Now that the weather is on its way to the cooler side of things, cold and flu season isn’t far behind. One of the tools in my herbal pharmacy chest is ginger root and I always have some on hand. Not only is it a spicy treat, but it offers lots of healing power as well.Ginger contains anti-viral, anti-toxic and anti-fungal properties, is used for the prevention/treatment against the common cold and also acts as an antihistamine to aid in the treatment of allergies. Its anti-inflammatory properties can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and various other muscular disorders caused by inflammation.
Ginger has carminative properties (anti-spasmodic) and can be used to calm an upset stomach, relieves bloating and gas and contains special enzymes responsible for catalyzing the proteins in your food, thus aiding in digestion.
It’s been proven to help lower cholesterol levels and prevent the formation of blood clots, helps stimulate the secretion of mucus which can quiet a cough and soothe a sore throat. It’s been used to treat feelings of nausea, particularly in the form of seasickness, morning sickness, motion sickness and the nausea side effects of chemotherapy.
So...it's a great thing to have on hand, but what do I do with it? Let me guess...you have great intentions, buy a nice chunk of root only to have it sit around and shrivel up? Well, I've got a great tip. Once you get the ginger home, chop it into manageable sized pieces...
...peel off the skin, pop the pieces in a Ziploc baggie and toss them in the freezer!! They keep forever and you never have to worry about wasting another cluster of ginger again.
The next time your recipes call for this beloved root, simply pull out a piece and grate it with a microplane. When you get down to the very end of the piece and find it hard to grate, save those little bits of goodness to use in your morning smoothies.Ginger tea is an everyday favorite around here and it's so simple. Use the microplane to grate about a tablespoon into the bottom of a cup, then pour in boiling water and voilà! Instant ginger tea! Add a touch of honey if you like something sweeter and some cinnamon is a neat add too (:
Adding ginger to your diet offers so many benefits. Have some each day and keep the cold and flu away (: Enjoy!!
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