Surprising benefits of ginger you probably don’t know about
Known as one of the powerful superfood that could possibly change lives for the better. Ginger is an age-old root that not only improves healing, promotes vitality, and improves the body’s functioning, but is also versatile enough to include in a variety of dishes that range from sweet to salty, and spicy to subtle.
While traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines have relied on the ginger root for healing common ailments for thousands of years, it is capable of not only healing minor illnesses, but safeguarding and improving overall health as well. With a growing percentage of the population turning to natural treatment methods as opposed to modern medicines, the ginger root and its natural healing capabilities have been thrust into the spotlight, commanding the attention of natural healers and those seeking natural health-improving dietary elements. From diabetes to heart disease, to colds and flus, to cancers, the natural healing power of ginger has shown to be quite extraordinary.
In addition to its healing powers, it also makes the perfect addition to a natural beauty regimen. With a number of simple, yet effective, applications for the skin and hair that utilize ginger and all of its healing nutrients and phytochemicals, anyone can improve the appearance and health of their skin and hair. Beauty-boosting benefits from the same nutrients, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, oils, and enzymes that promote internal health throughout the body can naturally improve the health of your body—inside and out!
GINGER – WHAT IS IT?
It might surprise you to know that the ginger is actually the root of a beautiful red, white, or yellow and green flowering plant that belongs to the zingiberaceae family, to which other well-known spices like turmeric and cardamom also belong. The ginger root is a knotted, tubular-shaped root with a light yellow, white, or red flesh that is covered with a silvery exterior coating. The name “ginger” originated more than 3,000 years ago in early Sanskrit writings that referred to the root as gingivere, meaning “horn root,” which describes the root’s unique appearance.
Ginger plant has been used around the world by countless cultures and civilizations, but it originated in China and has spread throughout the world over the past 5,000 years.
THE SPECIAL BENEFITS OF GINGER
The ginger root possesses natural oils, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and phytochemicals that combine to provide healing properties for almost every area of the body. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring plant compounds that boost the healthy functioning of cells, tissues, organs, and systems. These compounds include antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, analgesics, and a wide variety of protective, preventative, and health-promoting derivatives that help support the natural functions of the body. The powerful oils contained within the flesh of the ginger root are varieties of gingerol, paradol, shogaol, and gingerdione, which not only help combat germs, bacteria, and viruses, but also help stimulate the senses, improve energy, increase metabolic functioning, and cleanse the blood.
Amino Acids
The amino acids provided by the ginger root include each of the ten essential amino acids we must consume through food because, unlike the non-essential amino acids, the human body does not naturally produce them. The amino acids found in ginger root are:
Arginine – which helps in eliminating toxins from the body; aids in the production of the energy compound creatine, which is required in the process of energy production and by the muscles for movement; acts as a natural vasodilator, naturally opening and expanding the blood vessels for improved blood flow; and has been found to reduce chest pain, the risk of heart failure, and headaches.
Histidine – for the improvement of the body’s immune system function by aiding in the fight against pathogens, is necessary for the formation of blood cells, and directly improves a variety of arthritis symptoms as well as high blood pressure.
Isoleucine – promotes muscle recovery after exercise; regulates blood sugar; aids proper blood clotting and in the formation of hemoglobin, the oxygen-transporting blood protein; and helps the body fight infection.
Leucine – the strongest of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine combine to create the branched-chain amino acid group, referred to as BCAA), essential for energy production and muscle growth; helps to regulate blood sugar; aids in the repair of muscles, tissue, and bone; helps with wound healing; and elevates energy levels.
Lysine – necessary for calcium absorption, for the conversion of fat to energy, and for the production of hormones, antibodies, collagen, tissue, and muscle; maintains blood cell health; and promotes new muscle growth.
Methionine – assists in the breakdown and uses of fats in the bloodstream; aids in detoxification; promotes proper digestion; required for creatine production; improves energy production; and aids muscle maintenance and growth.
Phenylalanine – stimulates the nervous system; elevates and regulates mood; aids in memory processes; and increases the production of epinephrine and dopamine, two neurotransmitters produced in the brain that directly affect cognitive processes.
Threonine – used to form collagen and elastin, two essential protein fibers used to make up the composition of the skin; promotes bone and tissue health, and healthy liver functioning; maintains protein balance throughout the body; aids in production of antibodies; and improves immunity by promoting the healthy functioning of the thymus, as well as proper protein and mineral absorption and use.
Valine – aids in the repair and growth of muscles; maintains proper nitrogen balance in the body for optimal protein synthesis and use; and preserves the body’s natural stores of glucose for improved energy production.
Vitamins
The vitamins obtained through food help support every organ, system, and function in the body. With each vitamin delivering energy, improving immunity, protecting cell health, and maintaining proper metabolic functioning, it’s easy to see why these nutrients are essential, and why avoiding a deficiency of any vitamin is crucial to maintaining overall health. Ginger provides a number of essential vitamins, and also contains natural oils and enzymes that improve the body’s ability to absorb, process, and utilize vitamins for maximum benefits. The vitamins provided by ginger include:
Vitamin A – essential for vision health and prevention of cataracts; helps with the formation of hormones and the maintenance of teeth, tissue, and cell membrane health; works to maintain healthy hair production; and prevents oxidative activity in cells that can destroy cell health or transform cells to cancerous copies of themselves.
B Vitamins – essential energy-boosting vitamins that contribute to muscle health, assist in protein synthesis, and assist in the metabolism of all nutrients throughout the body. Certain B vitamins can also prevent neural tube defects in fetuses, are required for the formation of blood cells and DNA, and promote healthy brain functioning.
The B vitamins are essential, whether you hope to improve your immunity, increase your metabolic functioning, or maintain heart, nerve, and muscle health. Ginger contributes the six B vitamins found in plant foods, and improves the processes responsible for the absorption and utilization of those vitamins, which increases their effectiveness. With the addition of ginger to your diet, you may begin to experience more of the benefits that result from having essential B vitamins in the diet, which include:
Vitamin B1 (thiamin) – converts carbohydrates from food to energy; maintains health of skin, hair, and nails; promotes healthy functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous system; maintains heart health; and fights fatigue.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – promotes healthy growth of bones, muscles, and tissues; maintains reproductive health; aids the body’s process of converting carbohydrates to energy; and is essential for red blood cell production.
Vitamin B3 (niacin) – promotes healthy digestion; essential for nervous system functioning; promotes mental clarity; improves metabolic functioning; involved in the process of converting food to usable energy; and promotes the health of skin, nails, and hair.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) – essential for metabolic functioning; involved in hormone production; and promotes proper levels of good cholesterol (HDL) in the blood.
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) – improves immune and nervous system functioning; necessary for the production of essential antibodies used to support immune system functioning and fend off illness and disease; involved in blood cell production; and required for the enzymatic reactions involved in the body’s processes of absorbing, storing, and utilizing protein.
Vitamin B9 (folate) – occurs naturally in foods (as opposed to folic acid that is chemically formulated); prevents neural tube defects in fetuses; required for the formation of blood cells and DNA; promotes healthy brain functioning.
These B vitamins are energy-boosting nutrients the body needs to fight fatigue, and the benefits don’t stop there! Helping to keep the brain, heart, bones, and nerves healthy and ensuring their healthy functioning and growth, the B’s are essential for achieving and maintaining optimal overall health.
Vitamin C: antiviral agent and powerful antioxidant that prevents oxidative and free radical activity in cells that can turn healthy cells to damaged cells responsible for the development of serious illnesses and diseases like cancer; required for the absorption and use of iron, calcium, and folate; helps build and maintain healthy bones, teeth, gums, and blood vessels; assists in wound and bruise healing; and fights infection. This vitamin cannot be stored in the body, and must therefore be regularly consumed in appropriate amounts.
Minerals
Minerals are the essential nutrients obtained from foods that help support the structures and processes in the body. Contributing to the health of the bones, teeth, hair, skin, and nails, minerals also maintain the health of the heart, brain, and digestive system by cleansing the blood, improving nerve health, boosting immunity, and upholding the heart and cardiovascular system’s strength. The minerals provided by ginger include:
Calcium – aids in the cell’s absorption of nutrients, required for muscle contractions that allow us to move, jump, and exercise, and also pump blood throughout the heart and body; promotes proper blood clotting; supports bone health; essential for proper nerve functioning and communication; required for insulin production and secretion; improves immune system functioning by playing a role in the enzymatic reactions of T-cells in the immune system; involved in the production of white blood cells; and promotes healthy sleep.
Iron – improves immune system functioning; promotes brain functioning, mental clarity, and energy; fights fatigue; and increases the body’s absorption of vitamin C.
Magnesium – supports bone health; required for the formation of cells; involved in protein absorption, production, and use; assists in the body’s absorption and use of B vitamins; promotes energy production, insulin production, and secretion; improves nervous system functioning; involved in muscle repair; and assists in the absorption of calcium, vitamin C, and potassium.
Manganese – required for the enzymatic reactions that take place in the body for hormone production, energy use, and a number of metabolic processes; regulates blood sugar levels; improves metabolic functioning; and is essential for the production of thyroid hormones.
Phosphorous – combines with calcium to promote the healthy formation of bones and teeth; and promotes healthy nervous system functioning.
Potassium – promotes proper growth of the body’s bones, muscles, and tissues; maintains healthy fluid balance within cells; prevents muscle cramping; promotes healthy kidney functioning and cardiovascular system functioning – specifically required for the maintenance of a healthy heartbeat; and supports the respiratory system by strengthening the lungs and improving the processes related to breathing and processing oxygen.
Sodium – regulates blood pressure; regulates fluid balance within cells and throughout the body; and is required for the healthy functioning of the nerves and muscles.
Zinc – required for the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates; promotes healthy immune system functioning; and supports wound healing and eye health.
Tryptophan – required for proper B-vitamin absorption and use, and for the production of serotonin and other mood-related neurotransmitters; stabilizes mood; promotes sleep; improves immunity; and is necessary for the production of collagen, enamel, and elastin, all of which are directly related to the health of the internal systems’ functioning and the appearance of the external organs like hair, skin, and nails.
PREVENTS VIRAL INFECTIONS
With natural bacterial remedy like ginger, you can maintain healthy levels of beneficial bacteria while fending off bad bacteria, microbes, and viruses. The calcium in ginger helps keep these systems working at full speed, and it also provides support to the body’s calcium stores, by processing and utilizing this mineral in a number of ways that help to improve the body’s functioning and contribute to overall health. And because ginger is full of vitamin C, vitamin E, and magnesium, which have been shown to improve the body’s natural process of eliminating sodium, improve the digestive process, and maintain proper protein metabolism, it is able to make sure the body has optimal calcium stores, which keep it functioning at its healthiest!
REDUCES BAD CHOLESTEROL AND IMPROVES GOOD CHOLESTEROL
The sound of “cholesterol” scares most people and they automatically assume that it is a danger to the body. This isn’t necessarily true, so it’s important to understand that cholesterol is actually needed by the body in a number of functions and processes, and only becomes a danger when there are excessive levels of the “bad” kind of cholesterol. The body naturally processes the cholesterol consumed from food and produced by the body, and uses it for a number of processes required by cells, organs, and systems. Because the body isn’t able to dissolve cholesterol in the blood, the cholesterol is used throughout the body as needed, and the excess is excreted.
The issues concerning cholesterol come into play when the bad cholesterol, commonly referred to as “low-density lipoproteins” (or LDL) cholesterol, contributes to the creation of a plaque that is formed within the blood and deposited on the walls of arteries. These deposits make the arteries stiff and less flexible or create blockages, minimizing blood flow to and from the heart and throughout the body, leading to a condition known as atherosclerosis, which can result in heart attacks and strokes. Because there are usually no symptoms to indicate the buildup of this bad cholesterol, it is imperative to have your blood cholesterol levels checked regularly.
While ginger can reduce the amount of “bad cholesterol” in your body, it can also boost the amount of “good cholesterol” (also known as “high-density lipoproteins” or HDL) that your body needs to function properly. Cholesterol is required for the maintenance of cell walls and membranes, the production of hormones, processing of vitamin D, and the metabolism of fats, and is necessary for the body to function optimally. Ideally, the body is able to use the cholesterol obtained from food and produced naturally within the body for the functions and processes in which it’s required, but efficiently excrete the excess without having deposits of the cholesterol left behind.
Ginger has become a superfood in this specific area. In addition to its ability to reduce the “bad cholesterol” levels of the blood, ginger improves the metabolic, cardiovascular, and hormone-producing functions of the body, which in turn helps improve the processing, utilization, and excretion of cholesterol. With the added benefits that result from ginger’s support of proper circulation and blood-cleansing properties, this root is able to encourage the transport and filtering of cholesterol throughout the body for use or removal. Ginger’s detoxifying properties also encourage the liver’s proper processing of cholesterol. Through ginger’s support of these systems and functions, the body is able to better regulate cholesterol levels and use the HDL cholesterol for the body’s optimal functioning and improved health.
REDUCES SUGAR CRAVINGS
You know sugar cravings – felt it before? Almost undeniable. So, you know what causes these cravings? Undoubtedly, excessive stress, digestive troubles, hormone fluctuation, inadequate nutrient absorption, actual hunger, fatigue, low blood sugar levels, and even boredom or lack of focus can all cause these sugar cravings. Bear in mind that these symptoms and the subsequent cravings can stem from physiological responses to a serious system malfunctioning rather than a “lack of willpower.”
Ginger can help your cravings regardless of the source. With micronutrients, system-correcting benefits, and health-promoting properties, ginger targets and improves the main sources of sugar cravings. Hormonal imbalances, blood sugar fluctuations, irregular digestion, mood and focus, and even sleep quality can all be improved or aided in adjustment with the consumption of ginger. With its unique enzymes that assist in hormonal imbalance correction, fiber for blood sugar regulation, oils and nutrients that improve digestion, antioxidants that assist in cognitive functioning, and analgesics and dopamine-improving enzymes, ginger helps all of these areas naturally. With the added benefits of improved metabolism, mental functioning, and optimal overall health, ginger seems to be the answer to your sugar cravings.
PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS
Ginger starts the process of weight loss by increasing the body’s absorption of essential vitamins and minerals, helping to ensure the body has sufficient amounts of the very nutrients it needs to thrive. Also, through its natural provisions of metabolism-stimulating “spice,” ginger has shown to be an effective aid in minimizing cravings for unhealthy foods laden with sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats, while also increasing the metabolism’s rate of functioning and contributing to energy levels, further contributing to an increased calorie burn. And, with its ability to regulate hormones that can directly affect stress, sleep, focus, and energy production.
PREVENTS VIRAL INFECTIONS
There are natural antiviral compounds in every drop, sliver, and slice of the ginger root, and these compounds not only effectively attack the virus, but provide the body with antimicrobial and antibacterial support to help prevent further illnesses that could attack a compromised immune system. Helping to support the production of hormones, improve the digestive system’s functioning, and regulate circulatory system functioning, ginger’s compounds also minimize the severity of commonly associated symptoms such as fever and chills, nausea or vomiting, fatigue, and aches and pains.
MINIMIZES MENSTRUAL PAIN
Menstrual pain, also known as dysmenorrhea, is characterized by abdominal pain, back pain, cramping, and fatigue. This is a common condition, with a higher number women experiencing minor to severe discomfort around the time of menstruation. While many women endure these symptoms to a degree and duration that allows for undisrupted daily life to continue, a growing number of women experience extreme discomfort for longer durations of time that exceed the “average” of 3–5 days. With natural anti-inflammatory properties in ginger’s oils, enzymes, and phytochemicals that are able to seek and relieve concentrated areas of inflammation in the body, ginger is not only able to alleviate inflammation that can cause discomfort, but also relieve pain through its provisions of natural analgesic compounds provided by the enzymes and oils. With its ability to improve iron absorption in the bloodstream, maintain optimal hormone levels, and promote proper metabolic and digestive functioning, ginger is also able to minimize fatigue, mood swings, and bloating. Ginger may be the best possible go-to menstrual pain reliever that provides safe, effective, all-natural relief.
TONES SKIN
With age, certain illnesses or specific skin conditions, sun exposure, and environmental conditions, the skin on the face and throughout the body can become unevenly toned. Ginger provides the skin with an abundance of nutrients and phytochemicals like resveratrol, as well as enzymes that not only help to repair skin with the building of elastin and collagen, but encourage the regeneration of skin cells free of discoloration. With antioxidants that help to prevent damage, ginger adds beauty and health benefits to unevenly toned skin. For a great mask that can be used on the face or any part of the body with uneven skin tone, simply make use the Toning Mask that includes ginger for antioxidants and skin-repairing elements, green tea for antioxidants and skin-repairing elements, green tea for antioxidants and circulation-stimulating benefits, and coconut oil to ensure smooth, moisturized skin.
REDUCES THE APPEARANCE OF SCARS
Ginger provides the skin with a number of naturally occurring phytochemicals that help to reverse the hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation that occur within the skin as scar tissue develops during the healing process; these oils and enzymes, known as gingerol and shogaol, not only combat illness and infection during healing, but also improve the body’s natural regeneration through the efficient production of new skin cells while delivering antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits to the site of new skin cell production. Further supporting the repair of the skin’s surface are the gentle collagen- and elastin-building proteins and enzymes found in ginger, helping to rejuvenate and repair skin’s cells with the healthy composition and elasticity of youthful skin. By adding the powerful ginger root to a combination of additional skin-protecting ingredients, such as carrot juice and coconut oil, you can create a repairing salve suitable for scars anywhere on the skin.
STIMULATES HAIR GROWTH
Ginger naturally encourages proper blood circulation, provides the scalp with relieving moisturizers to optimize scalp health, and promotes the health of strands with rich protective and preventative oils and enzymes. With this combination of ginger and jojoba oil, any woman can achieve full locks of hair that are not only long, but healthier and more beautiful than ever before, too!
Ginger helps, treats, prevents, or aids nausea, motion sickness, morning sickness, asthma, digestion, sore throat, pain stemming from arthritis, migraines, heartburn, stomachaches, cholesterol issues, blood clotting that leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Different ways you can take it:
Supplements
Tea
Fresh
Extracts
