HEALTH: Ginger, Spice Up Your Meals -and Health- with Ginger (REMEDIES, HERBS)

[Guest guest]

Spice Up Your Meals -and Health- with Ginger

Martha Schueneman, C.C.P.

 

Ginger has been used to fight nausea, improve circulation, relieve pain

and aid digestion for millennia. Now, researchers around the world are

finding out why this herbal remedy works.

 

Did your mother give you ginger ale when you had the flu? If so, she was

drawing on this herb’s long medical history. Chinese and Ayurvedic

doctors have prescribed ginger to combat nausea for 2,500 years; ancient

Greeks mixed ginger with bread to eat as a digestive; the Japanese have

long served ginger as an antidote to fish poisoning; and Colonial

Americans drank ginger beer to relieve seasickness and morning sickness.

 

A Proven Remedy

 

At first glance, ginger is not nutritionally impressive. One teaspoon of

fresh ginger—about the amount in a serving of a stir-fry—supplies only 8

milligrams of potassium and just trace amounts of vitamins and other

minerals. So where does ginger get its health-boosting properties?

 

To begin with, ginger contains several potent phytochemicals. Most of

its punch comes from phenols, the same group of compounds that imbue red

wine with its healthful properties. It also contains cucurmin, an

anticarcinogen in turmeric, to which it is related; and capsaicin, the

antioxidant that gives peppers their heat. Ginger has been shown to:

 

* reduce the symptoms of nausea. Most nausea-quelling medicines act on

the central nervous system. Ginger works in the gastrointestinal tract1

to reduce queasiness, which is why it’s effective in combating nausea

from a variety of sources, including motion sickness1,2 and morning

sickness.3 Studies measuring ginger’s efficacy in preventing nausea

after surgery were mixed,4 however, and clinical trials to determine the

safety of using ginger to prevent chemotherapy-related nausea are ongoing.

 

* protect against ulcers. Researchers in India recently have identified

several anti-ulcer compounds in ginger.5 It is believed to absorb and

neutralize stomach acids.

 

* thin the blood. Gingerols appear to improve circulation by reducing

the formation of platelets6, the cells responsible for blood clotting

and, in extreme instances, stroke. People who take blood-thinning

medications such as anticoagulants or platelet inhibitors should avoid

large quantities of ginger.

 

* reduce cholesterol. A recent study conducted in Israel demonstrates

that ginger extract reduced cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein

oxidation in mice.7

 

One study published in 2002 indicates that ginger’s antioxidant

properties are comparable to those of vitamin C.8 Other research

demonstrates that ginger has antibacterial and analgesic properties.4

Ginger also shows promise in relieving pain due to arthritis and migraines.9

 

How to Use It

 

Ginger has been used as a seasoning for more than 4,000 years, and it is

generally regarded as safe for medicinal use. It is available in a

variety of forms, including essential oil, extract, tablets and

capsules, ground, fresh and candied or crystallized. Ginger’s potency

varies with its freshness; processing concentrates it.

 

If you use a processed form of ginger for medicinal purposes, select a

product that mentions the phenols gingerol and shagaol on the label. Do

not exceed recommended doses, or about 4 grams per day (the amount in 1

teaspoon of fresh or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger). Pregnant women and

individuals taking blood thinners should use ginger under the guidance

of a health-care professional. Large doses (about 6 grams) can interact

with some medications, interfere with blood clotting and cause

gastrointestinal distress, particularly if taken on an empty stomach.

 

Avoid crystallized ginger. It is made by cooking fresh ginger in syrup

and coating it with sugar, and it has the carbs to prove it. One ounce

of fresh ginger has 3 grams of Net Carbs. One ounce of crystallized

ginger? A whopping 24 grams.

 

You’ll find fresh ginger root in the produce section of the supermarket.

Look for ginger with plump knobs and smooth, somewhat shiny skin. The

skin can be tough, so recipes often recommend peeling it before use.

Because navigating the knobs with a paring knife or vegetable peeler can

be tricky business, use a spoon to scrape off the skin. Fresh ginger is

quite fibrous. Grate ginger on the fine side of a box grater to obtain

its pulp, then discard the larger strings.

 

Ginger tea is a refreshing and delicious tonic. To make a cup, pour 8

ounces of boiling water over 1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

(add a strip of lemon zest, if you like) and let it steep 10 minutes.

Strain, stir in a packet of Splenda®, if desired, and drink while warm.

 

Ginger can enliven main dishes such as Ginger Grilled Pork Tenderloin,

side dishes such as Ginger, Almond and Garlic Broccoli, sauces such as

Ginger, Soy and Sesame Dipping Sauce and desserts such as Ginger Flan,

to name a few.

 

Martha Schueneman is a certified culinary professional and a writer who

specializes in food and nutrition. Until recently she was senior editor

at Reader’s Digest Illustrated Reference Books, where she managed the

cookbook publishing program.

 

Selected References

 

1. Holtmann, S., Clarke, A.H., Scherer, H., et al., “The Anti-Motion

Sickness Mechanism of Ginger: A Comparative Study with Placebo and

Dimenhydrinate,” Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 108(3-4), 1989, pages 168-174.

2. Mowrey, D.B., Clayson, D.E., “Motion Sickness, Ginger and

Psychophysics,” Lancet, 20(1), 1982, pages 655-657.

3. Fischer-Rasmussen, W., Kjaer, S.K., Dahl, C., et al., “Ginger

Treatment of Hyperemesis Gravidarum,” European Journal of Obstetrics,

Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 38(1), 1991, pages 19-24.

4. O’Hara, M., Kiefer, D., Farrell, K., et al., “A Review of 12

Commonly Used Medicinal Herbs,” Archives of Family Medicine, 7(6), 1998,

pages 523-536.

5. Goel, R.K., Sairam, K., “Anti-Ulcer Drugs from Indigenous Sources

with Emphasis on Musa Sapientum, Tamrabhasma, Asparagus Racemosus and

Zingiber Officinale,” Indian Journal of Pharmacology, 34(2), 2002, pages

100-110.

6. Guh, J.H, Ko, F.N., Jong, T.T., et al., “Antiplatelet Effect of

Gingerol Isolated from Zingiber Officinale,” Journal of Pharmacy and

Pharmacology, 47(4), 1995, pages 329-332.

7. Fuhrman, B., Rosenblat, M., Hayek, T., et al., “Ginger Extract

Consumption Reduces Plasma Cholesterol, Inhibits LDL Oxidation and

Attenuates Development of Atherosclerosis in Atherosclerotic,

Apolipoprotein E-deficient Mice,” Journal of Nutrition, 130(5), 2000,

pages 1124-1131.

8. Ahmed, R.S., Seth, V., Banerjee, B.D., “Influence of Dietary

Ginger (Zingiber Officinales Rosc) on Antioxidant Defense Sytem in Rat:

Comparison with Ascorbic Acid,” Indian Journal of Experimental Biology

38(6), 2000, pages 604-606.

9. Mustafa, T., Srivastava, K.C., “Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) in

Migraine Headache,” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 29(3), 1990, pages

267-273.

 

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[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

Ginger and Ginger EO are also being used for treating rheumatoid (?)

arthritis. I have a friend doing this and after 2 months she takes

an occassional pain pill. When the inflamation flares up, she will

put the EO in the freezer for a minute and then apply cold oil to the

area. She started out drinking ginger tea, but had to back off that

as the only source for ginger as it bothered her stomach. She will

make compresses with the spice though.

 

Buffy

 

, WildMouse <wildmouse@i...>

wrote:

> Spice Up Your Meals -and Health- with Ginger

> Martha Schueneman, C.C.P.

>

> Ginger has been used to fight nausea, improve circulation, relieve

pain and aid digestion for millennia. Now, researchers around the >

***