Medicinal and culinary uses date back centuries

A moderate amount of fresh ginger when cooking can accentuate the necessary warmth in the stomach that it requires. A wonderful analogy to consider is that the stomach is a soup kettle that needs heat to efficiently cook and transform the food that is inside. Foods that are cold from the refrigerator or raw pose an impediment to the stomach’s digestive task. Since the foods we eat can prevent and cure illness the stomach’s task is very important. Ginger is a splendid food and a prized medicinal substance. When you are first coming down with a cold several cups of ginger tea or a meal combining ginger and some pungent spices may aid the body’s circulation and encourage sweating; which in oriental medicine is necessary to release the exterior and the pathogenic factor.

Ginger treats stomach complaints of many varieties: It is good for calming nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and motion sickness and nausea from chemotherapy. Recent research highlights that ginger shrinks certain types of tumors. According to a small study conducted by the University of Maryland 70 pregnant women with severe vomiting were given less than one gram of ginger daily for four days and reported reduced nausea and vomiting compared to the placebo group. Ginger will even serve to calm colic in young children.

Ginger aids circulation. Osteoarthritic pain caused by cold and dampness can greatly improve applying a warm ginger compress directly to painful areas, or if recommended in specific for your internal constitution, by ingesting two to four grams of fresh ginger juice daily.

Further clinical conditions that are responsive to ginger as a medicinal element are: atherosclerosis, bronchitis, elevated cholesterol, heart disease, blood clots and varicosities and weight loss. 

Ginger Tea:  Use 4 cups of filtered water.  A diced 2 inch piece of juicy ginger root.  Simmer water and ginger for 15 minutes in a sauce pan covered with a lid.  (1/2 to 1 umeboshi plum may also be added in the last 2 minutes for morning sickness, food poisoning and overall digestive strengthening).  Strain and enjoy.  A small amount of honey is optional for enjoyment but plain ginger tea is best for warding off cold and flu.  Rx:  Excellent for nausea, poor circulation, sluggish metabolism, chills and colitis.

Ginger Compress:  Use 2 quarts of hot (but not boiling) water.  5 ounces of grated ginger prepared by simmering over low heat for 20 minutes.  Strain out ginger pieces.  Cool to a temperature that allows saturating a wash cloth in the tea and wringing excess.  Apply to the area.  Reheat as desired. The area should become flushed if the mixture is strong enough.  Apply twice per day for 15 minutes, in 1 week increments. Rx: Useful for menstrual cramps and aches when applied to the abdomen and lower back, for chronic aches and arthritic stiffness, bonespurs and back aches due to cold or damp climate. 

*Caution: Patients are advised to use ginger minimally and to speak with their practitioner if they are taking blood thinning medication, since ginger warms and circulates blood, making platelets less sticky.  * During pregnancy fresh ginger root is safe, but dry ginger should be avoided.  * Caution using ginger with gallstones.