Benefits of Ginger

Ginger has been around forever, it seems, but has never been more popular than now with the distinct swing to natural home remedies and also because modern day science has discovered and authenticated the benefits of ginger for healing and easing of day to day ailments.

Because Ginger is easy to get into your system we are going to give you a simple recipe for Ginger tea, before we go into what ailments it helps with and why it can perform these functions.

Ginger Tea

Ingredients

6 slices of ginger
2 cardamom pods
2 sprigs of mint
2-3 parings of lemon (2 teaspoons)
½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg

Method

Pour 3 cups of water into a steel pot. Add all the ingredients into the pot and and simmer for 10mins with the lid on, stirring now and then.
Stand for 5 minutes.
Strain, sweeten if you like with a little honey, and add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Serve hot or chilled

Does Ginger help with Pain?

For more than 2000 years ginger has played a role in Asian Medicines for many reasons, and a major one been for helping for pain.

The reason for this is that Ginger reduces the production Leukotrienes, substances that can trigger inflammation and thereby helps to inhibit the pain we have to endure in many ailments including Arthritis.

Will Ginger treat Coughs?

One of the benefits of ginger is that it is an expectorant which means it dissolves thick mucus and is usually used to help respiratory difficulties, and because of its natural anti-inflammatory properties it will simultaneously help to ease sore throats.
Together with Lemon this is the perfect home remedy for fighting coughs and sore throats.

Benefits of Ginger - Nausea and Vomiting

Ginger is also an anti-emetic which means "(chiefly of a drug) preventing vomiting".
This means it is good for nausea, motion sickness and if used for morning sickness it should be done strictly in conjunction with your Medical Advisor's permission.
Coupled with this, is that this healing herb can help the symptoms of anxiety i.e. nausea or an upset stomach.
Some people may not "stomach" the ginger smell and more so when nauseous, so taking ginger in capsule form will prevent you getting even the slightest "wiff" of the herb.

Is Ginger good for Heartburn?

Ginger is carminative which means "a herb or preparation that either prevents formation of gas in the gastro-intestinal tract or facilitates the expulsion of said gas, combating flatulence".
This action makes it a superb help for heartburn, indigestion, burping and sour flatulence.
Science does not know why, but Ginger seems to absorb the acid which is one of the causes of heartburn.

Caution

Avoid Ginger if you have gallstones
Avoid Ginger if you have a peptic ulcer
Avoid ginger if you are using anticoagulants, or medicine for diabetes and high blood pressure
Avoid ginger if you are underweight
Avoid ginger in your last trimester of pregnancy

Ginger and the Reproductive System

Ginger promotes menstruation.
Relieves spasm pain at ovulation and menstruation.
Helps relieve pain with endrometriosis.
It also has an old reputation as an aphrodisiac.
Its invigoration properties are helpful for impotence.

Grow your own Ginger

Growing Ginger is easy.

Leave one or two Ginger rhizomes in your veggie tray until you spot a visible "eye" or growing tip.
And then plant it with the tip facing upwards, the plant can grow to about a metre in height and produces a white fragrant flower in summer, when the plant dies down at the end of the summer you should then lift the roots for your consumption.
Just as an extra, you can do the same with Tumeric if you would like to plant them.