Conflicting evidencePending medical review

The short answer

Possibly, and the cautions come first. Memorial Sloan Kettering's herb guide says not to take ginger supplements with warfarin or other blood thinners, as they may raise the risk of bleeding. Two older women had a raised INR after using ginger: one on warfarin, whose INR rose from 2.7 to 8.0, and one on phenprocoumon, a related blood thinner, who also had nosebleeds.

A raised INR means blood takes longer to clot. Among 171 people on warfarin, those who took ginger reported more bleeding. A small study found no change in INR, but it gave one warfarin dose to 12 healthy men. If you take warfarin, tell your prescribing doctor before you start ginger supplements, and ask whether your INR should be checked more often.

Warfarin is sold in India as Warf. Acitrom (acenocoumarol) is a different blood thinner.

At a glance

What was seen	How it may work	Direction	Evidence
INR rose from 2.7 to 8.0 after starting a ginger supplement (one woman on warfarin)[2]	Not established	Stronger warfarin effect	Case report
High INR and nosebleeds after ginger products (one woman on phenprocoumon)[1]	Not established	Stronger blood-thinning effect	Case report
More self-reported bleeding among warfarin users who took ginger[3]	Not established	Higher odds of bleeding; ginger not shown to raise INR	Observational
No change in INR or warfarin levels (single warfarin dose, 12 healthy men)[4]	None detected	No effect seen in this small study	Small clinical study

No listing is not a clearance. A missing interaction here never means a combination is safe.

The evidence, study by study

Case report, 2019 Case report

A 70-year-old woman on a steady warfarin dose, and several other medicines, had started a chewable ginger supplement (48 mg a day) within the past month. Her INR, previously 2.7, was 8.0, though she had no bleeding. A week after she stopped the ginger and three warfarin doses were held, it was 2.6. Because both changes were made together, the case cannot show how much was due to ginger.[2]

Case report on phenprocoumon Case report

A 76-year-old woman on long-term phenprocoumon, a blood thinner of the same type as warfarin, developed a raised INR and nosebleeds after using ginger products. This case is reported here as Memorial Sloan Kettering's herb guide describes it.[1]

Diary study of people on warfarin, 2007 Observational

Over 16 weeks, 171 adults on warfarin kept diaries of their remedies and symptoms; 87 reported bleeding and 36 had an INR above their target range. Taking ginger was linked with higher odds of reported bleeding (odds ratio 3.20). Ginger was not shown to raise the INR, and self-reported use and bleeding leave room for other explanations.[3]

Crossover study in healthy men, 2005 Small clinical study

Twelve healthy men took a single 25 mg dose of warfarin on its own, or after a week of ginger that then continued for another week. Ginger made no clear difference to INR or warfarin levels. One warfarin dose in healthy men cannot show what happens over months of treatment, and the ginger dose is not given in the summary.[4]

What your doctor may watch for

INR, especially when you start or stop ginger or any other botanical product. The warfarin label calls for extra INR tests at such times and says warfarin has a narrow therapeutic range.[5]
Any unusual bleeding, such as nosebleeds or bruising.[1]

What to tell your prescribing doctor

You can read this out, or show them this page:

“I take warfarin (dose), and I am taking, or planning to take, ginger (supplement, capsules, powder or tea, and how much). There are reports of a high INR and of more bleeding with ginger in people on blood thinners. Should my INR be checked more often?”

Withheld until review

Dose adjustments and any “no known interaction” clearance appear only after a vaidya on our medical board has reviewed this page. Why we hold these back

Questions people ask

Is adrak in tea or food a problem with warfarin?

The cautions are about ginger supplements and products. The warfarin case involved a chewable ginger supplement, and the diary study's summary does not say what form of ginger people took, so the effect of everyday adrak in food is not known.[1][2][3]

Does this apply to Acitrom (acenocoumarol)?

The studies here involved warfarin, and one case involved phenprocoumon, a drug of the same type. These studies tell us nothing about acenocoumarol, so ask your prescribing doctor.[2][1]

Interaction

Sources

Awaiting review by The Good Vaidya Medical Board. Prepared from the sources below and checked against each one.

Published 4 November 2026 · Last updated 4 November 2026

Taking ginger with other medicines? A vaidya can check your full list.

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Ginger (adrak) and warfarin