Alternative Medicine: Ginger

Ginger The Alternative Medicine
by Paulina Jenkins

For thousands of years ginger has been used by various cultures as an alternative medicine. In ancient Greece it was used to aid digestion. The Indians for more than 2000 years have used it as a home remedy. For over 5000 years the Chinese have used ginger for various health complaints. In our modern times ginger is highly valued for its healing benefits.

Ginger is an antioxidant found to be full of manganese, copper, vitamin B6 and magnesium. It is deemed to be superior to Vitamin E. Ginger also contains the anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols.

Ginger has been proven over the years to alleviate nausea as a result of surgery, motion, chemotherapy, and pregnancy. It is shown to be most effective for those moms-to-be suffering from morning sickness. Consuming small amounts of ginger in any form has given relief to pregnant women.

In traditional Chinese medicine ginger is used in many prescriptions to neutralize the effects of ingredients that are potentially toxic. The Chinese use ginger for many digestive and stomach complaints. These include bloating, heartburn, indigestion, flatulence, diarrhea and Dyspepsia.

Taking ginger heats up your internal organs, makes you sweat and feel warm. It eases menstrual cramps and soothes the stomach. Ginger also helps to alleviate headache, toothache, sore throat, coughing and colds.

The active component gingerols found in ginger is effective at combating inflammation. Inflammation is believed to contribute to ovarian cancer cell development. At the 2003 meeting at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research it was reported that ginger may restrain the growth of colorectal cancer cells in humans.

Only a small amount of ginger needs to be consumed to get the medicinal benefits because it is very potent. Ginger comes as tea, capsules, powder, tincture, pills, fresh or dried. Fresh ginger is the ideal form for remedial use. To experience ginger’s health benefits you can make a drink by steeping a few slices of ginger in hot water. The FDA has not given its approval for ginger to be used as a remedy. However, after 5000 years ginger still keeps its place in traditional Chinese medicine. The fact that ginger truly has its value as an alternative medicine just cannot be ignored.

About the Author: Paulina Jenkins has a blog where she shares her views on nature’s healing plants. One such plant is ginger. In traditional Chinese medicine ginger is a favorite ingredient. Get your own completely unique content version of this article.