Health Benefits of Ginger

Ayurveda is an everyday life science that cures a number of maladies based on the use of herbs, yoga, oil massages and a number of lifestyle tweaks. Ayurveda uses everyday tweaks in order to reach the root cause of the ailment and cure it. Therefore, it makes use of a lot of everyday items that can make changes in the doshas that create an imbalance. Ginger is one such ingredient that has a number of health benefits as per Ayurveda. It is a root spice or flowering plant with an orange brown hue. Read on to know more.

 

Dr. Jyoti Gupta

Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS)

Ayurveda •  19 Years experience

1. Healing Digestive Properties: Ginger has a number of healing properties thanks to its chemical composition as they make it ideal for patients suffering from digestive problems such an irritable bowel syndrome. It also helps in improved production of the digestive juices which can help in flushing out toxins or Ama. This spice also keeps the digestive fires burning due to the heat that it emanates.
2. Nutrition: Ginger also helps in better absorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food that we eat. This helps in better weight management as well as better digestion, which can prevent a number of diseases including cancer.
3. Stress: Brewing a cup of green or white tea with a hint of Ginger can instantly spread a wonderful fragrance throughout the home and calm your senses by enveloping them. The fragrant properties of Ginger also have a healing effect which can lessen and prevent stress.
4. Nausea: Small doses of Ginger are especially helpful for pregnant women who are suffering from acute and excessive morning sickness or nausea.
5. Muscle Pain: Ginger can be used to reduce pain and soreness in one's muscles. It can be brewed as tea or taken in small slivers after a particularly intense workout. It is also known to help in relieving pain experienced by patients suffering from arthritis and other ailments related to joint and muscles. This condiment also helps in reducing the inflammation in the joints due to its proven anti-inflammatory properties.
6. Diabetes and Heart Disease: Ginger is known to dramatically reduce the blood sugar level. It shows a reduction in the markers for oxidized lipoproteins, which also lowers the risk of high cholesterol and heart disease.
7. Menstrual Pain: Just a gram or two of Ginger can be ingested on a daily basis to get relief from severe pain during menstrual cramps in women.

Ginger can be used to season foods like salads, curries and stir fried vegetables and also for preparing tea so that some quantity can be ingested every day.