Ginger : Health Benefit of Ginger

အောက်ဆုံးထိ ဆွဲကြည့်​​ပေးကြပါ ခင်ဗျာ

Many people use ginger only in dishes associated with Eastern cuisines. But as researchers uncover more information about how ginger affects your health, you may want to think about making it a diet staple.

Ginger is a flowering root plant from Southeast Asia and may look intimidating at first. The fresh ginger you find in the produce aisle is the root of the ginger plant. But just below the bumpy, brown layer of skin, ginger packs tons of flavor and powerful health advantages.

The benefits of eating raw ginger in an empty stomach include improved digestion, increased energy and vitality, better digestion of fats and cholesterol, and clearer skin. If you’re interested in losing weight or burning fat, then you should consider adding some ginger to your diet.

Better Digestion

Ginger helps speed up the digestion process and empty your stomach more quickly. Someone with digestive issues, such as indigestion, ulcers, constipation, and IBS, might find relief by adding it into their regular diet.

Studies have shown that those who consume ginger digest twice as fast as those who don’t. It increases movement in the digestive tract and promotes healthy enzymes that help break down the foods we eat.

Improves Immunity

Gingerol, the bioactive compound found in raw ginger, boosts immunity with its antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Ginger also contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

The combination of these properties has many benefits. These ginger health benefits and side effects improve coughs, lower fevers, fight off infections, relieve headaches, and ease other symptoms associated with common colds and the flu.

Alleviates PMS Symptoms

Menstrual pain is a common symptom during a woman’s cycle, but incorporating ginger might make it more manageable. Using ginger during the first three days of your menstrual cycle helps with pain relief, and the anti-inflammatory properties relieve the bloat that is common with PMS.

Relieves Nausea and Upset Stomach

One of the most well-known health side effects of ginger is its ability to relieve nausea. Whether it’s from motion sickness, migraines, morning sickness, or general stomach problems, ginger helps calm an upset stomach.

It does so with its anti-inflammatory properties, better digestive responsiveness, and hormones that regulate blood pressure to calm the body.

May Help With Cancer

Studies on ginger have shown that some of the benefits of gingerol may prevent some cancers. While it is not a cure-all, its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help protect your body.

Ginger is also a safe option to reduce the symptoms of nausea and pain often associated with cancer treatment. When you’re undergoing chemotherapy, adding ginger into your diet helps combat the treatment’s side effects of nausea or dizziness.

Reduces Pain

Ginger is a natural pain reliever. This makes it an excellent substitute for over-the-counter pain medications. Gingerols act as an anti-inflammatory and work to eliminate compounds in the body that result in pain.

Anti-inflammatory properties in ginger reduce the pain associated with arthritis and increase joint mobility. Arthritis sufferers are often prescribed anti-inflammation medication to lessen their symptoms, but ginger works as a natural alternative.

Healthier Skin

Ginger improves the health of your skin with antioxidants, increased blood circulation, and antiseptic properties. The antioxidants protect the skin from UV rays and slow the breakdown of collagen, making the skin look younger and tauter.

Antiseptic properties improve acne symptoms, and with raw ginger, you can help with scarring caused by acne. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties also aid in healing irritated skin.

Keeps Your Mouth Healthy

Ginger’s antibacterial power may also brighten your smile. Active compounds in ginger called gingerols keep oral bacteria from growing. These bacteria are the same ones that can cause periodontal disease, a serious gum infection.

Weight Loss Aid

Some studies have shown that consuming ginger helps aid in weight loss. Ginger controls insulin levels, boosts metabolism, and aids in workout recovery. Ginger helps with weight loss by giving your metabolism a boost and creating a feeling of fullness to prevent overeating.

It isn’t a fix-all, but when incorporated with other weight loss efforts, it can supplement your results.

Prevents Cardiovascular Disease

In addition to its other properties, ginger also works as a blood thinner, which is beneficial in preventing cardiovascular issues. Blood thinners reduce the risk of blood clots, which lowers your risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Another way ginger prevents heart disease is by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. The build-up of cholesterol can clog arteries and increase the risk of heart problems.

Ginger also improves circulation and lowers blood sugar, which helps the heart stay at peak performance.

Improves Brain Function

Chronic inflammation affects your brain over time and may cause it to decline. This may result in cognitive conditions, mental health struggles, or Alzheimer’s disease.

Ginger reduces inflammation and protects the brain from free radicals due to powerful antioxidants. It also improves memory function by increasing the neurotransmitters in our brain responsible for memory, focus, and reaction time.

Ginger even releases dopamine and serotonin to help fight mental illnesses like depression and anxiety.

How to Incorporate More Ginger in Your Diet

If you’re wondering how to eat ginger for health benefits, there are many ways to start incorporating it into your diet. Find the method you enjoy and add it to your routine.

Ginger Tea

One of the most common ways to consume ginger is in tea. To make ginger tea, you add pieces of chopped or sliced ginger to water and steep it.

To add more flavor, include things like honey or lemon. Some brands of premade tea bags offer ginger varieties, though they may not be as beneficial as raw ginger.

Spice Up Your Foods

Add minced ginger to meals to reap the benefits and add extra flavor. Ginger works well in stir-fries, soups, and curries. You can even add ginger to desserts or smoothies.

Need some ideas? Check out some of our recipes for cooking with ginger.

Ginger Juice

A daily shot of ginger juice is one of the most convenient ways to consume ginger. You can make them at home using a juicer.

Some people even consume ginger raw for more immediate health benefits, if they don’t need to make a full meal or enjoy drinking it.

Reduces risk of heart disease

High cholesterol levels, especially LDL (bad) cholesterol, are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. But there’s some evidence that ginger can reduce cholesterol levels. While more research is needed, early studies in both humans and animals show that adding ginger to your diet may result in reduced LDL levels, total cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels.

How much ginger should you take daily?

Ginger is safe to eat daily, but experts recommend limiting yourself to 3 to 4 grams a day — stick to 1 gram daily if you’re pregnant. Taking more than 6 grams of ginger a day has been proven to cause gastrointestinal issues such as reflux, heartburn and diarrhea.

The equivalent of 1 gram of ginger includes:

• ½ teaspoon of powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon of grated raw ginger
• 4 cups of water steeped with ½ teaspoon grated ginger

Ginger Tea Side Effects

Ginger, when used as a spice, is believed to be generally safe to consume for most people. Clinical trials with chronic oral ginger therapy in humans have demonstrated safe consumption of 2 grams per day for 28 days with demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in colon cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Mild side effects of drinking ginger tea could include abdominal discomfort, heartburn, diarrhea and gas. Some experts recommend that people with gallstone disease use caution with ginger because it may increase the flow of bile. If you experience a rash in your mouth or stomach after eating or drinking ginger, you may have an allergy.

Research has not definitively shown whether ginger interacts with medications, but concerns have been raised that it might interact with anticoagulants (blood thinners) and diabetes medication. Caution should also be used when consuming ginger tea during pregnancy, as there has been no conclusive evidence that ginger is absolutely safe.