Last updated: October 2026
A ginger shot is a small, fiery drink of fresh ginger juice, usually with lemon, turmeric and black pepper. You can make six in a blender in ten minutes. The evidence is modest: ginger helps pregnancy nausea in trials, and a shot holds far less curcumin than turmeric studies used. Check first if you take blood thinners or diabetes medicines.
Lemon, ginger and turmeric shot recipe
Makes: about 6 shots of 60ml. Time: 10 minutes. Keeps: 3 days in the fridge, 3 months frozen.
Ingredients
- 100g fresh ginger (a piece about the length of your hand)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, or a 3cm piece of fresh turmeric root
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 200ml cold water (or the juice of 1 orange topped up with water, for a softer taste)
- A good pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey (optional)
Blender method
- Scrub the ginger and turmeric; no need to peel.
- Chop into chunks and blend with the water, lemon juice and pepper for about a minute, until smooth.
- Strain through a fine sieve or muslin, pressing the pulp.
- Stir in honey if you like, then pour into small bottles or a jar.
How to make ginger shots without a juicer or blender
Finely grate the ginger (and fresh turmeric) into a bowl, add the lemon juice, water and pepper, leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze the mush through a cloth. With a juicer, skip the water and stir in ground turmeric and pepper afterwards.
Tips: turmeric stains hands and worktops, so wear gloves. Shake before pouring. Too fiery? Add more water. For a warm version, see the ginger tea recipe in our guide to ginger benefits.
How to store and freeze ginger shots
- Fridge: in a sealed bottle or jar, and drink within about 3 days. After that it turns bitter.
- Freezer: freeze in an ice-cube tray, then bag the cubes. Use within about 3 months.
- Frozen cubes: defrost in the fridge overnight, or drop one into a mug of hot water for a quick ginger and lemon drink.
Why add black pepper to a turmeric shot?
Curcumin, the yellow compound in turmeric that most research focuses on, is poorly absorbed: much of it is broken down in the gut wall and liver. Piperine, which makes black pepper hot, slows that breakdown. In a small 1998 study, adding 20mg of purified piperine to 2g of curcumin raised the amount absorbed by 2,000%, mainly in the first hour.
Two caveats. A shot contains a tiny fraction of those amounts, and nobody has tested whether a pinch of pepper matters in a drink. And the UK Committee on Toxicity calls the piperine absorption claim “questionable with high uncertainty”. The pepper does no harm. Our guide to turmeric benefits goes deeper.
How much curcumin is in a turmeric shot?
Lab tests of shop-bought turmeric powder found it averaged 3.14% curcumin. A level teaspoon weighs about 3g, so it holds roughly 95mg. Split across 6 shots, that’s about 16mg each, before any is lost in the sieve.
Turmeric trials for joints commonly used about 1,000mg of curcumin a day from concentrated extracts, so you’d need around 60 shots to match one day’s trial dose.
| Format | Curcumin (approx.) | Pepper and sugar | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homemade shot | About 16mg | Pinch of pepper; sugar from juice or honey | A sharp morning drink |
| Turmeric latte (1 tsp) | About 95mg | Pepper optional; often sweetened | A warm evening mug |
| Extract capsules | Varies: check mg per dose | Many add piperine; no sugar | A measured dose (check safety first) |
Capsules are where the safety questions below matter most. For turmeric as part of a whole eating pattern, see our anti-inflammatory diet guide, and for another popular option, our honest look at mushrooms and inflammation.
Are ginger shots good for you? What the evidence says
There are no trials of ginger shots themselves, so here is what studies of the ingredients found. Ginger and turmeric have no authorised UK health claims.
- Ginger and nausea: the strongest evidence. A review of 12 trials with 1,278 pregnant women found ginger improved nausea compared with placebo, though evidence quality was low. The NHS says to check with a pharmacist before taking ginger supplements in pregnancy.
- Ginger for other things: an umbrella review found effective trials mostly used 0.5 to 3g of dried ginger a day in capsules. Evidence for blood sugar, weight and inflammation markers was often low quality.
- Turmeric: mostly small, short trials of concentrated curcumin, at amounts far beyond a shot.
- Vitamin C: two lemons give about 96ml of juice and roughly 37mg of vitamin C, so about 6mg per shot. Adults need 40mg a day, and the NHS says you should be able to get all you need from your diet. See our vitamin C guide.
Do ginger shots help with a cold?
There’s no good evidence they prevent or shorten colds. The NHS says there’s little evidence that supplements such as vitamin C help, and a Cochrane review found that even 200mg or more a day didn’t reduce the number of colds in the general population. Rest and fluids help; a warm lemon and honey drink can soothe a sore throat. See cold or flu?, sore throat remedies, what actually supports your immune system and flu jab side effects.
Skin, weight loss and “detox”
The research doesn’t support big promises here, and shots don’t “detox” anything: your liver and kidneys do that. Our apple cider vinegar guide reaches a similar verdict on another morning shot. As part of a winter routine, they’re a pleasant habit.
Turmeric, black pepper and warm drinks from Evopure
We don’t make ginger shots. If you like the turmeric and black pepper pairing, our Relief CBD Oil lists broad spectrum CBD, turmeric extract and black pepper extract in MCT oil, with a terpene blend, in 500mg or 1,000mg strengths with 0% THC. It’s a CBD oil taken by the drop, not a curcumin supplement, and CBD isn’t a treatment for any condition. The safety notes below apply to it too: see taking CBD and turmeric together.
The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
Our Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is a reishi hot chocolate with organic cacao and maca; it contains a little natural caffeine. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a berry drink powder with 148mg of magnesium per serving. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
All three are vegan, UK-made and for adults (18+) only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Ginger shot side effects and who should avoid them
For most adults, a homemade shot is just food. Ginger can cause heartburn, mouth irritation, tummy discomfort and diarrhoea, and turmeric can cause reflux or diarrhoea. Lemon adds acidity. If you get acid reflux, have it with food, dilute it or skip it.
Check with your GP or pharmacist first, especially about supplements, if you:
- take blood thinners such as warfarin: turmeric and ginger supplements may increase bleeding risk. The NHS asks people on warfarin to tell their doctor about any herbal remedies or supplements.
- take statins: we found no UK guidance on turmeric and statins specifically, but the NHS lists some herbal remedies as a problem with statins, and the Committee on Toxicity says supplement risks are greater with other medicines.
- take diabetes medicines: curcumin and ginger supplements may lower blood sugar a little.
- have gallstones, liver or bile duct disease: the European Medicines Agency advises against turmeric medicines.
- are pregnant or breastfeeding: ginger in food is fine for most, but turmeric supplements aren’t recommended.
Turmeric supplements and the liver
This is about capsules, not shots. In 2024 the UK Committee on Toxicity found reasonable evidence linking turmeric supplements to rare liver injury, an unpredictable reaction in susceptible people, even at low doses. Turmeric used as a spice generally keeps intake within safe limits. In a US series of 10 cases, injury typically appeared 1 to 4 months after starting. Stop and see a doctor if you notice yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine. See also CBD and the liver.
FAQs
Can you drink ginger shots every day?
Most healthy adults can have one homemade shot a day. Cut back if you get heartburn or an upset stomach, and ask a pharmacist first if you take regular medication.
How do you make ginger shots without a juicer?
Blend chopped ginger with lemon juice, water and pepper, then strain. With no blender, finely grate the ginger, soak it in the lemon and water for 10 minutes, then squeeze it through a cloth.
Do ginger shots help a cold?
There’s no good evidence they prevent or shorten a cold. A warm lemon, ginger and honey drink may soothe a sore throat.
Can you take turmeric with blood thinners or statins?
Turmeric in food is generally fine. Turmeric supplements may increase bleeding risk with blood thinners, and supplement risks are greater with other medicines, so ask your GP or pharmacist first.
Are ginger shots good for your liver?
There’s no good evidence that ginger or turmeric shots protect or detox the liver. Food amounts are generally safe, but turmeric supplements have been linked to rare liver injury.
Sources
- Committee on Toxicity (2024). Turmeric and curcumin supplements: summary and conclusions.
- European Medicines Agency. EU herbal monograph on Curcuma longa.
- NHS. Common cold; Vitamin C; Morning sickness; Warfarin; Statins.
- NCCIH. Ginger; Turmeric. Memorial Sloan Kettering. Ginger; Turmeric.
- PubMed: Shoba 1998 (piperine); Tayyem 2006 (curcumin in turmeric); Viljoen 2014 (ginger, pregnancy nausea); Crichton 2022 (ginger umbrella review); Hemilä 2013 (Cochrane, vitamin C and colds); Halegoua-DeMarzio 2023 (turmeric liver injury); Mokgalaboni 2024 (curcumin, blood sugar).
- USDA FoodData Central: lemon juice, raw (38.7mg vitamin C per 100g; 48g juice per lemon); ground turmeric (3g per teaspoon).
General information, not medical advice. Evopure makes Relief CBD Oil, the Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex and the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex (product pages checked October 2026).
