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How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?
CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW
Introduction
A steaming hot mug of ginger tea on a damp day warms up your bones and burns away thick, heavy congestion. When the weather is soggy, you feel tired and groggy. You naturally crave sunlight and heat. Pungent and light, fresh ginger clears away the damp clouds of winter, invigorating your whole system as it lifts your mood and boosts enthusiasm. The perkiness of ginger bids you to say goodbye to dullness and depression.
Ginger, Sore Throats & Congestion
Ginger's heat & pungency is key to warming you up and liquefying mucus. On damp, rainy days you may feel heavy and sluggish. Even your skin feels clammy. The back of your throat may be swollen and irritated due to a thick coating of "reactive" mucus - mucus filled with dead bacteria. By stimulating your heart to beat faster and opening up blood vessels, ginger flushes damp, cold areas with warm, enlivening blood. It is particularly beneficial for clearing congestion in the upper respiratory tract, including the throat, nose and sinuses.
A simple cup of fresh ginger tea, made by boiling an inch of the root in two cups of water, does the trick. As it warms the head and your whole body, it brings a sense of lightness back to a heavy, congested head with a stuffed up feeling. The opening qualities of ginger dispels congestion and opens the nasal passages.
Inhaling grated ginger in a pot of boiling water is a common Ayurveda remedy to clear a stuffy nose.
Try this syrup for a sore throat: Mix together 1/2" grated fresh ginger root, 1/4 tsp dried turmeric, and 1/4 tsp black pepper with 1 tsp raw honey. Slowly lick over 15 minutes and repeat up to three times a day to clear throat congestion. Ginger is most effective in late winter. Its light, clear, and warm qualities combat a slushy and soggy time of year.
Restore Warmth
The mobile, revitalizing quality of fresh ginger allows it to support peripheral circulation, dispelling feelings of cold from extremities. Although many spices share ginger's warmth, they also make you sweat which leaves you vulnerable to catching a chill as the effects wear off. Ginger operates internally only (in antara marga), kindling heat & agni without making you sweat.
This internal property of ginger is ideal in winter, when you don't want to bring heat to the skin, causing rapid heat loss. Ginger can warm the body in a way that helps retain the heat.
On cold days, a hot ginger and baking soda bath is one of the best ways to warm your entire body, stimulate circulation, and rev up metabolism. To enjoy these benefits, simply mix 1/2c of ginger and 1/2c of baking soda into a hot bath.
Ginger & Digestion
Fresh ginger is considered to be one of the best digestives, and for this reason is among the most revered roots in Ayurveda. It is suitable for all body types (tridoshic) to stimulate digestive strength (agni). A few pieces of tummy warming ginger, salt, & lime appetizer before a meal stimulates appetite, and gets digestive juices flowing, like getting a kickstart.
Purifying & Cleansing
Fresh ginger purifies the mouth, awakens the taste buds, and stimulates salivary secretions. Once the tingling sensation leaves, you might just notice fresher breath and a sharper palate after having some, like a mini mouthwash.
When food becomes stagnant in the gut, it starts to ferment and rot, leading to indigestion, gas, bloating, and the formation of digestive toxins (ama). Light, easy, and warming, fresh ginger stimulates digestion and metabolism, acting as a cleansing aid for detoxification. The volatile oils in ginger increase motility in the gastrointestinal tract, helping clear food stagnation and relieve constipation. This translates to fast digestion and elimination, and a clean, fresher feeling.
The spiciness and mild aromatic qualities can relieve nausea in the stomach or burping when due to stagnant food or excess mucus.
Ginger & Inflammation
One of the amazing qualities of fresh ginger is that it stimulates digestion without aggravating acidity. Despite the heat of this root, fresh ginger is actually anti-inflammatory. Only fresh ginger, due to the volatile oils, has this special anti-inflammatory quality. Dry ginger does not, due to evaporation of essential oils.
Even though fresh ginger tastes initially pungent on your tongue, it has a sweet post digestive effect (vipaka). In Ayurveda, the post digestive effect means the effect a substance has throughout your body, after you have digested it. The sweet post digestive effect of ginger moistens and nourishes tissues, and is anti-inflammatory.
Dry ginger is much hotter than fresh ginger, and can be aggravating to the digestive tract. It does not have the same soothing or nutritive effect of fresh ginger, but increases heat and dryness in the body. A fiery spice, those who are overheated or feel agitated by heat should steer clear of dry ginger and favor fresh. Those who need the extra heat, however, can benefit from dry ginger. It depends on the individual.
Other Uses
Minced, chopped, grated or sliced, fresh ginger can be used in a variety of ways. It is well known for its pain relieving qualities, and its ability to settle an upset or nauseous stomach. It also acts as an antispasmodic, helping reduce tension, spasms, and cramping. A cup of the hot tea can relieve menstrual cramps due to its antispasmodic properties, and its sweet post digestive effect has a nourishing effect on the reproductive tissues. 1 tsp of fresh ginger mixed into 1 tbsp of castor oil is a home remedy for rheumatoid arthritis. 1 tsp of fresh ginger mixed with 1 tsp of ghee is reputed to help osteoarthritis.
Fresh ginger is also a powerful antibacterial agent, and has been proven to kill the harmful bacteria salmonella under certain conditions. Ginger, therefore, can also be beneficial as a food preservative. Its warming effects can help encourage a low grade fever - improving immunity.
Contraindications
For some Pitta individuals the heat of ginger is too much, and can leave a sour, churning feeling in the stomach. Or, a stinging sensation and / or tension in the eyes.
Fresh ginger is used widely in Asia to prevent nausea in pregnant women, although it is contraindicated for pregnancy in the USA.
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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
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