Ginger has a long history of health benefits, including relief from nausea, digestive issues and pain. The most commonly used part of the plant for medicinal purposes is the root or underground stem, known as the rhizome.
It can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, or used in the form of an oil or as juice. If you don’t use ginger in your kitchen, here are 8 reasons why you might want to start.
1. Ginger Relieves Digestive Issues
The phenolic compounds in ginger have been shown to help relieve irritation in the gastrointestinal tract. They help to stimulate saliva and bile production while allowing food and fluids to move through the GI tract more smoothly.
2. Ginger Relieves Nausea
Drinking ginger tea or even consuming raw ginger is a common and safe home remedy for nausea, especially during cancer treatment or pregnancy and morning sickness.
3. Ginger Can Relieve Pain
Daily ginger supplementation reduced muscle pain by 25% and been found to reduce pain during menstrual cycles.
4. Ginger Reduces Inflammation
Osteoarthritis is a common health problem that involves the degeneration of the joints in the body, causing joint pain and stiffness. In a trial of 247 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, those who took ginger extract had less pain and required less pain medication.
5. Ginger May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
Consuming just 2 grams of ginger powder each day lowered blood sugar and led to a 10% overall reduction over a period of 12 weeks. With the effects of ginger on blood sugar, your risk of heart disease may be lowered by at leas 10%.
6. Ginger May Lower Cholesterol Levels
3 grams of ginger powder each day caused significant reductions in cholesterol levels. Researchers believe that ginger can aid in lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart disease.
7. Ginger May Have Anti-Cancer Properties
A substance in ginger known as 6-gingerol has been studied as an alternative treatment for several types of cancer. Two grams of ginger extract each day significantly reduced pro-inflammatory signaling molecules in the colon.
8. Ginger May Improve Brain Function
Some studies suggest that the antioxidants and bioactive compounds in ginger can inhibit inflammatory responses that occur in the brain. Ginger extract was shown to improve reaction time and working memory, suggesting that ginger supports brain health in multiple ways.
Source: Daily Health Post
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