Health Benefits of Ginger

It's no secret that eating fruits, vegetables, and other natural foods is good for your health. But how frequently do we consider the foods we eat to act like medicine?

For thousands of years, ginger has been used as a way to boost the health of millions of people. For years people in the West were skeptical of these claims. But now that scientists have taken a close look at the ginger root, we’re starting to see that ginger can help us with many common ailments.   

Ginger can be consumed in many different ways. You can drink it as a tea, sprinkle ginger powder on your food, or even zest it and put it into your next stir fry.

But the evidence is clear, no matter how you consume ginger, you’re certain to reap some positive health benefits.

As starters, ginger can actually ease the joint pain associated with osteoarthritis. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, ginger actually reduces swelling and promotes joint health better than some drugs.

Every month women face cramps with their period. A blind study found that women who consumed a capsule of ginger powder actually got more relief than those taking ibuprofen. Amazing!

In the same way that ginger helps your joints, its anti-inflammatory properties can also improve your brain function. Whereas inflammation contributes to diseases like Alzheimer’s, adding some ginger to your diet for its health benefits sounds pretty good. If your brain is foggy have ginger instead of caffeine.

Besides fighting Alzheimer’s and osteoarthritis, ginger can also help with more mundane problems like an upset stomach. If you’re feeling nauseas, especially moms-to-be with morning sickness, a hot ginger tea can ease the upset.

Some additional health benefits of ginger:

• Acts as an antiviral and antibiotic. Take ginger next time you feel a cold or flu coming on.
• Lowers blood sugar in those with type-2 diabetes
• Relieve sore muscles with ginger’s anti-inflammatory effects.