It’s the time of the year when we get winter colds and the
cooler weather can make our aches and pains worse. Ginger is such a warming and
comforting herb, I associate it with this time of year and my Yorkshire gran’s ginger bread loaves, Christmas
time with dad's crystallised ginger and warming foot baths. I thought I’d
take a look at it’s different uses, in fact I thought it won’t take long to
come up with 10 bullet points and as usual I found myself getting further
involved…
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| Ginger Root (from www.cancerbattlefield.com) |
1.
Aids digestion
– Ginger is a great herb for digestion. It aids in the digestion of fatty foods
so I’m not surprised that we eat it at times of festivity when we eat a rich
diet. amritaveda.com
It is also carminative; helps with
flatulence: the volatile oils in ginger relax the stomach and stimulate
peristalsis (the wavelike motion of food through the gut) thereby supporting
digestion and reducing gas herbs-hands-healing.co.uk
2.
Helps to
reduce high blood pressure – Ginger’s warming quality improves and
stimulates circulation and relaxes the muscles surrounding blood vessels,
facilitating the flow of blood throughout the body.amritaveda
3.
Aids
nausea and morning sickness – Ginger has been widely shown to prevent as
well as treat motion sickness, relax the stomach and relieve the feeling of
nausea amritaveda. Chew
on ginger, preferably tossed in a little honey Food Matters.
4.
Lowers LDL
cholesterol – Studies show ginger can lower cholesterol absorption in the
blood and liver. Its extract can help reduce the levels of LDL (bad)
cholesterol in the body, reducing the risk of developing heart disease amritaveda. A study published in 2008 in the Saudi Medical Journal showed patients with
high cholesterol who took 3 grams of ginger a day had significantly lowered
cholesterol levels in just 45 days Vegetarian Times.
6.
In
Ayurvedic texts it’s an aphrodisiac – can heat up your bedroom!
7.
Joint
pain – Ginger is anti-inflammatory, add it to your bath tub Food Matters. Ginger in an
oil or balm can be rubbed on areas such as joints and muscles that ache.
8.
Prevents
blood clots - Ginger interferes with the long sequence of events necessary
for blood clots to form. This helps to prevent clots that can lodge in narrowed
coronary arteries and set off a heart attack. Something called thromboxane
synthesis initiates clot formation and ginger inhibits this process. Ginger
also inhibits the clumping together of platelets in the blood NStar.
9.
An immune
system booster – ginger is considered to be a hot spice, meaning that it
has a warming effect on the human body. Consuming ginger causes the body to
sweat. The sweat glands produce a compound which, in turn, protects the skin
from infection and we get the term “to sweat out” a cold Planet Save.You could also try a ginger foot bath,
warming on a cold wintry day and the soles of our feet can absorb so much.
10.
Contains
Gingerol – the active ingredient that reduces pain with its
anti-inflammatory effect is also thought to be anti-microbial and anti-viral Vegetarian Times.Ginger is also a rubefacient and when applied to the skin, it stimulates and
dilates the blood capillaries, increasing circulation.
How to take your ginger?
Surely the nicest way is to take it in our
food. Lots of Asian and Caribbean recipes contain good amounts of ginger.
Europeans are good at ginger in biscuits and puddings, so perhaps to be taken
more in moderation this way.
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| Remember to have gingerbread in moderation! (littleabout.com) |
More medicinal ways include:
For
colds: ginger tea and a hot ginger bath at the first sign of a cold.
Ginger tea is made by simmering about an inch
(2.5cm) ginger in 2 cups of water for about 10 minutes, strain and drink.
The ginger bath is made by putting 4
tablespoons of ginger powder in a piece of cloth or old sock and running the
bath water over it. Have a 20 minute soak, and even better – drink your ginger
tea in your ginger bath! (Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal, 2010, Kitchen Medicine).
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| Peeled ginger |
For
boils
A poultice can be made from equal parts of ginger
powder and flour made into a paste with water and placed over the boil, cling
film can be put over to hold it in place and a hot water bottle over the top
will help thing come along more speedily (Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal,
2010).
Pneumonia
A chest poultice moves mucus from the
lungs, helping respiration and increasing circulation, it also increases
sweating (Matthew Wood, 2008, The Earthwise Herbal).
In
labour
Fresh ginger tea sweetened with honey or
maple syrup to help maintain strength and contractions and give immediate blood
sugar (Matthew Wood, 2008).
Cold
extremities
Foot or hand bath using ginger tea.
Sore
or cramped muscles
Ginger infused oil or salve rubbed onto the
area.
Double infused oil:
You will need a double boiler pan (Bain Marie),
vegetable oil such as sunflower oil, chopped up ginger roots, a sieve, and a
jar.
·
Your double boiler has water boiling in the
bottom pan and your ingredients go in the top pan. Put half of your ginger in
the top pan and cover it with your chosen vegetable oil.
·
Wait 2 hours
·
Strain off the oil from the ginger, keep the
oil.
·
Put the other half of the ginger in the pan and
cover with the same oil. Your ginger has been used once, the oil twice.
·
Wait another 2 hours
·
Strain off the oil from the ginger, put it into
a jar and label
·
You now have a double infused oil
Use this oil as a muscle rub or on aching, inflamed joints.
Massage onto cold hands and feet to help warmth and circulation. Try different
variations such as adding chillies to your ginger and make it chilli and ginger
oil. If you know how to use essential oils safely then perhaps you could add
some oils to your cooled ginger oil.
Making a ginger salve:
You need your double infused ginger oil, beeswax and a
double boiler (or Pyrex bowl over pan of hot water).
·
Put your oil in the double boiler or Pyrex bowl.
·
Add beeswax. Beeswax makes the mixture solidify;
the more beeswax used, the firmed your salve will be. Six parts oil to 1 part
wax makes a soft salve that you can easily poke your fingers into, four parts
oil to 1 part wax makes a very firm salve. More than six parts oil makes a very
squidgy salve that you can easily scoop out.
·
Pour it into your jar and let it set.
·
Label the jar, I have learnt that even if you
think you have the memory of the proverbial elephant you do not remember what
is in which jar!
A salve creates a less messy way to apply the oil with its
ginger properties.
Make your salve with any oil you have made, or even a plain
vegetable oil salve to make a lip salve, just put it in a little jar.
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| Pots of salve made at one of Sarah Head's workshops |
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