This is a continuation of my Spice Series. Welcome to my information on Ginger!

**Ginger is a tropical plant that has green-purple flowers and an aromatic underground stem (called a rhizome). It is commonly used for cooking and medicinal purposes.

**Even though ginger is a native plant to Asia, it is easy to grow and once established it does not require much assistance.

**Ginger is not only a culinary spice, but it has long been used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine as a nearly ‘cure-all’ because of its’ many health benefits. It is a very warming herb with a sweet but pungent flavor.

**Due to the vast amounts of information on Ginger, I will be posting about medicinal benefits today. Click here for my information on How to Grow Ginger. Click here for my information on Ginger’s Culinary Uses.

Medicinal Benefits:

**For thousands of years, people around the world (including in China, India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean region) have been using ginger for nausea. This had present-day scientists curious to find out why ginger is used for this reason. What researchers found out is that ginger will help with almost every reason for nausea.

**Ginger is effective against the following types of nausea: motion sickness, morning sickness, nausea after surgery, and chemotherapy-induced nausea.

In addition to nausea, Ginger may help prevent and/or treat:

• Arthritis:

**Ginger is full of strong anti-inflammatory properties, so researchers have begun testing people with arthritis by giving them ginger extract. A great percentage of the people who were given the extract have had a significant reduction in arthritis symptoms. There is more research being done on ginger and arthritis, but the outlook is exciting.

• Asthma:

**Once again, the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of ginger have encouraged scientists to start testing people with asthma with a natural formula that includes ginger extract. Those with asthma that took the natural formula had improvements to their health and coughing after a few months. More research is being done on ginger’s connection with asthma today.

• Cancer:

**Researchers have done many studies on both animals and on cells and the results have shown that ginger is possibly anti-cancer for many of the big types of cancers (including lung, breast, prostate, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers). Ginger has been found to contain a gene called ‘zerumbone’, which suppresses tumors, activates cell-killing genes, and slows the spread of cancer to other organs.

• Heart attack:

**Researchers have found that ginger decreased the clumping of blood that can trigger the artery blood clots that cause most heart attacks. The warming effect of ginger promotes blood circulation as well, which helps with heart problems.

• Heartburn/Indigestion:

**Ginger has been shown to help improve the speed in which the stomach digests food. If a stomach is too slow at digesting food, it can produce heartburn, bloating, belching, and gas problems.

**Ginger is also full of chemical compounds called ‘gingerol’ which are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral.

**You can buy fresh ginger root at most grocery stores, however, if you prefer using ground ginger, make sure you use a good brand (like this one), since many ground ginger options at the grocery store have possibly been on the shelves for a long time and might have lost many of their benefits.

**Here are a few suggestions for taking ginger for medicinal purposes:

• Make a tea:

**Simmer freshly grated ginger in water, let it steep for about 10 minutes, strain it, pour into your cup and add some honey. This tea is an effective remedy for sore throats, colds/flus, digestion, and joint pains.

• Make a healing syrup:

**Combine 1.5 cup water and 1 cup raw honey in a pot and stir over low heat until gently boiling. Add 4-6 inches of ginger root, sliced, and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes. Remove from heat, strain, and allow to cool. Once cooled, pour into a clean bottle and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for 6 months.

• Use Ginger essential oil:

**You can add a few drops of the essential oil to a bath in order to relieve nausea and colds/flu symptoms. You can also use the essential oil to make your own lotions that may help with arthritis and achy muscles. You can  learn more about purchasing ginger essential oil in my How to Buy Essential Oils Post.

Do YOU use Ginger for medicinal purposes? If so, how is it working for you? How are you taking it?

This is my information on the Medicinal Benefits of Ginger. Click here for my fascinating information and ideas for the Culinary Uses of Ginger. Click here for my simple tips on How to Grow Ginger.

Please click here for the introduction to my Spice Series. If you have any comments, questions, or extra information for me, please feel free to post in the comment section below!

For further reading:

**Read this article from The Healthy Honeys about the Health Benefits of Ginger During Pregnancy.