Many people get into homeopathy to assist with ongoing conditions. Although medication and advice from your doctor could make life more comfortable, adding all-natural remedies to your treatment plan could result in more significant results. Check out these 12 health benefits of ginger and how to use ginger for whatever ailments you must address.
1. It Helps With Nausea
You don’t have to be sick to feel nauseous. Pregnant women battle morning sickness and sometimes nausea is a side effect for people starting a new medication. Either way, adding ginger to hot tea or cold drinks will relieve your upset stomach if used in small amounts, like a quarter of a teaspoon. Large doses could cause stomach cramps.
2. It Reduces Cellular Inflammation
Inflammation results from many conditions, like illnesses and stress. Ginger will reduce or eliminate the inflammation and put your body more at ease. It was highly effective in a study regarding inflamed lung lining in asthma patients, so it will have the same cellular effects when ingested in a meal or drink. Ongoing cellular inflammation hurts your health and well-being, but Ginger can become a powerful dietary component in preventing discomfort by aiding your cells.
3. It Could Lower Blood Sugar
A study that followed participants who took 2,000-milligram (mg) supplements every day saw that ginger had positive effects on blood sugar tests for people with Type 2 diabetes. It may anchor your blood sugar in addition to your ongoing diabetes treatments. All-natural supplements are available at most pharmacies, but talk with your doctor before taking any to ensure it’s safe for medical conditions.
4. It Might Help With Weight Loss
Ginger often comes up in conversation with people who want to lose weight. A recent literature review found that it successfully repeated weight loss results in 14 studies. It could help rev your metabolism and get you back on track. Mix it into your shakes or make delicious ginger-focused recipes like chawanmushi. This Japanese egg custard uses a ginger sauce to diversify your flavor palette and make the keto-friendly dish an Instagram-worthy meal.
5. It Can Lower Heart Disease Risks
Heart disease is often a genetic condition, so you might not be able to avoid it altogether. However, if you use ginger every day, it might make the risk of developing heart disease early in life a less likely possibility. When it seeps into your bloodstream through your digestive tract, it improves your blood lipid levels and lowers your risk of heart conditions.
6. It Eases Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Osteoarthritis affects the degeneration of your joints. It might come as a surprise that ginger can help with this condition as well. People with osteoarthritis in their knees experienced significant pain relief after using topical ginger ointments. Whether taken orally or topically, ginger could be a great addition to your pain treatment because it’s so effective at reducing inflammation that triggers pain.
7. It Comforts People With Digestive Problems
Some digestive problems occur because a person’s stomach lining becomes irritated. Ginger soothes any resulting inflammation to ease symptoms like cramping. It also tackles nausea, so sip on warm ginger tea to soothe digestive problems whenever they occur. You could also add ginger oil to a drink if you don’t enjoy the powder in your beverages.
8. It Might Prevent Cancer
When you buy ginger at the grocery store, it doesn’t look like something powerful enough to fight cancer. It’s always wise to follow your doctor’s advice for a cancer diagnosis and treatment plan, but adding more ginger to your diet could help your outcome.
Researchers closely analyzed ginger’s effect on cancer patients and found that 6-gingerol destroys cancer cells when found naturally in the whole herb, instead of in oil or powdered form. The results will be much smaller than what happens during chemo treatments, but it can be an additional step for anyone fighting cancer or trying to stay in remission.
9. It Lowers Cholesterol Levels
What can 5 grams of ginger do for you? When taken every day, it might lower your cholesterol. Patients with hyperlipidemia who added that much ginger to their diet through supplements saw their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol drop by 17.3% throughout the three-month study. It’s helpful for people trying to improve their health alongside prescribed treatments.
10. It Relieves Menstrual Pain
The clinical term for menstrual pain is dysmenorrhea. People who experience this pain often take over-the-counter medications to feel more comfortable, but ginger can also help. Study participants who took ginger supplements had the same pain relief as those who took the painkiller Novafen.
This natural herbal remedy is perfect for anyone still in pain after taking the recommended amount of medication. Try it in a hot drink to soothe tense muscles that might be sore after reacting to long-term pain.
11. It Battles Infections
When you picture an infection, you might think about a cut on your arm or leg. Infections also happen inside organs, which is when ginger can help. People have always used it for its antibacterial properties, but a recent study proved that ginger oil treats internal infections when taken orally. Depending on how you would most enjoy the flavor, you could add it to meals, salad dressings, shakes, or hot drinks.
12. It Could Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
People who have Alzheimer’s have an abnormal buildup of protein in their brains. It creates a plaque that worsens memory loss and other symptoms. When those same people put more ginger in their diet, it eased their ongoing symptoms because the anti-inflammatory properties reduced plaque buildup.
Sometimes doctors recommend taking ginger supplements or using ginger oil when someone receives an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. It can slow the progression and give people more time with their loved ones, if used in addition to other medications or treatments.
Learn the Health Benefits of Ginger
Anyone can learn how to use ginger to improve their wellness. First, you have to read about the health benefits of ginger to determine which benefits would help you the most. Then you can work with your doctor to supplement any medications or treatments with the proper dosage of ginger.