I drank some “Ginger Drink” that I got at the local Asian market (made by Gold Kili). Suddenly I’m sweating and wide-awake. The ingredients are “Ginger and Honey.” I suddenly remember that I had some ginger tea a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t get to sleep until 2 AM (usually I crash around 11:30).
Yes, I am particularly sensitive to caffeine. I sometimes have 1 cup of tea in the morning and no more all day, ever.
Is there caffeine in ginger? Is there something else going on here? Am I just making this up?
There is no caffeine in ginger.
I’ve come across claims that ginger is a stimulant, from herbalist and alternative medicine sources:
http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm?displayID=15
http://www.tealand.com/Ginger_Herb.htm
How scientific this is, I’m not sure. The first link describes some of the major chemicals in ginger, including sesquiterpenes (which are irritating to the nose and eyes, and also anti-bacterial and neuro-toxic, but not apparently stimulating), and gingerols (also irritants, responsible for its taste). I can’t find any evidence of stimulants, but anything spicy is likely to wake you up a bit, especially if it causes long-lasting burning and irritation.