http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-power-of-ginger.html
Ginger as a Healer: Morning Sickness and Inflammation
By Kim Ridley, Ode Magazine
Ginger
This aromatic root has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic, Chinese and Tibb-Unani (traditional Islamic) medicine to treat health problems including digestive ailments, arthritis, infectious diseases, fever, high blood pressure, pain and muscle aches. Today, researchers are zeroing in on the biochemical effects of ginger in the body, which may not only help explain its benefits but also begin to lay the groundwork for new and less toxic treatments for a host of illnesses.
Two key compounds in the spice are gingerols, which gives fresh ginger its pungency, and shogaols, which gives dried ginger its zip. Some of the most convincing findings on ginger’s health benefits in humans come from studies of morning sickness. A study of 70 women in the first trimester of pregnancy led by Teraporn Vutyavanich of Chiang Mai University in Thailand reported that women who received one gram of ginger per day had significantly less nausea and vomiting from morning sickness than a control group given a placebo.
Ali Badreldin of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, along with colleagues in the UK and the United Arab Emirates, recently examined 91 studies on ginger conducted around the world over the last decade. In a 2008 review article in Food and Chemical Toxicology, the researchers highlight animal and test-tube studies that have found ginger can lower both blood sugar and cholesterol, contains pain-killing compounds that mimic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with fewer side effects, eases inflammation from arthritis and protects against ulcers.
Badreldin and his colleagues also note the results of studies in rodents that found that ginger has powerful antioxidant properties that protect against the toxic effects of radiation treatment and skin diseases caused by ultraviolet B radiation.
These studies lay the groundwork for possible ginger-based treatments for diabetes, arthritis and other inflammatory illness, protection against radiation sickness from cancer treatment and even cancer itself.
Even if ginger proves effective, these treatments are likely years away. What is known is that ginger has been used medicinally for centuries, underscoring its safety. Ginger is considered to be a safe herbal medicine with only few and insignificant adverse side effects, Badreldin notes. But he and his colleagues are also quick to say that large, rigorous clinical studies are needed to pinpoint ginger’s efficacy in various illnesses and uncover any side effects from long-term use.
If you want to try ginger, how much should you take? The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that no specific studies of doses have been conducted, but clinical studies on nausea generally use between 250 milligrams and 1 gram of powdered ginger root in a capsule, taken one to four times a day.
Try incorporating ginger into your diet with any of the following recipes:
Detox Ginger Tea
Gingered Pumpkin Soup
Double Ginger Ricotta Parfait with Raspberries
Ginger Cookies
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add your comment »I use ginger almost daily in form of tea, just adding a few roots to boiling water-up to 15 min., after i´ll either add some tea to gain a different taste or just let it cool off,put a teaspoon of maple syrup in to sweeten it-never use sugar!!!- and drink it over the whole day.In times of having a little cold, i´ll add a few gloves of garlic & same procedure as mentioned before, it helps me a lot!
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I seem to crave ginger. Maybe because of chronic pain?
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Ginger is a regular part of my diet. I cook a lively curry twice a week and the whole family loves it. A lively curry has lots of fresh grated ginger and garlic in it. I also like to break off small pieces of the root and plant them in a shallow pot. The resulting plants have the cleansing fragrance of ginger.
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I use ginger when ever I have sinus congestion.I buy it fresh and grate it up into a hot cup and drink for sinus relief.
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interesting... my dad makes homemade ginger gum by cutting it into thin slices and boiling it with brown sugar until the water evaporates. what's left over is a spicy sweet ginger gum that i absolutely love to chew on. this article tells me that its healthy to eat ! yummy :]
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I love ginger and use it as part of a sweet and sour sauce for all kinds of foods and dipping. It is healthy and great tasting.
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I'm not a big ginger ale fan, but it was a life-saver during the first trimester.
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Indian food has so much of ginger garlic and spices tht i feel we take health food at every meal :) I once my day with Ginger tea just becoz there was so much ginger left out and now it has become an everyday affair. My husband loves garlic that I use it almost in every dish except in desserts. My mom gives us ginger juice - fresh crushed ginger blended with honey and let to settle for 5-10 mins. strained n diluted with very little water for indigestion. Tastes awesome but leaves a fiery after effect in the mouth n throat ;)
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It's not clear if ginger has some negative effects during pregnancy or not, see for example http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/pregnancy-safe-consume-ginger-while-pregnant.html and http://www.xomba.com/warning_ginger_during_pregnancy_may_not_be_safe . (I have no idea whether or not those sites have any valid information, I just did a quick google search, but I DO know the ginger issue is not clear, so please, if you are pregnant or planning to be, make sure you find all the information there is before making individual decisions).
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Ginger acts as a healer it is true. In the ancient times and now also ginger is used in medicines for its medicinal value. It helps to prevent morning Sickness and Inflammation, lower blood sugar, cholesterol and much more.
vitamin b
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