Ginger- The Miracle Health Food

 

 

Enjoy Ginger

 

 

The volatile oils in ginger have long made it a useful herbal remedy for nasal and chest congestion.

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over a 1-inch piece of peeled, grated ginger; steep for 10 minutes; and strain. Add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper to the water and drink as needed.

 

Ginger or ginger root is the rhizome of the plant Zingiberofficinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family. Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and      galangal.

 

Uses

 

Ginger produces a hot, fragrant kitchen spice.  Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be steeped in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Ginger can also be made into candy, or ginger wine which has been made commercially since 1740.

Mature ginger rhizomes are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes, and is a quintessential ingredient of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and many South Asian cuisines for flavoring dishes such as seafood or goat meat and vegetarian cuisine.

Ginger acts as a useful food preservative.

Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of 6 to 1, although the flavors of fresh and dried ginger are somewhat different. Powdered dry ginger root is typically used as a flavoring for recipes such as gingerbread, cookies, crackers and cakes, ginger ale, and ginger beer.

Candied ginger, or crystallized ginger, is the root cooked in sugar until soft, and is a type of confectionery.

Fresh ginger may be peeled before eating. For longer-term storage, the ginger can be placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated or frozen.

 

Medicinal use and Research

According to the American Cancer Society, ginger has been promoted as a cancer treatment “to keep tumors from developing”, but “available scientific evidence does not support this”. They add: “Recent preliminary results in animals show some effect in slowing or preventing tumor growth. While these results are not well understood, they deserve further study. Still, it is too early in the research process to say whether ginger will have the same effect in humans.”

In limited studies, ginger was found to be more effective than placebo for treating nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy,  although ginger was not found superior to placebo for pre-emptively treating post-operative nausea. Some studies advise against taking ginger during pregnancy,  suggesting that ginger is mutagenic, though some other studies have reported antimutagenic effects.  Other preliminary studies showed that ginger may affect arthritis pain or have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties, but these effects remain unconfirmed.

Advanced glycation end-products are possibly associated in the development of diabetic cataract for which ginger was effective in preliminary studies, apparently by acting through antiglycating mechanisms.

Zingerone may have activity against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in enterotoxin-induced diarrhea in mice.

If consumed in reasonable quantities, ginger has few negative side effects, and is on the FDA‘s “generally recognized as safe” list, though it does interact with some medications, including warfarin. Ginger is contraindicated in people suffering from gallstones, as it promotes the production of bile.

Allergic reactions to ginger generally result in a rash, and although generally recognized as safe, ginger can cause heartburn, bloating, gas, belching and nausea, particularly if taken in powdered form. Unchewed fresh ginger may result in intestinal blockage, and individuals who have had ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease or blocked intestines may react badly to large quantities of fresh ginger.  Ginger can also adversely affect individuals with gallstones.There are also suggestions that ginger may affect blood pressure, clotting, and heart rhythms.