7 Amazing Health Benefits of Ginger

Ginger also called Zingiber officinale is a flowering plant whose rhizome, is widely used as spice or a folk medicine. Ginger is a tropical plant that has green-purple flowers and a fragrant underground stem. It is widely used as flowering or fragrance in foods, beverages, soaps and cosmetics.

Raw ginger is composed of 79% water, 18% carbohydrate, 2% protein and 1%fat. The therapeutic uses of ginger has been documented for thousand of years in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine.

Today, ginger is used as a dietary supplement for post surgery nausea; nausea cause by motion, chemotherapy,  pregnancy and rheumatoid arthritis. Common form of ginger include the dried root, tablet, capsules, liquid extract and teas. The health promoting perspectives of ginger are well known.

Health Benefits of Ginger

1. Ginger Helps Alleviate Nausea

Nausea is an unpleasant, diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, often perceived as a urge to vomit. Ginger is well known for its ability to treat nausea and vomiting highly effectively. Some evidence indicates that ginger may help relieve pregnancy related nausea and vomiting and also may help to control nausea related to cancer chemotherapy when used in addition to conventional anti-nausea medication.

2. Ginger Reduces High Blood Pressure

Hypertension also known as high blood pressure id a long term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. Hypertension is a major factor for coronary disease and lead to death. Ginger is an ancient herbal used for treatment of variety of diseases like high blood pressure. Ginger has a diuretic and blood pressure lowering effect so recommended by the Food and Drug Administration as a food addictive that is generally recognized as safe. Ginger can lower blood pressure by modulating the nervous system via stimulation of muscarinic receptors and blockade of calcium channels. 

It is not recommended to take ginger along side medications for high blood pressure as it may raise the risk of developing low blood pressure and irregular heart beat. 

3. Ginger Inhibit Cancer Growth

Cancer is a group of disease involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of  the body. The extract of Ginger (Zingiber Officinale Roscoe) and its major pungent component; 6-shogoal and 6-gingerol have shown to have anti-proliferative effect on several tumor cells lines. Ginger is packed with antioxidants that help protect the body from cancer.

4. Ginger is an Anti-Inflammatory Agent

Inflammation is a localized physical condition in which part of the body become reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury of infection.

Ginger and its extract has been used traditionally as anti-inflammatory remedies, with a particular focus on the medicinal properties of its phenolic secondary metabolites, the gingerols. The phenolic properties of ginger can also help in modulation of signaling cascade in physiological and pathophysiological conditions such as inflammatory processes.

5. Ginger Promote Proper Digestion

Digestion is simply the breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into small soluble food molecules so that they can be absorbed into the watery blood plasma.

The active components of ginger is reported to stimulate digestion, absorption, relieve constipation and flatulence by increasing muscular activity in the digestive tract. Ginger has also been reported to improve upper gastrointestinal symptoms.  

6. Ginger Improves Brain Function

Ginger contain compounds 6-Shagoal that have demonstrated protective effect for the brain. The present study demonstrate that ginger extract both learning and cognitive processing capabilities. In the study, ginger was found to be a potential brain tonic to enhance cognitive function.

7. Ginger Can Lower Blood Glucose Level

Diabetes is a group of metabolic disease that result in too much sugar inside the blood (high blood glucose). Studies has shown that ginger powder supplement may help improve fasting blood sugar. Ginger contains Gingerols which is the most active ingredient of ginger that can help increase the uptake of glucose into muscle cells without using insulin, and may therefore assist in the management of high blood glucose levels.