Introduction To Ginger
Ginger is one of those herbs that have multiple benefits in terms of specific health conditions and our overall well being. Who would have thought that a herb so seemingly humble would have so many proven medicinal properties.
The history of Ginger goes back to 4BC when it is referred to in the Indian Hindu book, the “Mahabharata”. This ancient classical Indian book relates to the philosophical and religious (devotional) aspect of life. It is one of two books in the “Sanskrit” books. The other, the “Manusmriti” relate to the laws of the social classes.
In this article we will explore the top 10 medicinal uses of this amazing herb called Ginger!
So we have established that Ginger is good for you, no doubt about that. Lets go through each of its proven health benefits.
#1. Boost Your Immune System
Ginger is great for boosting your immune system. Have a cold or the flu coming on, take some ginger is some format. It inhibits the growth of bacteria by actually boosting your immune response system.
#2. Overcome Nausea, Travel & Morning Sickness
Feel nauseous, either traveling, morning sickness or in general? Get some ginger into you. Either in a juice or crystal ginger in supermarkets. This is also great dissolved in stir fries too since the crystalline ginger kind of melts and the sugar on the ginger gives the meal a sweet, gingery taste.
#3. Cancer Protection
It is anti-carcinogenic, protecting you from Cancer, one of the world’s biggest causes of death and ill health. It is also currently being researched for its potential anti-nausea properties applicable to chemotherapy patients who experience extreme nausea and vomiting.
#4. Get Over Vertigo
If you have a problem with vertigo or balance in general, ginger will reduce this problem.
#5. Counteract Muscle Wasting Diseases
Ginger is useful for counteracting muscle-wasting diseases like Multiple sclerosis (M.S.) and Parkinson’s Disease. Apparently in Parkinson’s Disease it somehow prevents anti-inflammation of neurons which causes the Parkinson’s symptoms due to an active ingredient within the ginger called 6-Shogal. More research is needed but given that it already a proven anti-cancer wonder drug, ginger is proving to be a mighty natural drug!
#6. Blood Thinner
Ginger is a blood thinner, reducing the formation of clots, which in turn can block arteries causing strokes or heart attacks. An additional benefit for the heart is that ginger has been shown to reduce high blood pressure, more so even than Prazosin, a pharmaceutical drug officially used to treat high blood pressure!
#8. Reduces Inflammation
Preliminary research indicates that ginger given to colon cancer patients, reduces inflammation within a month – http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265990.php. Colon cancer is one of those cancers that sneaks up on many people in the Western world due to a high meat and processed food diet rich in fat and sugars!
#9. Good For Asthma
In the same article mentioned above it was indicated that ginger would be helpful to asthmatics, reducing the symptoms of asthma noticeably. It is worthwhile mentioning that once again it was active ingredient in ginger, 6-Shogal that made the difference in asthma symptoms.
#10. Reduces Menstrual Cramps
Finally but no means last, the good news for women who experience especially painful period pain, ginger has been found by Iranian researchers as recently as January 2013 to reduce the pain significantly. Could this be a new anti-period pain pill in the making? Lets hope so for the sake of many suffering women who can be bedridden for days at a time due to this cyclical, regular pain.
Talking of pain there are also indications that it can help get rid of those painful migraines many of us are written off by periodically, those pains that feel like your head is going to explode any minute!
Having listed 10 major ways in which Ginger can improve your health, fight disease, reverse conditions, enhance your overall well being, what about how it is taken?
Well the best ways are either to add it to cooking either as a spice, as crystalline ginger (adds a delicious sweet ginger taste to stir fries or meat dishes!).
Alternatively you can buy ginger root in grocery stores and then using a heavy (durable) slow juicer add a bit of ginger root to your juice. Make sure you add plenty of Manuka (medicinal quality) honey and sweet fruits. Otherwise the overly strong ginger taste will spoil the flavour of your juice!
Finally you can also have it as ginger tea, although using the actual root is closer to the source so more beneficial for you in every way. Having said that if ginger tea is all you have it is better than having no ginger in your diet. Ginger and honey is especially refreshing. Just add water and serve either cold with ice on a hot day or warm in winter.
So, next time you hear people say that ginger is good for you, take it seriously! Ginger is perhaps one of nature’s greatest wonder drugs, the medicinal properties of which we have only just begun to scratch the roots!