of 100 published discerned as potentially relevant reports, 24 RCTs were evaluated, including 1073 patients who had received ginger. Of these reports, 16 contained information regarding the antiemetic activity of the phytotherapeutic agent against kinetosis, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum, respectively. Only a few studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Thus, the majority of the reports were analysed descriptively. To analyse the potential adverse effects of ginger, 15 reports with 777 patients were eligible. Of these, 3.3% suffered from slight adverse effects, mainly mild gastrointestinal symptoms and sleepiness, both not requiring specific treatments. One severe adverse event was reported: an abortion occurred in the 12th week of gestation.