The Best Health Benefits of Ginger

What are the best health benefits of ginger, you might ask? Did you know that people have been growing and consuming ginger for more than 5,000 years? It originated in Southeast Asia and China where the people often used it in traditional folk medicine. Today, people use ginger for all sorts of things and you can find it in many different recipes and alternative medicines.

Ginger has likely remained popular after so many thousands of years because it is full of health benefits. But what are the benefits of ginger, you might ask? Keep reading to find out.

Health Benefits of Ginger: Ginger Fights Nausea

Traditional medicine has used ginger to fight nausea for hundreds of years. The simple act of chewing on a piece of ginger should make your nausea go away within a few moments. But why, you might ask?

Many people think that using ginger to fight nausea is an old wive’s tale, but recent scientific evidence has found that this wive’s tale actually seems to be true. Interestingly, it is not yet known why ginger is so good at doing this. It may be because of how ginger affects the body’s blood pressure and digestive function.

By stabilizing both of these systems, ginger can make symptoms of nausea fade away. This is especially true for nausea associated with pregnancy and chemotherapy. However, it is not recommended that pregnant women who have had miscarriages in the past take ginger.

To reap the nausea-fighting benefits of ginger, try chewing on a piece of fresh ginger or try drinking ginger tea. Ginger gummies and supplements should also do the trick.

Ginger Fights Against Colds and Flus

Ginger contains a powerful substance called gingerol. In the past, many people have used ginger to treat colds and flus and this particular root does seem to be helpful for fighting these illnesses. It is likely the gingerol that makes the ginger so effective at doing this.

Gingerol is actually a type of natural oil and it is what gives ginger most of its health benefits. Gingerol has powerful anti-inflammatory properties which makes sense why it can make for such a good alternative treatment for colds and flus which automatically put the body’s immune system into overdrive.

Gingerol is also full of antioxidants. If you’ve read my previous health blogs, you’ll know that antioxidants are great for fighting against oxidative stress caused by too many free radicals in the body. By doing this, antioxidants can reduce overall inflammation in the body and improve your overall health.

Ginger Can Help You Lose Weight

Weight loss can be a challenge for many people, but you may find it easier if you incorporate ginger into your diet. Several scientific studies have been conducted to monitor weight loss over a period of time with the use of ginger. The studies, in particular, gave special consideration to the waist-hip ratio of the study’s participants.

The studies found that the consumption of ginger seemed to decrease this ratio among the participants. Another study conducted with overweight women found that consuming ginger on a regular basis helped to lower the body mass indexes (BMIs) of the participants. To achieve these results, the participants needed to consume quite a lot of ginger, about 2 mg, for around 12 weeks.

Scientists are not actually sure why ginger seems to be good for weight loss. It may have something to do with ginger increasing the rate at which the body burns calories. Even studies with rats have shown that rats tend to lose more weight when being fed ginger water.

Health Benefits of Ginger

The health benefits of ginger are obviously plentiful and significant. Ginger is ideal for keeping nausea at bay, fighting colds and flus, and keeping slim.

Another big benefit is that it is easy to incorporate ginger into your life. You can add ginger to your meals, drink ginger tea, or you could take some ginger supplements as you see fit. Whatever the case, your health is sure to increase once you start eating this tasty root.