Known as vishwabheshaja, “the universal medicine”, ginger (zingiber officinale) has been a panacea for digestive, respiratory, and circulatory disorders for thousands of years. Ginger’s versatility is found in ancient Ayurvedic texts, international cuisine, and a broad spectrum of home remedies. With today’s advent of scientific research, ginger’s therapeutic constituents are being isolated and tested against some of the most common diseases. Not only has it been scientifically proven to aid in digestion, ginger has also shown anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-oxidant properties. This article gives a brief background of ginger, its traditional Ayurvedic use, and its effectiveness in clinical trials.
HISTORY
Ginger is a perennial lily, indigenous to tropical Asia, though it has never been found growing in the wild. Even though its exact botanical origins are unknown, it plays a large role in the ancient traditions of Ayurveda, Unani, and Chinese Medicine. The flowering plant reaches heights of 3 to 4 feet, with leaves growing 6 to 12 inches long. Its flowers are white with purple streaks and grow in spikes.
The medicinal portion used is the rhizome, or horizontal, underground stem. This fleshy, aromatic, firm, fibrous, and plump portion of the plant is how it propagates itself, through its many knobby portions, and not through its sterile flowers. Today it grows throughout the world in tropical climates, its unique flavor finding its way into signature dishes worldwide. Whereas Indian, Chinese, and other Asian cuisines have used ginger for thousands of years, its unique qualities made it attractive to Europeans more recently, as an important ingredient along the spice trade routes. Ginger ale was popular in 19th century pubs, while ginger’s use in everything from baked goods, to salad dressings, to exotic dishes continues in the western world.
AYURVEDIC INTERPRETATION
In Ayurveda, ginger’s rasa (taste) is pungent and sweet, its virya (energy) heating, and its vipāka, (post- digestive effect) sweet. Even though it has a pungent and heating, it is tonifying, as a sweet vipāka implies. As Pole explains in Ayurvedic Medicine, this sweet vipāka leaves a cooling, lasting effect. Through its warm virya, it subdues vāta and kāpha, while increasing pitta, though it is often found counter-balanced in pitta-reducing remedies. As the “universal medicine,” it affects all dhātus (tissues) and specifically the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory srotas (channels).
The Ayurvedic actions of ginger, as described by Pole include: Āmanāśaka (Destroys toxins), Pācana (Digestive), Chardinigrahaṇa (Prevents nausea), Hikkānigrahaṇa (Stops hiccups), Agni dῑpana (Enkindles the digestive fire), Grāhῑ (Absorbs fluids from the intestines), Arśoghna (Removes piles), Śitapraśamana (Reduces feelings of cold), Rasāyana (Rejuvenative), Kāsaśvāsahara (Alleviates cough and breathing difficulties), and Vedanāsthāpana (Alleviates pain).14 Its therapeutic uses are also found throughout the Materia Medica of Ayurveda and the Sushrut Samhita, mostly in formulas treating varying complaints.
Ginger is a popular ingredient in cooking, and especially in Asian and Indian cuisine. It has also been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes. Possible health benefits include relieving nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness, and pain.
The root or underground stem (rhizome) of the ginger plant can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, in oil form, or as juice. Ginger is part of the Zingiberaceae family, alongside cardamom and turmeric. It is commonly produced in India, Jamaica, Fiji, Indonesia, and Australia.
It is available fresh and dried, as ginger extract and ginger oil, and in tinctures, capsules, and lozenges. Foods that contain ginger include gingerbread, cookies, ginger snaps, ginger ale, and a wide variety of savoury recipes.
1. Digestion
The phenolic compounds in ginger are known to help relieve gastrointestinal (GI) irritation, stimulate saliva and bile production, and suppress gastric contractions as food and fluids move through the GI tract.
At the same time, ginger also appears to have beneficial effects on the enzymes trypsin and pancreatic lipase, and to increase motility through the digestive tract. This suggests ginger could help prevent colon cancer and constipation.
2. Nausea
Chewing raw ginger or drinking ginger tea is a common home remedy for nausea during cancer treatment.
Taking ginger for motion sickness seems to reduce feelings of nausea, but it does not appear to prevent vomiting.
Ginger is safe to use during pregnancy, to relieve nausea. It is available in the form of ginger lozenges or candies.
3. Cold and flu relief
During cold weather, drinking ginger tea is good way to keep warm. It is diaphoretic, which means that it promotes sweating, working to warm the body from within.
To make ginger tea at home, slice 20 to 40 grams (g) of fresh ginger and steep it in a cup of hot water. Adding a slice of lemon or a drop of honey adds flavor and additional benefits, including vitamin C and antibacterial properties.
This makes a soothing natural remedy for a cold or flu.
4. Pain reduction
A study involving 74 volunteers carried out at the University of Georgia found that daily ginger supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscle pain by 25 percent.
Ginger has also been found to reduce the symptoms of dysmenorrhea, the severe pain that some women experience during a menstrual cycle.
5. Inflammation
Ginger has been used for centuries to reduce inflammation and treat inflammatory conditions.
A study published in Cancer Prevention Research journal reported that ginger supplements, which are available to buy online, reduced the risk of colorectal cancer developing in the bowel of 20 volunteers.
Ginger has also been found to be “modestly efficacious and reasonably safe” for treating inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.
6. Cardiovascular health
Other possible uses include reducing cholesterol, lowering the risk of blood clotting, and helping to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. More research is needed, but if proven, ginger could become part of a treatment for heart disease and diabetes.
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