HEALTH Ginger’s many medicinal properties

Spice up your health


Herbal Medicine
Sabine Hiller

Root ginger, deliciously aromatic and pungent, is the knobbly underground stem, or rhizome, of the ginger plant. It is one of the oldest and most universally used medicinal herbs, and together with cinnamon, was in high demand in Medieval Europe. So much so, that discovering lands where these spices grew was one of the primary motives driving colonial exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries.
But ginger’s history goes back much further than that. Confucius wrote about it, the Greek physician Dioscorides listed ginger as an antidote to poisoning and as a digestive, and the Koran, Talmud and Bible all mention ginger. In 13th and 14th century England, one pound of ginger was worth the same as one whole sheep, which shows how desirable it was! On a local note, records show that in the 1870s, Captain Boycott regularly bought ginger in Mulloy’s of Shop Street in Westport!
Ginger is cultivated all over tropical and subtropical Asia, as well as in Brazil, West Africa and the Caribbean. It won’t grow outside in our climate, but, given plenty of light, it will make an attractive potted plant.
As a medicine, ginger has traditionally been used for various digestive disorders, to stimulate the circulation and ease inflammation in migraine and arthritis, and to treat coughs, colds and flus. Several of these uses have been supported by recent investigations, though more research is needed to fully explore this versatile plant.
Many clinical studies have investigated the use of ginger in the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting, be it due to pregnancy, chemotherapy, travel sickness or surgery. Some trials have shown ginger to reduce nausea experienced after chemotherapy by up to 45 percent. Other research indicates that ginger combined with a high protein meal reduces nausea effectively enough for patients to cut down on their anti-emetic medication. A recent survey examined the use of ginger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Four clinical trials showed that ginger was significantly more effective than placebo. Two trials, which compared ginger with vitamin B6, showed them to be equally effective. No side effects of ginger were reported in any of these trials.
While ginger has been shown to contain several anti-inflammatory compounds, studies evaluating the effectiveness of ginger for osteoarthritis have had mixed results. One study showed ginger extract to significantly reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee, while another study was negative. However, in case studies involving patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or muscular discomfort, patients taking powdered ginger described a reduction in pain and swelling. Clearly, more research is needed to assess ginger for arthritis.
As regards the use of ginger in viral infections, it’s been shown that while ginger doesn’t kill viruses as such, it enables parts of our immune system to fight infection more efficiently –  viruses are prevented from multiplying and spreading they way they’d like to...
Laboratory research indicates that ginger also has antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, antitumor, antihistamine and antihypertensive actions, indicating areas for further clinical studies. Though ginger has an excellent safety record, avoid high doses if you are on warfarin or antiplatelet medications, as there is a theoretical possibility of interaction.
Ginger has been shown to stimulate the flow of saliva, bile and gastric secretions, as well as improving gut motility. It is therefore used by medical herbalists to stimulate appetite, improve digestion and reduce flatulence, colic and intestinal spasm. In addition ginger extracts exhibit anti-ulcer activities and cholesterol lowering effects. 

Spice Tea
2 slices fresh ginger; 1tsp fennel seeds and/or some cardamom pods; 1 clove; 1 bay leaf; ½ cinnamon stick; 2 mugs of water (or half water, half milk)
Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, turn off heat and add teaspoon of green tea (optional). Steep for a few minutes more and strain. Sweeten to taste and enjoy!