Ginger: benefits, harm, contraindications, use

Since ancient times, especially in Asian countries, the root of ginger has been known. Initially, it was used only in the culinary field, but after studying its properties, it was actively used for medical purposes. Despite the burning, specific taste, ginger contains many useful vitamins and minerals, which makes it very effective in the treatment of many diseases.

The benefits of ginger

There are a lot of varieties of ginger, they are distinguished by the shade of the skin and pulp, shape, aroma, it can smell like grass, kerosene, or citrus. On sale you can find dried, pickled, ground ginger in the form of essential oil and ginger roots. Its composition is quite rich: B vitamins 2, B1, C, A, trace elements, starch, citral, essential oil, amino acids, saccharides, phosphorus, zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium.

There are a lot of benefits from these roots:

• in the distant past, it was believed that ginger is an antidote to many poisons and bites;
• used for prophylactic action in colon cancer;
• improves the immune system;
• enhances appetite;
• has analgesic, expectorant, diaphoretic properties;
• effective for losing weight;
• relieves expectant mothers from toxicosis;
• heals fibroids, infertility, inflammation;
• improves hormonal levels;
• increases male potency;
• removes headaches, irritability;
• effective for insomnia;
• reduces the risk of prostatitis;
• removes pain in arthritis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• helps with colds, heals cough.

Ginger harm

Despite its usefulness, in no case should you abuse ginger, otherwise irritation may occur on the laryngeal mucosa. It is not recommended to use ginger for people with fever, with bleeding, with peptic ulcers, gastritis, women in the period lactation and late in pregnancy. Do not forget that any product, including ginger, can cause allergic reactions, especially if a person has an intolerance to this product. Therefore, it is best to consult a specialist before use.

With uncontrolled consumption of ginger, heartburn, diarrhea, belching, blurred vision, insomnia, and frequent mood swings may occur. Experts do not recommend taking this product for people suffering from gallstones, as well as for small children. For burns and fever, you should also avoid using ginger root.

Ginger treatment

• Ginger root is practical for colds. Using it for warming tea, you can lower body temperature, get rid of chills, coughs, clear the bronchi, since ginger has an expectorant effect.
• To remove pain cramps in case of joint disease, you need to eat at least 70 g of fresh ginger per day. Chopped ginger compresses applied to sore joints will also be effective, you can still rub them with ginger oil. To get it, you should rub the ginger root and fill it with vegetable oil, leaving it to infuse for a couple of weeks.
• Asthma can be cured by making ginger tincture. For her, you will need to grind 550 g of ginger root, pour in a liter of alcohol, insist for a month. Strain and consume a couple of times a day after eating a spoonful in a glass of purified water.
• To cure prostatitis, ginger tincture of 10 g of ginger root and 100 ml of vodka will also help. Infuse the solution for 20 days, take 15 drops 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
• Ginger root will also help diabetics, there are several options to choose from. You can make a ginger broth: peel a small piece of ginger root, finely chop, put in a saucepan and cover with purified water. Using a water bath, bring to a boil, cool.
• Ginger tea - The beginning of the recipe is the same as in ginger broth, but when cooling down, put lemon juice and warmed honey.
• If you have a toothache, you can chew on a small piece of the root and attach it to the problem tooth.
• To relieve stomach pain, make a decoction of black elderflower, peppermint, ginger, and yarrow flowers.
• To cure hemorrhoids, drink a spoonful of aloe juice with a pinch of ginger powder a couple of times a day.
• For boils, mix half a spoonful of water with a pinch of ginger and half a spoonful of turmeric. Apply the mass to the affected area.
• For indigestion, combine half glasses of water and yogurt without fillers, pouring 1⁄4 spoonful of ground ginger and nutmeg.
• With rheumatism, you can make compresses, just combine heated water, a couple of tablespoons of ginger powder, one spoonful of turmeric and half a spoonful of chili. Heat everything over a fire and put on a cloth. Fasten on a sore spot.
• With fatigue and painful spasms in muscles you can make a composition from a liter of water and a couple of tablespoons of ginger powder, boil all this and pour it into a warm bath.

Contraindications for ginger

Ginger in any of its types is not recommended for:

• ulcerative diseases of the stomach;
• ulcerative colitis;
• pebbles in the gallbladder;
• elevated temperature;
• lactation in women;
• gastrointestinal diseases;
• diverticulitis, diverticulosis;
• food reflux;
• gastritis;
• tumors;
• hypertension;
• hemorrhoids;
• heart disease.

Also, ginger is strictly forbidden to pregnant mothers in the ninth month, or to those who have previously had threats of miscarriage.

Ginger during pregnancy

A little above, you learned that ginger is forbidden to expectant mothers, but only in a few situations. In the rest, the consumption of the root does not threaten anything, on the contrary it is useful. For example, it will help relieve the expectant mother of toxicosis, dizziness, improve mood and well-being, and add strength. In addition, a glass of ginger tea can calm your naughty nerves. If you take ginger during pregnancy, then all the necessary vitamins and minerals will saturate both the mother and the unborn child.

Slimming with ginger

Most of nutritionists was able to convince myself of the useful effectiveness of ginger in the field fat burning... It is believed that the consumption of ginger in the daily diet helps to accelerate metabolism, prevent obesity and losing weight... There are several recipes for how you can use ginger and lose weight at the same time.

• Ginger tea- squeeze liquid from a pair of large lemons, dilute it with warm water to 350 ml, put a couple of spoons of honey and a small spoonful of ground ginger.
• Garlic drink - peel a small root of ginger, cut it thinly, pour a couple of liters of boiling water over it and put two whole garlic cloves... Insist for a couple of hours, after which garlic with ginger is removed from the drink. The resulting liquid is drunk during the day.
• Lemon drink - ginger root is cut into slices, steamed with boiling water and infused for a couple of hours. In a slightly cooled tea, you need to put a spoonful of honey and a lemon wedge.
• Kefir with cinnamon - a pinch of red hot pepper and half a spoonful of ground cinnamon and ginger powder are added to a glass of kefir.
• You can make a wide variety of tea, ginger can be poured into green or orange tea, in addition to ginger, you can put nutmeg, apples, mint.
• Grated ginger can be used to season various dishes, for example, chicken breast, baked fish... The most important thing when losing weight is to respect the portion size and not overuse ginger powder. By the way, pickled ginger also promotes active weight loss.

Application of ginger

As already mentioned, ginger has been known since ancient times and has been used as a seasoning in the manufacture of various dishes. It is poured into cereals, soups, sausages, meat, mushroom dishes, poultry. They are also used for baking, for example, they are added to gingerbread cookies, sweets, buns. On the basis of ginger root, kvass, beer, liqueurs, punches are infused, soft and hot drinks are made. Pickled ginger is served along with rolls and sushi, although in Asian countries it is used in order to kill the taste of the previous dish before the next one.

Ginger root is actively used by those who want to lose those extra pounds. By increasing blood circulation, there is an increased metabolism, fatty deposits are decomposed, and toxins and harmful toxins are released.

In the industry of cosmetologists, ginger also occupies not the last place. They put him in various masks for faces and hair, slimming wraps. Ginger has anti-inflammatory, anti-aging properties. Relieves the skin from pimples, acne, scars, boils, improves the color and condition of the epidermis. Also helps to get rid of dandruff, make hair stronger, healthier and shinier, increase hair growth. Ginger root is added to various cosmetics and medicinal products.