The Hidden Health Benefits of Ginger

It should come as no surprise that ginger has magnificent health benefits. The plant has a long history of being used in Chinese medicine and has even been rumoured to solve a multitude of sicknesses. From its ability to boost bone health and prevent arthritis to its anti-sickness capabilities, we’re going to look at the best ways to get the most out of ginger and how to incorporate it into your everyday life.

Although a common ingredient in oriental food, ginger has been used for centuries thanks to its medicinal properties. Due to its phenolic elements, ginger has been proven to help gastrointestinal health and digestive issues. Its anti-emetic qualities mean that those who suffer from motion sickness benefit greatly from consuming a gram of the powdered plant 30 minutes before travelling. But why is this? It’s thought that the compound that makes up ginger are important in creating its ability to act as an anti-emetic.

But anti-sickness isn’t the only way that ginger can have an impact on your gastrointestinal health. Ginger is a well known carminative, which means that it helps with excess gas. Excess gas has been proven to have a negative effect on your body, as the build-up of pressure can push upon your organs, leaving you in an uncomfortable and dangerous position.

Not only helping with excess gas, ginger also aids digestion by regulating the sugar levels in the body. In addition to this though, it can actually help you absorb more minerals and vitamins from the other food that you eat, thanks to the compounds that help form it.

One of the ways in which you can consume ginger to aid your digestion is simply through chopping up some fresh ginger and eating it throughout the day. This may work for some people, but others may need something else to help mask the taste, as it can often be seen as having quite a strong flavour.

In traditional Chinese medicine, ginger can actually be used to soak up phlegm and warm the lung when infected with a cold. This is due to the heat that dry ginger can emit. Anybody wanting to try it out needs to boil a mixture of ginger, cardamon, clove, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper, long pepper, nutmeg and mace, in water before adding tea and milk. The chai masala drink will then warm your lungs whilst drunk, leading to your lungs hopefully being protected from the cold, winter air.

One of the most effective ways to use ginger is to aid in reducing the pain felt during the menstrual cycle of a woman. This is down to the anti-inflammatory properties. The best way to consume ginger in this instance is in tea, which can be made by placing two slices of fresh ginger into a cup of boiling water and allowing it to rest. It has been proven by studies that the use of ginger in this circumstance is as helpful as ibuprofen.

But what else can ginger be used for? It is proven that ginger contains gingerols, an anti-imflammatory compound that can be used in preventing arthritis and general aches and pains in the body. Adding in a sprinkle of ginger into your day-to-day diet can help reduce aches in the knees, leading to a reduced chance of being diagnosed with arthritis later in life.

Adding ginger into your daily diet may seem like a difficult task, but there are simple ways that will have a maximum impact on your health without changing up your food intake massively. Your typical Korean rice cakes can be spruced up with the addition of ginger to create a delicious Ddukboki, for a healthy but yummy way of reaping those benefits.

For more ideas on how to add more ginger into your diet, why not take a look at the variety of ingredients we have on offer, or have a look at our blog for some more recipe ideas!?