Zingiber officinale is a flowering plant, in the family Zingiberaceae whose rhizome, ginger root or simply ginger, is widely used as a spice or a folk medicine.
Contents
Uses
Ginger has many medicinal uses. The fresh or dried rhizome is used in oral or topical preparations to treat a variety of ailments, while the essential oil is applied topically as an analgesic. Evidence suggests ginger is most effective against nausea and vomiting associated with surgery, vertigo, travel sickness and morning sickness.
Benefits
- Digestive disorders: This extremely useful herb is used to relieve patients suffering from dyspepsia, flatulence, vomiting, spasms, colic and other stomach problems. Chewing a piece of ginger regularly can help in relieving problems of excessive secretion of saliva, volatile oil and diastase enzyme. Half a teaspoon of ginger juice mixed with fresh lime juice and honey can be helpful to relieve nausea, vomiting as well as problems of indigestion.
- Cough and Cold: The herb is used to relieve cough. The juice of the ginger mixed with honey taken 3 to 4 times and day is beneficial for this purpose. Ginger tea is prescribed to be used for relieving fever associated with cold.
- Respiratory Disorder: Fresh ginger juice with a cup of fenugreek and honey makes a good diaphoretic mixture to relieve sweating and reducing fever in patients suffering from influenza. It is known to act as an expectorant in relieving asthma, cough and tuberculosis.
- Impotency: The herb is known to be an effective aphrodisiac. Half a teaspoon of its juice with honey and boiled egg taken for a month can tone up the sex organs. It relieve impotency, premature ejaculation, involuntary seminal discharge and also spermatorrhoea.
- Menstrual Disorders: A piece of ginger with a cup of boiled water must be used to relieve menstrual problems. This decoction can be sweetened with sugar and consumed 3 times daily for relieving painful irregular menstruation.
- Ache and Pain: This plant is an excellent pain killer. Ointment made of ginger can help in relieving head pains. It can be applied on the gum and near the ear to relieve pain in the gum and ear respectively.
Cautions
However, safe use of ginger during pregnancy is questionable and pregnant women should exercise caution before taking it. The topical use of ginger may cause allergic reactions.
Interactions
None are recorded.
Other names
ginger
References
Source: Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger
Kew.org, http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/zingiber-officinale-ginger
AlwaysAyurveda, http://www.alwaysayurveda.com/zingiber-officinale/