The irregular shape of ginger may make it a little difficult to peel and prepare for eating but you will have many dividends by taking the time to include it in your regular diet.
Ginger could be very beneficial to your health both short and long term on many fronts.
There does seem to be a bit of a gray area here; is ginger a vegetable or a spice? I'm not sure but for the sake of argument I will refer to it as produce - at least that is where I find it in my favorite market; it's close to the produce section.
One thing that is certain about ginger is that it has many positive effects on the digestive tract.
It will help your body assimilate and absorb micro nutrients.
Ginger can aid in clearing circulatory channels; it's particularly good for sinus and throat congestion.
If you are not eating as much food as you know you should; try a piece of ginger one or two hours before meal time to get the digestive juices flowing and to help work up an appetite.
For hundreds of years ginger has been used in folk medicine to treat and help prevent colds and flu.
You can take ginger post operation to help relieve nausea.
Are you bothered by air or motion sickness? You could take some ginger for relief.
It can also very be helpful anytime even if you have a mild case of food poisoning.
Many women use it to relieve cramps and other symptoms during their menstrual cycle.
A very irritating problem we have all have had from time to time is flatulence.
If your life is a gas you might like to take a bit of ginger on regular bases to relieve this irritating problem.
Your friends will thank you for not inflicting your problems on them.
Truly anytime you have an upset tummy or any type of digestive tract problem, such as cramps you may want to consume some ginger for a noninvasive pain reliever.
Ginger has warming properties.
If you like; it could be a wise decision to take a thermal container full of ginger tea up the ski hill with you.
The tea would definitely be a better choice than to drink the traditional hot rum toddy; much better than any alcohol for that matter.
I also think the tea would also be a step up from drinking either hot coffee or hot chocolate to warm your body.
Ginger oil can be put in a warm bath to sooth aching muscles and joints after extended heavy physical exertion.
Researchers are finding out that ginger may not be just a lightweight for pain and discomfort relieve; as well these scientists are finding that it can be used as a treatment and even a possible cure for diseases that are stopping people from enjoying a productive life.
Try ginger for migraine relief, it has an ability to stop prostaglandins from inflaming the blood vessels; the cause of the pain.
Ginger is being tested as an aid in reducing diabetic nephropathy or in layman's terms; kidney damage caused by the diabetes.
Ginger or its derivatives are being tested as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis; the most common form of this disease; it usually affects the old but on occasion younger people and other creatures as well.
This form is hereditary and often starts with stiff joints in fingers and toes at an early age and slowly progresses to disfiguring or twisting at the joints of fingers and toes in more advanced stages accompanied by extreme pain; it gets progressively more severe as we get older.
The other major form of the disease, Osteoarthritis is caused from the overuse; it usually affects the main joints and is also accompanied by pain; often sever pain with some swelling.
This other major form of arthritis is also being treated with ginger.
Cancer is a disease with many faces; it comes in many forms that affect many parts of our body in different ways.
Both ovarian cancer and colon cancer are being treated with ginger.
Ginger is also reputed as being a preventative medicine for colon cancer in both sexes.
I wanted to save my favorite use for ginger for last.
If you are feeling amorous why not offer your partner a cup of ginger tea; it may help get things going for you and it will not be accompanied by the loss of motor skills that other mild aphrodisiacs like alcohol cause.
A couple of my favorite ways to use ginger are: one - grated and sprinkled liberally in my deep dish mango pie topped with a crumble crust and two - again grated and added to a stew.
I also make a blender hot sauce using spicy chilies, tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, garlic and ginger The sauce flavor varies somewhat every time because I use what I have on hand but it is always loaded with chilies and ginger.
I also love ginger candy; it is not as sweet as most of the items on conventional candy counters but it is sweet enough and it has a bite to it.
R.
M.
M.