Ginger (which you might recognize as the pink stuff that comes with your sushi, but comes in many other forms) actually offers a ton of health benefits! Who knew, right?
What we consume as ginger is actually the stem and root of a ginger plant, and we usually stick to its usage as a spice. Here are some ways you can utilize ginger to improve your overall health.
Alleviating Nausea
If you’re prone to nausea (or if you are just pregnant or sick), try out some ginger! There are actually scientific studies proving the effectiveness of ginger for nausea, so this isn’t pseudoscience. It’s best to stick to capsule form if you’re using ginger to help stop your nausea. It’s safe during pregnancy as well, but you should definitely consult your doctor about the amount to take.
Improving Digestion
On a related note, ginger can also help regulate digestion, and help ease discomfort, pain, and heartburn caused by problems with digestion. There are many different ways to consume ginger, so if your aim is to help your digestion, you may want to try ginger tea, which might be more soothing than other forms (and is also good for those who have problems swallowing pills).
Helping Inflammation
Ginger is great for helping muscle and joint pain, soreness, and stiffness. That’s because ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, which ease the inflammation that causes those conditions.
Lowering Cholesterol
Ginger is thought to bring down bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels when consumed regularly, which helps decrease the risk of heart disease.
Possible Other Uses
While these are smaller studies and therefore can’t be taken as fact just yet, there is research pointing to the idea that ginger may be helpful in preventing other long term health problems as well. These include dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as possibly inhibiting growth in ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Again, its not a guarantee, but there is some documented evidence.
Read more: