Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Sorry, been Sick - The Glory of Ginger

Sorry about the lateness of this post--it hasn`t been a great holiday season for me. First off, I must have been a really naughty girl in 2007, `cause Santa didn`t even give me a lump of coal--yup I had a 104-degree fever on Christmas Eve. Then came the sore throats and ear aches...
The one good thing about being sick was it gave me an opportunity to drink tea religiously, meaning even more than I do already. In my family it`s all ginger, honey and lime if you get the sniffles; it really warms you up. Turns out ginger`s good for a lot of stuff.

Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. By increasing the production of digestive fluids and saliva, Ginger helps relieve indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. The primary known constituents of Ginger Root include gingerols, zingibain, bisabolenel, oleoresins, starch, essential oil (zingiberene, zingiberole, camphene, cineol, borneol), mucilage, and protein. Ginger root is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness. Ginger has been found to be even more effective than Dramamine® in curbing motion sickness, without causing drowsiness. Ginger's anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms. Ginger's therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin. Other uses for Ginger Root include the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems by loosening and expelling phlegm from the lungs. Ginger Root may also be used to help break fevers by warming the body and increasing perspiration.


Not just that pink stuff at the sushi bar, in other words. Who knew? Anyway, an overdue Happy New Year for the rest of you, hope yours didn`t involve popping an Advil and watching satellite TV all night, then getting woken up by a cell phone message from your mom at midnight (which doesn`t sound so bad if I put it that way).

sources:
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/ginger.html

2 comments:

The Chocolate Nerd said...

Hey, I just picked up a Limited Edition pint of Green Tea Haagen-Dazs. It tastes like Matcha. Pretty yummy!

Cakespy said...

Way to show the story behind the pink stuff--not just! I love seeing these "food history" posts. Thank you!