The University of Maryland Medical Center has this to say about ginger:
Ginger, the underground stem, or rhizome, of the plant Zingiber officinale has been used as a medicine in Asian, Indian, and Arabic herbal traditions since ancient times. In China, for example, ginger has been used to aid digestion and treat stomach upset, diarrhea, and nausea for more than 2,000 years. Since ancient times, ginger has also been used to help treat arthritis, colic, diarrhea, and heart conditions. In addition to these medicinal uses, ginger continues to be valued around the world as an important cooking spice and is believed to help the common cold, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and even painful menstrual periods. Native to Asia where its use as a culinary spice spans at least 4,400 years, ginger grows in fertile, moist, tropical soil.

The Natural Herb Guide also has some excellent medical information on ginger:
Ginger has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine to treat problems such as vomiting, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, coughing, and rheumatism. Tibb and Ayurvedic medicine also uses ginger to treat inflammatory joint diseases including rheumatism and arthritis.

Ginger has other uses including relieving arthritis pain, ulcerative colitis, menstrual discomfort, headaches, fevers from flu and colds, and sore throats. Gastrointestinal problems including heartburn and gas can also be treated with ginger. The muscles of the gastrointestinal tract can be strengthened by the use of garlic. Ginger is also used to treat arthritis, both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Dr. Mason (my chiropractor and natural remedy mentor) has “prescribed” ginger when I was suffering from a bad cold. He has also recommended it when I was suffering from a bad bout of stomach flu. In both cases I brewed a ginger tea and drank it. For the cold it lessens the symptoms and made it easier to breathe. For the stomach bug it eased the nausea and enabled me to keep the contents of my stomach in my stomach.

Personally I don’t care for the taste of ginger. However, I find that when I’m sick it tastes great. I know I’m getting well when I can’t stand the taste of the medicinal tea anymore. If you’re curious about ginger and would like some general information on the root, check out this Wikipedia article.

Ginger is also great in cooking. If you purchase the ginger root at the store be aware that there are two types of ginger. The one in the image above is the older or more mature root (these can be rather fibrous and dry). You can also purchase young ginger (very smooth skin) which has a mild flavor and is very juicy. My sister has shared a great marinade with me that uses ginger. I’ll post that on Wednesday.

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