I love the taste of Ginger. It’s used widely used in many meals that I eat from starters, main meals and even deserts. It’s used all over the world in a variety of world cuisines from chili crab, curries to ginger confectionary and ginger biscuits. It’s also supposed to hold medicinal health benefits so it’s supposed to be good for me to eat… But what are they? I decided to find out what these benefits are that people talk about.

But why ginger?

Ginger is grown as a root and is a flexible ingredient that can be consumed in drinks (tea , beer, ale) or in cooking. It can be used to make foods spicy and even as a food preservative. For over 2000 years, Chinese medicine has recommended the use of ginger to help cure and prevent several health problems. It is known to promote energy circulation in the body and increase our body’s metabolic rate .

Here ‘s a list of some of the amazing benefits of ginger that you may not aware of. Although some of these are still being debated, you could do your own research if you want to use ginger for medicinal purposes.

The Benefits of Ginger

  1. Maintains Normal Blood Circulation. Ginger contains chromium, magnesium and zinc which can help to improve blood flow, as well as help prevent chills, fever, and excessive sweat.
  2. Remedies Motion Sickness. Ginger is a known effective remedy for the nausea associated with motion sickness. The exact reason is unknown, but in a study of naval cadets, those given ginger powder suffered less.
  3. Improves absorption. Ginger improves the absorption and stimulation of essential nutrients in the body. It does this by stimulating gastric and pancreatic enzyme secretion.
  4. Cold and Flu Prevention. Ginger has been used for thousands of years as a natural treatment for colds and flu around Asia. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that to treat cold and flu symptoms in adults, steep 2 tbsp. of freshly shredded or chopped ginger root in hot water, two to three times a day
  5. Combats Stomach Discomfort. Ginger is ideal in assisting digestion, thereby improving food absorption and avoiding possible stomach ache. Ginger appears to reduce inflammation in a similar way to aspirin and ibuprofen
  6. Colon Cancer Prevention. A study at the University of Minnesota found that ginger may slow the growth of colorectal cancer cells.
  7. Reduce Pain and Inflammation. Ginger contains some of the most potent anti-inflammatory fighting substances known and is a natural powerful painkiller.
  8. Fights Common Respiratory Problems. If you’re suffering from common respiratory diseases such as a cough, ginger aids in expanding your lungs and loosening up phlegm because it is a natural expectorant that breaks down and removes mucus.. That way you can quickly recover from difficulty in breathing.
  9. Ovarian Cancer Treatment. Ginger powder induces cell death in ovarian cancer cells.
  10. Strengthens Immunity. Ginger helps improve the immune system. Consuming a little bit ginger a day can help foil potential risk of a stroke by inhibiting fatty deposits from the arteries. It also decreases bacterial infections in the stomach, and helps battle a bad cough and throat irritation.
  11. Combats Morning Sickness. Ginger has demonstrated a success rate of 75 percent in curing morning sickness and stomach flu.

How Much?

These are some of the health benefits to ginger. How it can be taken is up to you, some people will say that 2 tablespoons of shredded ginger in a cup 2-3 times a day is ideal when you are feeling under the weather. A lot of people will mix ginger and honey to help soothe a cold and drink it many times a day. Naturally, it’s used in cooking and candy, so it’s difficult to measure to say exactly how much you should consume,
But with all these benefits, and with it so readily available, it’s really something we shouldn’t even try to avoid. In fact you could even mix it up with other ingredients such as Green Tea.

Find out what benefits green tea holds with this related article: 11 Benefits of Ginger That You Didn’t Know About

or if you have olive oil lying around, try this related article: The Many Uses and Benefits of Olive Oil

Featured photo credit: added for the ginger tea via Shutterstock