Nausea or a cold? Have a cup of ginger tea or tea with ginger. Nice and spicy taste and super healthy.

Zingember officinale

The botanical name for Ginger is Zingember officinale. The root of this native tropical plant is better known to us as ginger and can be used both fresh and dried. Ginger has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years in Central Africa, Guatemala, China, Japan, India and Jamaica, among others. In the Netherlands, ginger is used in, among other things, gingerbread and gingerbread, but ginger is also found in curry powder, for example. Ginger is also widely used in Indonesian cuisine, where it is called Djahé. Ginger is said to have been brought from China to Europe by Marco Polo.

sharp taste

The sharp taste of ginger mainly comes from the chemical compounds of shogaol and gingerol. Dried ginger has a sharper taste than fresh ginger. Both gingerol and shogaol have an analgesic effect. Gingerol is converted into shogaol by drying ginger, then heating and grinding it.

Medicinal effect

In China and India, ginger has been used for centuries, partly because it contains 17 medicinal substances, including: magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper and vitamin B6, gingerol, lineol, borneol, zingibain. zingiberene, zingiberol, phieilandrene, shogaol. The Greeks and Romans also knew that ginger was good for all kinds of ailments. For example, ginger is said to help against travel sickness and to increase libido.

Other ailments that ginger can provide relief from are:

• Against stomach and intestinal problems. The substance zingibain contained in ginger helps burn calories/proteins and promotes digestion.
• Against inflammation. Ginger inhibits the production of COX (cyclooxygenase) and lipoxygenase. These are substances that ensure that inflammation persists. Ibuprofen, for example, also inhibits these substances.
• Against earache. Mix one part ginger juice with five parts sesame oil, put a few drops on a cotton ball and put it in the ear canal, not in the ear.
• Against nausea and vomiting (during chemotherapy). Ginger root powder reduces nausea and vomiting (during chemotherapy). This is due to the substance gingerol. It helps against morning sickness in pregnant women. It also helps against travel or sea sickness. To do this, take a cup of tea with 1 gram of ginger half an hour before departure to combat nausea. Ginger also works against nausea and vomiting after anesthesia.
• Against Arthritis. Danish research has shown that 1 to 2 grams of ginger powder per day after 3 months, patients with arthritis have less stiffness and less pain. Of the patients with muscle complaints, everyone felt less pain than before taking ginger.
• When digesting food. Ginger stimulates the production of saliva and therefore improves the digestion of food.
• Against muscle pain. Take five parts sesame oil and one part ginger juice and rub it on the sore muscles for quick relief.
• Against high cholesterol. Animal studies have shown that ginger lowers cholesterol levels. In rats that were given 500 mg ginger per kg body weight daily for 7 weeks, blood sugar levels also fell by 52%.
• Improves blood circulation. Ginger powder helps against cold hands and feet.
• For more breath when you have a cold. Place 100 grams of ginger zest in a tied (cotton or linen) bag. Then place this in a bowl of hot water that is no longer boiling. Maintain the temperature until the water turns yellow. Then dip a cloth in the ginger water and place it on the breast as hot as possible. If the skin has turned red, the ginger compress has stimulated blood circulation in that area.
• If you have a cold or flu, you can also make a ginger drink by grating a piece of fresh ginger into a water glass. Add the juice of half a lemon, fill the glass with hot water and sweeten it with a little honey.
• Against swelling and inflammation. Make a ginger compress as you do for a cold and place it on the painful area.

Ginger in combination with medicines

It is better not to use extra ginger if you are taking blood thinners or sleeping pills. The effect of these medications could be enhanced by consuming a lot of ginger. Ginger can also influence bile acid. People with gallstones or gallbladder problems should be careful about adding extra ginger to their food.