The 7 benefits of Ginger
Surely you know ginger and have even tried it, but do you know the benefits of ginger?
What is Ginger?
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant of the Zingiberaceae family, whose underground stem is a horizontal rhizome highly appreciated for its aroma and spicy flavor. The plant reaches 90 cm high, with 20 cm long leaves.
Commonly the most appreciated and used part is the ” root” which is actually the underground stem or rhizome.
The nutritional value per 100 grams is detailed given below. In the parentheses comes % of the recommended daily amount for adults.
If you look closely you will see the high amount of vitamins and trace elements it has, making it a very healthy food.
Ginger
Nutritional value per 100 g
Energy 336kcal 1404kJ
- carbohydrates : 71.62g
- Sugars : 3.39g
- Dietary fiber : 14.1g
- fats : 4.24g
- protien : 8.98g
- water : 9.98g
- Thiamin (vit. B1 ) : 0.046mg (4%)
- Riboflavin (vit. B 2 ) : 0.17mg (11%)
- Niacin (vit. B3 ) : 9.62mg (64%)
- Pantothenic acid (vit. B 5 ) : 0.477mg (10%)
- Vitamin B6 : 0.626mg (48%)
- Vitamin C : 0.7mg (1%)
- Vitamin E : 0mg (0%)
- Calcium : 114mg (11%)
- Iron : 19.8mg (158%)
- Magnesium : 214mg (58%)
- Manganese : 33.3mg (1.665%)
- Match : 168mg (24%)
- Potassium : 1,320mg (28%)
- Sodium : 27mg (2%)
- Zinc : 3.64mg (36%)
% of the recommended daily amount for adults.
Ginger History
Ginger is native to Southeast Asia, a region in whose kitchens this fabulous spice is still used regularly.
The first writings about Ginger date back thousands of years, specifically from documents from ancient China, India and the Middle East.
In these documents, it could already be denoted that ginger was long appreciated for its excellent aromatic, culinary and medicinal properties.
The Romans were the first to import ginger from Asia to Europe, they tried this unknown tuber and were so impressed with its excellent properties that they made an effort to make it known throughout the Mediterranean, concentrating its use there.
It will be in the Middle Ages, when the use of Ginger spread to the rest of Europe.
Ginger was a very expensive and exclusive spice, due to the fact that it had to be imported from Asia and therefore, you can imagine that it was only available to very few people.
In the 16th century, a group of Spanish entrepreneurs came up with the brilliant idea of introducing the cultivation of ginger in the Antilles, Mexico and South America, and managed to reduce its cost, and therefore many more people were able to enjoy the excellent properties of this healthy spice.
The 7 Benefits of Ginger in our health:
1. Improves our gastrointestinal system
Ginger has a long-standing tradition of being very effective in relieving the symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort and facilitating digestion.
In herbal medicine, Ginger is considered an excellent carminative (a substance that promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) and intestinal spasmolytic (a substance that relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract).
2. It is an aphrodisiac
Does it surprise you? Maybe yes. It was a surprise to discover this property.
And it is not because of its shape or being a root, but rather its aphrodisiac nature comes largely from its ability to improve our blood circulation.
Ginger increases the sensitivity of the erogenous zones, especially when consumed candied or raw.
In addition, the legend says that ” Madame du Barry ” gave Ginger to the mistresses of “King Louis XVI”, so that they knew how to satisfy the needs of their King.
3. Helps reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
Ginger is very effective in relieving vomiting, even in the most serious cases such as “hyperemesis gravidum”: a condition that usually requires hospitalization.
In a recent double-blind trial, the use of ginger root caused a significant reduction in nausea and the number of vomiting attacks in 19 of 27 women in early pregnancy (less than 20 weeks).
It is also important to know that unlike antiemetic drugs, which can cause serious birth defects, Ginger is extremely safe and requires only a small dose. The trial also confirmed no significant side effects or adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes.
In any case, if it were the case, you should always consult your gynecologist about the best treatment to relieve nausea during pregnancy.
4. It is very beneficial for the joints
Ginger contains very powerful anti- inflammatory compounds called “ gingerols ”.
These substances explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain levels and improved mobility when consuming Ginger regularly.
For example, I was struck by the discovery that a one-year medical trial of 29 patients (6 men and 23 women, ages 42-85) with painful arthritis in the knee revealed that:
At the end of the first six-month period, patients receiving Ginger experienced significantly less pain with movement and disability than patients receiving placebo.
But why does ginger have such magical anti-inflammatory power?
Two other recent studies answer this question.
Ginger is beneficial for our health in general, because it protects us against free radicals, thanks to one of its active phenolic constituents: “Ginger 6-gingerol”.
Another study published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine sheds more light on ginger’s anti-inflammatory efficacy, as it:
In this research, ginger was shown to suppress the generation of pro-inflammatory compounds (cytokines and chemokines) produced by synoviocytes (cells that make up the synovial lining of joints), chondrocytes (cells that contain joint cartilage), and leukocytes (immune cells) .
5. Protects against Colon Cancer
An important meeting of Cancer experts that took place in Phoenix in October 2003, discovered that “gingerols”: the main active components of Ginger and those responsible for its peculiar flavor, can also inhibit the growth of Colon -Rectal Cancer cells. human.
In addition, a subsequent investigation carried out by the University of Minnesota and the Hormel Institute, confirmed that ginger compounds can be an effective chemo-preventive for colon-rectal carcinomas.
6. Induces cell death of Ovarian Cancer cells
Results of laboratory experiments presented at the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer revealed that gingerols, the active phytonutrients in ginger, kill ovarian cancer cells by inducing apoptosis ( programmed cell death) and autophagocytosis (self-digestion).
7. It is a great enhancer of our defenses
In addition to raising our body temperature on a cold day, ginger also helps promote healthy sweating, which is helpful during colds and flus.
This type of healthy sweating helps detoxify and expel flu viruses.
And up to here, all the properties that Ginger has on our health.
Why is it surprising to know how many properties ginger has?
One of the ways in which we can consume ginger is with a cup of tea, where we add the benefits of tea to the properties of ginger at the same time, in addition to enjoying a delicious aroma and flavor.
We believe that it is important to take care of our health, always without becoming obsessed and if including Ginger in our lives means that we are going to strengthen our health and feel better…
What do we lose? Nothing, on the contrary, we always win.
Ginger infusions
All of them have their characteristic flavor and you can take them with milk or on their own; with sugar, without sugar, with honey, etc. etc.