Ginger used as Medicine
Fresh ginger is pungent and heating and has a sweet vipāka (or post digestive effect). Dry ginger is also pungent and heating, but with a pungent vipāka. Both types ignite the digestive fire and improve the digestion, absorption and assimilation of foodstuffs in the body. Ginger also helps relieve heartburn and stomach aches by speeding-up digestion and causing food to leave the stomach more quickly. The book Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing suggests chewing a thin slice of ginger with salt 10 minutes before a meal, to act as an appetizer and stimulate agni (digestive fire).
Ginger is high in antioxidants, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Its warming, stimulating, and anti-coagulant qualities are good for the circulatory system. By enhancing oxygen’s flow in the blood stream, ginger can help lower LDL or bad cholesterol, and it has been found to decrease blood platelet accumulation, which contributes to clog arteries that cause heart attacks and strokes.
Ginger has shown promise as a treatment for migraine headaches and a study in Cancer Research presented evidence that showed that ginger help fight lung, breast, prostate, skin, bladder, kidney, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. Ginger is also frequently used to reduce inflammation and relax sore muscles, as well as sooth osteoarthritis.
Ginger Home Remedies (Source: Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing)
Cold and Flu Relief: Add ginger to food to relieve congestion, cough, and breathlessness associated with a common cold. To treat cold and flu symptoms, drink 1 cup of tea (see recipe below) made with 1 teaspoon each of dry ginger, cinnamon, and fennel. Ginger tea infused with lemon and honey also works well. To treat hoarseness, chest pain, wheezing, and coughing, mix 1 teaspoon ginger juice and 1 teaspoon of lime juice with 2 pinches of rock salt.
Digestion: Mix 1 teaspoon each of fresh ginger juice and lime juice, and take after eating to aid digestion, relieve excess gas, constipation, and lower abdominal pain. Rub a small amount of fresh ginger juice around the belly button to treat diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Jet Lag: Swallow one capsule of dry ginger one hour before a flight.
Nausea and Vomiting: Mix 1 teaspoon of ginger juice with 1 teaspoon of fresh onion juice to calm nausea and vomiting.
Regulation of Cholesterol and Weight: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of trikatu (equal parts dry ginger, black pepper and pippali) with 1 teaspoon of honey to burn ama (see blog) and excess kapha in the lungs. Take 2 or 3 times per day before meals.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Add ½ ounce of castor oil to 1 cup of ginger tea and drink before bed.
Sinus Congestion: Mix 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger juice and honey, and ingest 2 to 3 times a day.
Sinus Headache: Apply ½ teaspoon of dry ginger powder paste on the forehead. Wash the area after treatment.
Splenic Pain, Osteoarthritis, and Diarrhea: Cook 1 tablespoon of ginger powder and 2 tablespoons of ghee in an iron pot to make it into a paste. Eat a ½ teaspoon at a time, 3 times a day.
* Note for Ayurveda Practitioners: The heating qualities of ginger may irritate Pitta constitutions; use it carefully.
Additional Ginger Recipes
Ginger Tea: Steep fresh grated ginger root in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes and enjoy. Drink no more than 2 cups daily.
Ginger Bath: Shave 2 tablespoons of fresh Ginger and place in a small mesh bag. Throw into a warm bathtub. Let steep for 20 minutes; bathe for 20 minutes.
Note of Caution: Be careful when taking ginger in supplement form as it may interact with certain medications. Talk to your physician before taking ginger, especially if you are on diabetes, high blood pressure, or blood thinning medicine.
Play with some of these recipes, or if you have some of your own that you would like to share, send them my way and I will post them.
To your health and happiness,
Peggy
