UNCOVER THE INCREDIBLE HEALING AND DISEASE FIGHTING POWERS OF THIS ANCIENT ROOT

Ginger; A Strange Root With A Sting In the taste

As foods go it's a strange looking item. Beige, twisted and looking somewhere between a deformed carrot or tortured potato. Yet ginger, despite its odd looks, has been favored as a spice and a medicinal herb for several millennium. While it may be nothing special in the looks department it's got a sting in its tail when it comes to flavor.

The most highly prized part of the ginger plant is the root; this is technically referred to as a “rhizome”. This word, as strange as the plant itself, simply means “root”! Rhizomes are bulky roots which spread underground and send out tubers and shoots in order to spread and colonize the area around it, in the same way as a number of other edible roots and tubers. Ginger is closely related to a number of other well known spices, including turmeric and cardamom.

Ginger Cures and Conditions

As we've already discussed ginger has found it's way into the culinary traditions of many cultures across the globe and throughout history. It has also long been considered to have significant medical benefits. In fact, today, science is beginning to establish that there are some sound facts behind these claims and ginger is often recommended for those undergoing chemotherapy treatment to reduce feelings of sickness. It's even been claimed that consuming ginger can help to stop cancers from developing in the first place by reducing tumor growth. In some studies ginger has been observed to slow or prevent tumor growth in animals but the mechanism by which this works is not fully understood.

Using Herbs and Spices for Medical Benefits

While ginger is a common food and is considered safe to eat in most forms it's always wise to take medical or clinical advice if you intend to use any herb or spice to treat a condition. Some herbs and spices interact with medication and so it's especially important if you currently take any form of prescribed drugs. Ginger is not recommended for those taking blood thinning drugs including aspirin or warfarin.

Prescriptions, Pregnancy and Ginger

Not enough study, or not enough conclusive study, has been conducted as to the effects of ginger consumption during pregnancy. Some experts argue that ginger can cause mutations in DNA, while others argue that it actually stops them. However, given the uncertainty, it's wisest to avoid ginger during pregnancy as it may increase the risk of damaging the DNA of an unborn child.

Gingerol makes you hot

Onion, ginger, garlic, these three basic natural seasonings are always indispensable in our kitchen. In addition to the use of ginger in cooking, in the past, when elementary school children got wet after class, the kitchen workers would cook a large pot of ginger soup for everyone to cool off. Usually ginger is also used to make the body feel hot and sweaty. Eating curry containing turmeric makes the whole body feel hot. Same thing.

medicinal ginger

The spicy component of ginger comes from zingerone and ginger oil, which still leaves a lot even after heating. Ginger has the effect of strengthening the stomach, antiemetic and warming the body in traditional Chinese medicine. If it is combined with red dates, it can nourish the middle, qi and stomach, and when combined with peony, it can warm the meridians and nourish the blood. Modern pharmacological research points out that the volatile oil components of dried ginger contain gingerol, linalool and gingerol, which can relieve pain, dispel wind and strengthen the stomach. The freshly harvested ginger can sweat and relieve the surface, warm the middle and stop vomiting, warm the lungs and relieve cough, can promote the secretion of digestive juice, anti-inflammatory and detumescence, sterilization, and improve the function of the motor center, respiratory center and heart.

ginger in classics

Bitter in nature, astringent in taste, returns to the spleen and liver meridians, "Shen Nong's Materia Medica": "maintains chest tightness, cough, inversion of qi, warms, stops bleeding, sweating..."

Usage method

After grinding, it can be seasoned or added to drinks. A little can be added to food, natto or kimchi for better effect.

Ginger milk prevents osteoporosis, improves high blood pressure, insomnia, and deficient cold