My Vedic Life

What is Ginger:

• Ginger (Adrak) is a rhizome (underground part of the stem), widely used as a spice, flavoring, food, and medicine, that is native to warmer parts of Southeast Asia, such as China, Japan, and India.
• Ginger treats Nausea, reduces Cold and flu, good for health, treats inflammation, prevents cancer, improves brain functionality, treats muscle pain, severe indigestion, protects the liver, reduces menstrual cramps, cholesterol levels, protects from Alzheimer's disease, can kill bacteria, protects DNA, treats Osteoarthritics. It has immuno-modulatory, anti-tumorogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-emetic properties.  (More Details)

Availability:

• It is available in fresh, dried, pickled, preserved, crystallized (or candied), and powdered form.

What are its benefits:

• Ginger is a digestive stimulant. Ginger can empty your stomach faster and prevent indigestion. Fresh ginger can be cut into strips and can be soaked in lime juice and salt and then dried in the sun, which can be eaten before launch. It presents stomach ulcers also due to anti-inflammatory components aspirin and ibuprofen.
• These herbs are strongly antispasmodic, which means that it helps tense muscles relax. It can help you just let that tension unwind, make a big pot of Ginger-Chamomile tea after dinner and drink it until bedtime which helps get to sleep at night. It basically increases the presence of the mind. It can keep you alert due to its anti-inflammatory properties, and hence improves brain functionality also.
• It treats Nausea: Ginger contains compound gingerol, which is known for improving gastric motility, the passage of food through the body, and suppressing muscle spasms. This helps settle the stomach and reduce the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Just boiling fresh ginger in water and drinking it throughout the day will help in morning sickness. Chewing fresh pieces is very helpful in post-operative nausea.
• Reduces Menstrual Cramps: Taking ginger powder 500-2000 mg during the first 3-4 days of a menstrual cycle modestly decreases pain in women and teens with painful menstrual periods. Adding ginger to medicines such as mefenamic acid also seems to be helpful.
• Osteoarthritis: Taking ginger by mouth can slightly reduce pain in some people with osteoarthritis. There is some evidence that taking ginger by mouth works as well as ibuprofen 400 mg daily for pain in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Applying ginger gel or oil to the knee doesn't improve pain in people with osteoarthritis. A little amount of ginger, cinnamon, and sesame oil help reducing pain also.
• Good For Heart: Ginger lowers blood sugar and improves heart disease risk factors in type 2 diabetes. Ginger may help lower cholesterol levels so that it lowers the risk of blood clots. 2 grams of ginger powder per day lowered fasting blood sugar by 10% over a period of 12 weeks. It can be added to the diet plan every day to keep your heart healthy. 

• Treats Inflammation: Inflammation is the process where white blood cells protect from harmful bacteria and viruses. The body's immune system damage to its own tissues resulting in inflammation Ginger consists of anti-inflammatory components Gingerol that can help lower the risk of infections and cure inflammation.
• May Prevent Cancer: It is very effective in blocking prostate cancer cells and their growth. So It also reduces the risk of cancer.
• Protects the Liver: Ginger reduces the risk of liver from aging. It protects the liver from damage, as it washes away heavy metals and drugs that get sedimented on your liver.
• Protects from Alzheimer's disease: Ginger is known as a preventive agent against Alzheimer's disease and also a good repellant to people who are suffering from this disease. It also protects DNA.
• Adding ginger to diet: With hot water, adding few pieces of fresh ginger to hot water to make tea. Finely chopped fresh ginger or powdered ginger added to curries or stir-fries. Baking cookies, cakes, or pastries with ginger.
• Health benefits on skin: Consuming ginger every day helps you reducing acne, white scars. A little bit of ginger tea every day makes your skin glow. Ginger also makes your skin look healthy.
• Health benefits on hair: Ginger increases the blood circulation to the scalp of your hair and enables hair growth. It also helps to swat, and hence produces natural oils which act as antiseptics preventing dandruff.  It can prevent hair loss. You can make it a paste and place it on your hair and allow it to dry for some time.

 Ayurvedic Properties:

• It balances "Kapha" dosha.
• "Truptighna": Relieves pseudosatiation.
• "Arshoghna": Good for piles.
• "Deepana": Good for digestion.
• "Shoolprashmana": Useful in relieving abdominal pain.
• "Trishna nigrahana": Groups of herbs useful in thirst.
• Its Vipaka is sweet, hence used in heart disease and the best appetizer.
• According to Acharya Sushruta, it pacifies "Vata" and "Kapha". It improves voice and relieves constipation, gas and bloating, abdominal pain.
• Traditional ayurvedic texts recommend ginger for therapeutic use for joint discomfort, clearing the micro-circulatory channels to facilitate better absorption of nutrients and elimination of wastes. It promotes joint health.

Regional Names:

• English: Ginger root, Ginger; Kannada: Shunthi; Hindi: Sonth; Malayalam: Chukku; Tamil: Sukku, Chukku; Telugu: Sonthi, Sunti; Marathi: Sunth; Gujarathi: Sunth, Sundh, Suntha; Punjabi: Sund; Kashmiri: Shonth; Sanskrit: Vishvabesaja, Shringavera, Ausada, Vishva