Herb library · Spice · Asarum canadense
Wild ginger
A low woodland plant of eastern North America with a ginger-scented root, unrelated to kitchen ginger. The Chippewa used the root to season food. FDA lists it among plants known or suspected to contain aristolochic acid, which damages the kidneys.
Serious warning
FDA lists wild ginger (Asarum canadense) among botanicals known or suspected to contain aristolochic acid, which FDA says causes serious harm when taken by mouth and has been tied to outbreaks of kidney failure. Do not take it by mouth, and do not mistake it for kitchen ginger.
Traditional use
Native to the hardwood forests of eastern North America. Among the Chippewa (Ojibwe), Frances Densmore recorded that the root was put into food as it cooked, as an appetizer, and was also used for indigestion; with spikenard root, it went into a warm poultice under a splint for a broken arm.
What studies show
- Insufficient
Digestion and any other use: no studies of wild ginger in people were found. What is known about it in people is the risk FDA describes from aristolochic acid in its plant family.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteFDA may detain imported supplements containing wild ginger unless they are shown to be free of aristolochic acid. FDA notes that the renal-failure outbreaks came from products whose plant ingredient was misidentified or confused with one containing aristolochic acid.
- PregnancyDo not use it in pregnancy or while breastfeeding; the sources read here give no safety information, and the aristolochic acid concern applies.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The root of this plant was regarded as an “appetizer,” being put in any food as it was being cooked. It was also used for indigestion (see p. 342).”
Sources
- Import Alert 54-10 (opens in a new tab) · FDA · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.