Taking frequent doses of medication to alleviate various pains and discomfort can be off-putting to a lot of people. Select herbal remedies can offer a healthy alternative to medicine by offering the same comforts via natural means.
In this article, we’ll look at the extent of ginger’s positive effects on the stomach.
Origins of Ginger Root
Ginger is a common household spice to most of us. Only the root is ever used in any form of cooking, so it also goes by Ginger Root, or its less commonly used botanical name, Zingiber Officinale.
Technically, the botanical name is the most accurate since ginger is technically not a root, contrary to most people. Ginger is a rhizome which means a stem grows horizontally underground with smaller sub-roots that shoot from its sides.
Above ground, however, the ginger plant is roughly three feet (or one meter) tall with grassy leaves that are usually accompanied by yellowish flowers. Only when the leaves begin to wither and die can the rhizome be dug up and used as an herb.
The “zingiber” in the name is due to the plant’s original discovery in India, and it describes the antler-like appearance of the rhizome “root.”
Today, ginger is primarily grown in India, China, and Nigeria, but there are also lesser sources in Nepal, Indonesia, and Thailand. There were ginger plantations in Jamaica, but various diseases have destroyed the crops and halted production.
Ginger has been included in traditional Chinese food and remedies for thousands of years. It was a go-to herb for whenever a cold would arise due to bad weather. Over the years, we’ve seen it take some fairly iconic shapes.
Thanks to Queen Elizabeth I herself, we have gingerbread men available at Christmas time. This was due to her baking skills and creativity, which she applied to her cookies in order to surprise visiting dignitaries.
Of course, there’s also the well-known Canadian-made soft drink, Ginger Ale, which became popular during the prohibition as a generally alcohol-free option. Even in the form of a tasty drink, ginger also helped ease some pain in the stomach which is the main enticement for using ginger today.
How Ginger Can Help
The health benefits of ginger are plentiful. Ginger has proven time and time again to help stomachs find their peace. It can also be taken in several ways and will usually result in relaxation of the stomach and decreased discomfort.
Ginger is usually informally prescribed within the household, but a few teaspoons prove to alleviate irritation caused by a sensitive stomach, diarrhea, inflammation, menstrual cramps, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Boost Digestive Tract
Traditionally, ginger is ground into ginger powder for culinary use or infused into herbal teas. Individuals experiencing stomach-related pain could brew some tea and mix a few grams of ginger powder into it (or chamomile) and observe improvements to their pain and the general function of their digestive tract.
Helps Reduce Heartburn
Drinking chamomile or ginger tea is also said to reduce cases of heartburn, but this would be a secondary, less common effect. In fact, to anyone who would react negatively to the remedy, it may cause heartburn instead of alleviating it.
Reduces Redness and Swelling
Ginger doesn’t just improve gastric motility and make the digestion tract feel better, but it also smoothens it out. Ginger can coat the inside of the stomach and intestines, which both heals and soothes it and decreases inflammation. It also hastens the travel of food through the gastrointestinal tract, meaning ginger could be used as a very mild laxative to aid in constipation.
Usually, things that help with constipation or digestion also fix other symptoms like bloating, gas, and cramps, and ginger is no exception.
Help Relieve Symptoms of Nausea
Ginger also affects the levels of acidity in the stomach. By coating the internal walls of the stomach and intestines, ginger protects the inside of your body against an overly acidic stomach. This is usually a product of nausea and vomiting, and can contribute to morning sickness or negative symptoms during the menstrual cycle.
By adjusting acidity levels, ginger may reduce these symptoms of nausea and prevent stomach acid from making its way towards the esophagus.
Increases Appetite
During cases of nausea and constipation, it’s natural to not want to eat. Another perk that can come from your ginger intake is increasing your appetite by alleviating the symptoms counterproductive to a healthy appetite.
Psychological problems can also prove to be the root of a loss of appetites, such as stress or depression. These issues are deeper and require a specific form of treatment that is not within ginger’s wheelhouse. Ginger’s specialty is improving the digestive tract, which will increase appetite.
Ginger may also offer benefits when it comes to high LDL cholesterol levels, blood glucose or blood sugar levels, and high blood pressure.
How To Prepare Ginger
There are a few ways ginger can be prepared for ingestion, but hundreds of recipes and modifications exist for a tasty spin. You’ll notice that when you make a deep slice into the “root” the brownish exterior hides a pale yellowish tone inside.
Cooking
Cooking with ginger can be done in large portions or chunks, shaved or grated and used as a zest, or ground into a powder via mortar and pestle. You’ll notice that ginger is fairly dry to the touch, but it ignites with a peppery sweetness once consumed. Most people would also describe ginger as a source of heat and spice, adding a little bit of kick to most meals.
Other methods of including ginger in a meal usually entail chopping or grading the ginger into much smaller pieces. Grading for zest or blending into a puree would allow you to incorporate ginger into a tasty soup. You could also grade it straight over fish for a bit of spice or include it in a marinade for chicken.
If you’re making a stir fry or in cases of Asian recipes, small bits of the ginger can be included and mixed in with various vegetables for an excellent blend of flavors. And, of course, there are the iconic gingerbread cookies that include ginger as well.
Tea
As was mentioned before, tea is both the easiest and most traditional way of utilizing ginger. Taking moderated doses of ginger tea can bring plenty of relaxation to the digestion tract and the body as a whole. Making the tea is as easy as chopping a piece of ginger to the desired proportion and bringing water to a boil in a saucepan, then pouring hot water over it.
To make ginger tea, you need to grind the ginger and mix it with other spices like cinnamon for a comforting, tasty blend.
Mixing in other tea flavorings, like turmeric or cardamom, or hints of honey and lemon will only enhance the flavor and possibly its healthiness too. Ginger itself is full of beneficial compounds, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant properties that combat oxidative stress from free radicals.
The Takeaway
If you are experiencing stomach-related issues and discomfort, then ginger may be the best herb to turn to. Fresh ginger is known to aid in many ways that help ease the stomach.
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Sources:
Ginger - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center
