Medical Properties Of Ginger
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Revered around the world for its pungent taste, ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a natural spice that is also widely prized for its medicinal properties. Since ancient times, traditional healers in a diverse array of cultures have used this plant primarily to help settle upset stomachs. Chinese herbalists have relied on ginger as a medicine and flavoring for more than 2,500 years. The early Greeks mixed it into breads (hence the first gingerbread), and North American colonists sipped nausea-quelling ginger beer, the precursor of modern ginger ale. Today, many cultures continue to rely on ginger for controlling nausea and also for reducing Inflammation. 27
Ginger is known for its medicinal properties from ages and has being in use as a medicine in India, China and Far East since long. Ayurvedic scholars use ginger in carminative and anti-flatulent mixtures. It is routinely used in Indian recipes as a spice where it serves both flavoring as well as medicinal purposes. It is a common constituent of Indian curries. Ginger was known to European countries since the first century A.D. and was in use in Europe since then. The Western world has also accepted ginger in their cookery in the form of gingerbreads, biscuits, soups and pickles. 34
Ginger’s effectiveness as a digestive aid is due largely to its active ingredients: gingerols and shogaols. These substances help to neutralize stomach acids, enhance the secretion of digestive juices (stimulating the appetite), and tone the muscles of the digestive tract. Research confirms the presence of anti-inflammatory properties in ginger as well. 27
For more than 2000 years, the Chinese have used ginger as a medicine and also as a flavouring agent. When added in food, Ginger adds a special flavour. Its medicinal properties help cure Gastrointestinal problems. 43
Ginger is a perennial herb, with underground branching stems which are swollen and tough. The leaves and rhizomes of ginger have a characteristic fragrance when cut or bruised. There are numerous reference to ginger in Sanskrit literature and Chines medical treatises. The Sanskrit name of ginger is Singabera . Ginger has been used as a medicine in India from vedic period and is called maha-aushadhi, it means a great medicine. The physicians of ayurveda considered this as a carminative or anti-flatulent. Ginger is believed to have originated in India and was introduced in China at very early date. An analysis of fresh fresh ginger shows it to contain moisture 80.9 per cent, protein 2.3 per cent, fat 0.9 per cent, minerals 1.2 per cent, fibre 2.4 per cent and carbohydrates 12.3 per cent per 100 grms. 14
It was from the Sanskrit word ’shringavera’ (meaning ‘horn body’) that the Latin name Zingiber was derived. Originating in Southeast Asia, Ginger is said to grow best in tropical and sub tropical regions with good rainfall and hot and humid summers. The rhizome (the underground stem) is the part of the plant that is harvested for use in cooking and in medicine. 25
Not many herbs have such a long and salubrious history as Ginger. More than 5000 years ago the ancient Chinese and Indians looked upon Ginger as the ‘universal medicine’. It has received praise from Confucius and Pliny. Nostradamus wrote recipes for Ginger preserved in honey and the Koran mentions a fountain of Ginger-flavored water. The ancient Greeks ate ginger wrapped inside bread after meals to help digestion, and the early English made a soothing ginger beer to aid the stomach. 25
The medicinal part of ginger is the rhizome, an underground stem that most people mistakenly refer to as a root. In Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, the rhizome has a long-standing reputation as a digestive aid. It is ground up and used in numerous Chinese herbal prescriptions. Ayurvedic practitioners refer to ginger as the universal medicine because it aids the body?s digestive function by relieving gas, bloating, and cramps, says Joseph Selvester, an Ayurvedic herbalist in Gainesville, Florida. 31
As a medicinal herb, ginger was used for a variety of discomforts throughout Asia and Europe, most notably for stomache ailments and nausea. In Chinese pharmacopeia, ginger is recommended for gastric pain, vomitting and diarrhea, faint pulse and cold extremities, and coughs with phlegm. Recent scientific studies have confirmed these traditional use of ginger, and found additional medicinal properties of ginger. 12
Ginger has recently attracted the attention of modern science because of its potential anti-inflammatory and antiemetic actions. Bloyer describes these uses above. In the first paragraph, however, Bloyer describes a therapeutically useful property that will likely never be studied by scientific medicine � �warming� properties and stimulation of peripheral circulation. 35
A diaphoretic is capable of slightly raising body temperature and promoting sweating. She recommends boiling sliced gingerroot in water, then adding honey and lemon to taste. "A cup or two of hot ginger tea, drunk while in a hot bath, can help induce a brief fever and speed recovery from an infection," she adds. 31
The underground stems of the ginger plant are used in cooking, baking, and for health purposes. Common forms of ginger include fresh or dried root, tablets, capsules, liquid extracts (tinctures), and teas. 6
Ginger produces clusters of white and pink flower buds that bloom into yellow flowers. Because of the aesthetic appeal and the adaptivity of the plant to warm climates, ginger is often used as landscaping around subtropical homes. It is a perennial reed-like plant with annual leafy stems, three to four feet high. 24
In Western cuisine, ginger is traditionally restricted to sweet foods, such as ginger ale, gingerbread, ginger snaps, ginger cake and ginger biscuits. A ginger-flavored liqueur called Canton is produced in Jarnac, France. Green ginger wine is a ginger flavored wine produced in the United Kingdom, traditionally sold in a green glass bottle. Ginger is also used as a spice added to hot coffee and tea. 1
It’s actually the rhizome, or underground stem. The spicy, aromatic compounds in the rhizome that impart the medicinal activity to ginger are relatively susceptible to heat and oxygen, so tread gingerly when making medicine from this herb. 8
References
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