Ginger is well-known for its tummy-calming properties, but it also can help with painful menstruation and migraines.
If you’ve ever taken ginger ale for an upset tummy, you understand the health benefits of ginger. Going back more than 2,000 years in China, the herb has been used to treat nausea, upset stomach and help with digestion and diarrhea.
Used in stir-fries and Asian cooking, the spicy, pungent underground rhizome of the ginger plant is firm with a striated texture. It may be yellow, white or red, depending on the variety, and is covered with a thin or thick brownish skin, depending on whether the plant was harvested mature or young.
If you’ve ever taken ginger ale for an upset tummy, you understand the health benefits of ginger. Going back more than 2,000 years in China, the herb has been used to treat nausea, upset stomach and help with digestion and diarrhea.
Used in stir-fries and Asian cooking, the spicy, pungent underground rhizome of the ginger plant is firm with a striated texture. It may be yellow, white or red, depending on the variety, and is covered with a thin or thick brownish skin, depending on whether the plant was harvested mature or young.
Health Benefits of Ginger
Ginger is one of the most ancient spices in worldwide cuisine. It has become well-known for its various health benefits, which include its ability to boost bone health, strengthen the immune system, increase your appetite, prevents various types of cancer, improve respiratory conditions, aid digestion, eliminates arthritis symptoms, reduce excess gas, enhance sexual activity, and relieve pains related to menstrual disorders, nausea, and flu.
Ginger, also known as Zingiber Officinale, is inaccurately referred to as “ginger root”, although the edible section sold in the markets and used in dishes, is actually the stem or the rhizome. In Western cultures, it is mostly used in sweets and alcoholic beverages such as ginger beer and ginger wine. However, in Asian cultures, ginger is directly used by chopping it up or using its powder in traditional dishes and in soft drinks such as coffee and tea. Ginger’s irresistible fragrance is due to an essential oil in its composition that has been coveted and extracted by perfume makers since ancient times.
The various health benefits of ginger are given below:
- Bone Health
- Diarrhea
- Excess Gas
- Digestion
- Prevents Cancer
- Detoxifies and Disinfects
- Sexual Activity
- Menstrual Cramps
- Nausea
- Flu
Overview of health benefits of Ginger
Ginger is known for its strong taste and aroma. It gives excellent taste to curries, salads, soups and daily meals. In several countries, mostly Asian countries, ginger is an essential component of daily meals. There are several other ways ginger can be used. One such way is making ginger tea. To make this tea, take a 2 inch piece of ginger and chop it into small pieces. Boil them in a cup of water for 10-15 minutes and strain the water afterwards. You can also add a teaspoon of honey in this fluid to make it taste better. You can use this herbal tea as an alternative to tea and coffee.
But what makes ginger so important? What are the benefits of the use of ginger? Below we’ve listed the health benefits and medicinal uses of ginger:
- Cure of respiratory problems
- Relief from nausea and vomiting
- A friend of gut
- Makes headache go away
- Reduces pain of arthritis
- Might cure cancer
- Helps in weight loss
- Good for diabetes
- Provides relief from pain
- Anti-flatulence
- Improves absorption of food components
- Control blood pressure
- Improves skin health
Health Benefits of Ginger
Aromatic, pungent and spicy, ginger adds a special flavor and zest to Asian stir fries and many fruit and vegetable dishes. Fresh ginger root is available year round in the produce section of your local market.
Ginger is the underground rhizome of the ginger plant with a firm, striated texture. The flesh of the ginger rhizome can be yellow, white or red in color, depending upon the variety. It is covered with a brownish skin that may either be thick or thin, depending upon whether the plant was harvested when it was mature or young.
Historically, ginger has a long tradition of being very effective in alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal distress. In herbal medicine, ginger is regarded as an excellent carminative (a substance which promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) and intestinal spasmolytic (a substance which relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract). Modern scientific research has revealed that ginger possesses numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects.
- Gastrointestinal Relief
- Safe and Effective Relief of Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy
- Anti-Inflammatory Effects
- Protection against Colorectal Cancer
- Ginger Induces Cell Death in Ovarian Cancer Cells
- Immune Boosting Action
11 Proven Health Benefits of Ginger
Ginger is among the healthiest (and most delicious) spices on the planet.
It is loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain.
- Ginger Contains Gingerol, a Substance With Powerful Medicinal Properties
- Ginger Can Treat Many Forms of Nausea, Especially Morning Sickness
- Ginger May Reduce Muscle Pain and Soreness
- The Anti-Inflammatory Effects Can Help With Osteoarthritis
- Ginger May Drastically Lower Blood Sugars and Improve Heart Disease Risk Factors
- Ginger Can Help Treat Chronic Indigestion
- Ginger Powder May Significantly Reduce Menstrual Pain
- Ginger May Lower Cholesterol Levels
- Ginger Contains a Substance That May Help Prevent Cancer
- Ginger May Improve Brain Function and Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease
- The Active Ingredient in Ginger Can Help Fight Infections
Health Benefits and Nutritional Information
Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a reduced risk of many lifestyle-related health conditions.
Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of plant foods like ginger decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion and hair, increased energy and overall lower weight.
- Digestive issues
- Nausea
- Pain reduction
- Inflammation
7 Health Benefits of Ginger
For thousands of years, Arabic, Indian, and Asian healers prized ginger as food and medicine. This tropical plant, in the same botanical family as turmeric and cardamom, was effectively used to relieve nausea and vomiting caused by illness and seasickness. Thanks to the spice trade, the tradition caught on in Europe. As one sixteenth-century physician put it: “Ginger does good for a bad stomach.” In The Family Herbal from 1814, English physician Robert Thornton noted that “two or three cupfuls for breakfast” will relieve “dyspepsia due to hard drinking.”
While the best-researched use of ginger is in combating nausea and vomiting, studies have shown that ginger is a multi-faceted remedy with at least six more healing effects:
- It reduces pain and inflammation, making it valuable in managing arthritis, headaches, and menstrual cramps.
- It has a warming effect and stimulates circulation.
- It inhibits rhinovirus, which can cause the common cold.
- It inhibits such bacteria as Salmonella, which cause diarrhea, and protozoa, such as Trichomonas.
- In the intestinal tract, it reduces gas and painful spasms.
- It may prevent stomach ulcers caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
10 Health Benefits Of Ginger
Ginger truly does top the list of effective natural home remedies. Being used throughout history by different cultures around the world, ginger harnesses an incredible healing power proven for a host of ailments. The spice is packed with essential nutrients and rejuvenating compounds. While ginger has been shown to help countless ‘minor’ problems such as an upset stomach, amazingly the health benefits of ginger also include combating cancer more effectively than pharmaceutical cancer drugs.
- Ginger is a Powerful Cancer Fighter
- Anti-Inflammatory Properties Help with Many Conditions
- Treating Heartburn/Acid Reflux with Ginger
- Cough
- Sore Throat
- Stuffy Nose/Congestion
- Upset Stomach / Improved Digestion
- Headaches/Migraines
- Toothache
- Pain
The natural dietary component gingerol has been shown to shrink tumors by 56 per cent
The paper concludes: ‘Ginger inhibits growth and modulates secretion of angiogenic factors in ovarian cancer cells.
‘The use of dietary agents such as ginger may have potential in the treatment and prevention of ovarian cancer.’
Health Benefits of Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus also known as Lemongrass is an herb which belongs to the grass family of Poaceae. It is well known and utilized for its distinct lemon flavor and citrusy aroma. Lemongrass is a tall, perennial grass which is native to India and tropical regions of Asia. It is a coarse and tufted plant with linear leaves that grows in thick bunches, emerging from a strong base and standing for about 3 meters in height with a meter-wide stretch.
In addition to its culinary usage, lemongrass offers a wide array of medicinal benefits and is in extensive demand due to its antibacterial, anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties across Southeast Asia, as well as the African and American continents.
The genus Cymbopogon comprises of 55 species of grass, two of which are referred to as Lemongrass. These are West Indian lemongrass or Cymbopogon citratus which is famously preferred for culinary use and East Indian lemongrass or Cymobopogon flexuosus which is used in the manufacturing of various products such as fragrances because of its extended shelf life, owing to the low amount of myrcene in that variety. Health Benefits of Lemongrass:
- Cholesterol
- Detoxification
- Cancer
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Stomach Disorders
- Insomnia
- Respiratory Disorders
- Fever
- Infections
- Aches
- Nervous System
- Type-2 Diabetes
- Rheumatism
- Immune System
- Skin Care
- Cellular Health
- Edema
- Aromatherapy
- Obesity
- Body Odor
- Insect Repellant
- Culinary Usage
related:
Health Benefits of Cumin Seeds
Health Benefits of Avocado
Health benefits of Cucumber
Health Benefits of Turmeric
Health Benefits of Cinnamon
Health Benefits of Gingko
Health Benefits of Ginseng
Health Benefits of Goji Berries
Health Benefits of Ginger
Health Benefits of Garlic
Health Benefits of Honey
Health Benefits of Dates
Health Benefits of Onion
Health Benefits of Spices
Health Benefits of Food
Health Benefits of Chia Seeds
Health Benefits of Bananas
Health Benefits of Lemon
Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Health Benefits of Moringa
Health Benefits of Mushrooms
