Is Ginger Really Healthy For Health

 

Ginger is a flowering plant that has been used to treat ailments for thousands of years. This flavorful herb is known to originate from Southeast Asia, and is among one of the healthiest (and most delicious) spices on the planet. Ginger is also known as adrakh.

It belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, and it’s closely related to turmeric, cardamom, and galangal. Not only ginger add flavour in food, but it's also great for your health. 

Ginger is naturally packed with some amazing nutrients like, iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, flavonoids, phenolic compounds (gingerdiol, gingerol, gingerdione and shogaols), Sesquiterpenes and paradols.

Ginger has long been used as an herbal medicine to treat various symptoms including vomiting, pain and cold symptoms. Additionally they have also shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycaemic, antioxidant anti-diabetic, anti-clotting and analgesic properties. [1]

Ginger can be used fresh, dried, powdered, or as an oil or juice. It’s a very common ingredient in recipes. It’s sometimes added to processed foods and even in cosmetics.

Here are 6 health benefits of ginger that are supported by scientific research.

1. Can treat many forms of nausea, especially morning sickness

Ginger is an excellent natural remedy for travel sickness, morning sickness or nausea. Studies have shown that ginger can be highly effective against nausea. [2]

Ginger is rich in pharmacologically active ingredients like gingerol and shogaols. They help ginger produce antiemetic qualities to dispel vomiting, nausea, and even motion sickness by working within the gastrointestinal tract to increase gastric emptying.

Several other studies have shown that ginger may help relieve nausea and vomiting for people undergoing certain types of surgery. Ginger may also help  chemotherapy-related  nausea, however larger human studies are needed. [3] [4] [5] [6]

However it’s recommended that pregnant women who are close to labor or who’ve had miscarriages should avoid ginger. [7]

2. Ginger may help prevent cancer

Ginger is packed with antioxidants that help protect the body from cancer.

Ginger gets this anti-cancer properties from gingerol (phytochemical compound), which is found in large amounts in raw ginger. A form known as [6]-gingerol is viewed as especially powerful. [8] [9]

A study published in the journal  PLOS ONE  found that 6-Shogaol (one of the active components in ginger) might actually be more effective than one specific chemotherapy drug at combating breast cancer stem cells. [10]

There’s some evidence, that suggest ginger may be effective against other gastrointestinal cancers such as pancreatic cancer and liver cancer. Further it may also have positive effect against breast cancer and ovarian cancer as well. [11] [12] [13] [14]

3. May help lower cholesterol levels

Ginger help activates certain enzymes in your body that are responsible for controlling and monitoring cholesterol levels. 

A 2018 study of 60 people with hyperlipidemia, where 30 people who received 5 grams of ginger-pasted powder each day saw their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels drop by 17.4% over a 3-month period. [15]

In an older study from 2008, found that people who received 3 grams of ginger powder (in capsule form) each day also saw significant reductions in most cholesterol markers. Their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels dropped by 10% over 45 days. [16]

4. Ginger may help lower blood sugars and improve heart disease risk factors

Consuming ginger has been connected to healthier blood sugar levels and better cholesterol.

According to a 2015 study of 41 participants with type 2 diabetes, found that participants who took 2 grams of ginger powder per day had lowered fasting blood sugar by 12% . [17]

Another study published in the Planta Medica journal, showed that ginger extracts can increase uptake of glucose into muscle cells without using insulin, therefore it may assist in the management of high blood sugar levels. [18]

Several other studies have also established ginger to have a preventive effect against diabetes complications. Ginger can protect a diabetic's liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, and reduce the risk of cataracts – a common side-effect of the disease. [19]

5. Ginger may help with weight loss

Ginger may help weight loss, in fact a 2019 literature review concluded that ginger supplementation significantly reduced body weight, the waist-hip ratio, and the hip ratio in people with overweight or obesity. [20]

Several animal studies found that, rats and mice who consumed ginger water or ginger extract consistently saw decreases in their body weight, even in instances where they’d also been fed high-fat diets. [21] [22]

Additionally ginger’s ability to influence weight loss may be related to certain mechanisms, such as its potential to help increase the number of calories burned or reduce inflammation. [23] [24]

6. Other benefits of ginger.

Here are additional 10 benefit of consuming ginger.

• Can help with osteoarthritis
• Can help treat chronic indigestion
• May significantly reduce menstrual pain
• May improve brain function and protect against Alzheimer’s disease
• Can help fight infections
• Protects against stomach ulcers
• Eases menstrual pains
• Good for respiratory yealth
• Ginger is good for digestion
• Ginger chills cold symptoms

How To Add Ginger In Diet

Knowing all these amazing health benefits of ginger is great, but how can you easily incorporate ginger in your daily diet. As ginger comes in so many forms, from powdered to pickled, you can easily add them in number of dishes, from soups, meats, and fish dishes to grilled veggies and even salads for a quick flavor punch.

You can also add them in tea, juice, and even in smoothie to avail all these amazing benefits of ginger. Here's a simple recipe you can try right now.

Ginger Mango Kale Green Smoothie

Nutrition Fact (Serving: 1 smoothies):

Calories: 117 / Carbohydrates: 26.4 g / Protein: 2.5 g / Fat: 0.8 g  Saturated Fat: 0 g / Trans Fat: 0 g / Cholesterol: 0 mg / Sodium: 25 mg / Fiber: 3.5 g / Sugar: 19 g.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups packed kale (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup ripe frozen mango cubes 
• 1 cup ripe frozen peaches 
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 - 2 lemons or limes, juiced (yields ~1/4 cup or 60 ml)
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups filtered water (as per consistency)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional )

Procedure: 

Throw all the fresh ingredients in a blender and pulse them until you have a desirable texture, pour in your favourite bowl, top them with your favourite garnish, and you are ready to enjoy!

Cheers! 🥂

The Bottom Line

Ginger are actual power house of nutrients that works like magic on health. From curing common cough to prevent cancer and reducing heart disease, ginger can help in all.

Although they are amazingly beneficial, one should not add high dose of ginger, as it may cause acid reflux and stomach upset. While ginger is generally safe up to 10 grams daily, we recommend adding atleast 8 grams daily to avail all benefits.

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