Benefits of Ginger: 6 Reasons to Spice Up Your Food With Ginger
Ginger is one of the world’s common spices today.
It originates from South-East Asia. But, over time, several countries have grown to love adding ginger to their food.
It helps to improve the taste and flavor of food. Besides its flavor-adding ability, ginger offers several health benefits.
It’s also been used for herbal and traditional medicinal purposes because of its roots. The roots are called a rhizome.
The rhizome contains oleoresin. Oleoresin is an oily resin that contains several bioactive properties.
Fast forward to today. Ginger comes in all forms: powders, capsules and even juices.
In this article, we will go over some of the remarkable health benefits of ginger.
1. Ginger is rich with antioxidants
Ginger is loaded with powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants help to improve the body’s defense systems.
In general, when the body produces more free radicals, it can result in an imbalance.
The name for this imbalance is oxidative stress. This imbalance can impair DNA, among other things.
In that circumstance, antioxidants from dietary condiments like ginger become extremely important.
These antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals. And they also provide anti-oxidative stress effects.
But wait there’s even more.
Ginger also helps to lower lipid oxidation. This helps to prevent diseases and improve immunity.
In one study, researchers looked into the protective effects of ginger extract. They found that ginger can help prevent acute liver injury.
2. Ginger has anti-inflammatory effects
Inflammation is one of the many threats to the body proper function.
Whether it’s in the joint or stomach, inflammation makes it difficult for us to stay focused and do our best work.
Ginger contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is complex. It involves many actors and factors.
Some of these actors or mediators include anti-inflammatory cytokines, necrosis factor, and interleukin-1.
A study in the Journal of Medicinal Food shows that oils from ginger can help with inflammation.
Ginger oils can subdue joint inflammation and swelling.
In one study, researchers found that compounds in ginger rhizome can help treat and prevent allergies.
3. Eases muscle soreness and pain
Another group of researchers looked into how ginger’s role in reducing muscle pain.
In that study, participants supplemented their meals with used 2 g of ginger for 11 days.
The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Pain.
The findings suggest that consuming raw ginger helps to reduce muscle pain. So does, eating heat-treated ginger.
4. Reduces symptoms of nausea or vomiting
This is one of the well-researched health benefits of ginger. Ginger can help get rid of nausea and vomiting.
This is because ginger has carminative effects.
A carminative prevents gas from forming in the gastrointestinal tract. Ginger’s carminative effect helps to stop and get rid of intestinal gas.
Also, pregnant women historically to use ginger to prevent vomiting and nausea.
Recent studies including this one from the University of California are beginning to confirm this use case.
5. Supports bone health
One widely known medical condition that causes major bone loss is Osteoporosis.
This is a disease makes the bones very brittle. With age, the bones tend to break more easily.
Also, it is also one of the main causes of severe musculoskeletal pain and disability.
About 10 million Americans have Osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. And another 44 million have low bone density.
Ginger may help treat osteoarthritis.
Above all, ginger extract or ginger oil may help relieve symptoms of joint swelling. And it has positive effects on osteoarthritis symptoms.
6. Has anti-cancer properties
While the research on this is still at its infancy, a lot has been tested on rats.
Some of the results are promising. Turns out ginger has ingredients that have antitumorigenic effects. Examples of these ingredients are zerumbone and 6-gingerol.
Other scientific studies are beginning to shed more light. For example, these studies:
These studies reveal the impact of bioactive compounds in ginger.
Moreover, ginger helps to control the extent of certain cancers. For example, gastric, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
Another type of cancer more common in vegetarians is called colorectal cancer.
It’s the type of cancer that affects the colon and the rectum of individuals. Ginger can be effective in lowering the extent of this disease.
