There are numerous health benefits of eating raw ginger including keeping the stomach healthy, removing toxins from the body, and fighting against cancer. Ginger is also beneficial for digestion and reducing gas in the digestive tract. So it makes sense as to why everyone needs a little more ginger in their diet!
Ginger is not a spice, but a plant. It is also called ‘Zingiber Officinale’ which means “Official of the healing properties” in Latin. So, even a long time ago when the Latin language was developing, they knew this plant had healing properties!
Ginger can be eaten raw, boiled or steamed, or even prepared into drinks. It can also be dried and ground to make ginger powder, which can be used as an ingredient for many other foods. Ginger is a perennial herb that grows wild in tropical places all over the world.
It is found growing wild throughout China, Japan, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia where it can be found at altitudes as high as 3120 meters (10500 feet) above sea level in South China.
Ginger was introduced into the U.S. in the late 1800s by Chinese immigrants and now it is popular throughout the world as a spice for flavoring food and drinks.
There are many health benefits of eating raw ginger:
1. Helps to cure nausea and vomiting: It is known to be an effective treatment for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (morning sickness). Ginger can help women who experience morning sickness, by preventing or reducing nausea.
It’s believed that one cause of morning sickness is that the body has lower estrogen during pregnancy, which causes the body’s digestive juices to function more slowly; this causes extra acid to remain in the digestive system after breaking down food, which causes nausea and vomiting. Ginger stimulates the development of digestive juices and the gallbladder, which can prevent or reduce nausea.
2. Helps with digestion: One of the many health benefits of eating raw ginger is that it can help improve digestion. It stimulates bile to flow from the gallbladder, causing food to be digested faster, helping food to be properly broken down and absorbed by the body. Ginger has been known to help those who suffer from indigestion, diarrhea, and dyspepsia.
3. Helps to stop cancer: Ginger has been used for centuries as a remedy for stomach problems, cancer, and other diseases. Studies have shown that ginger use helps reduce the risk of cancer. It may also help prevent or stop the spread of cancer.
4. Helps treat arthritis: It can help relieve pain from arthritis in the joints and is often used when treating rheumatism (a general term for all disorders of joints and muscles), lumbago (back pain), gout (a severe form of arthritis that affects the joints in your big toe), multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis.
5. Helps to prevent heart disease: Ginger is a natural blood thinner, which makes it great for helping to reduce the risk of heart disease. Studies show that people who eat raw ginger have less chance of having a heart attack or developing blood clots in the lungs.
6. Helps with obesity: Eating ginger can help you lose weight because it helps people feel full and satisfied, thus reducing the desire for more food or an excessive amount of food.
Ginger has also been shown to suppress appetite as well as increase metabolism, which helps burn calories faster and lose weight! Ginger may also be effective for helping with weight loss since it can increase thermogenesis in the body, which increases energy expenditure inside the body and thus boosts fat burning.
7. Helps with nausea and detoxification: Nausea can be caused by intense emotions such as fear, stress, anger, and depression. Ginger helps with nausea by calming the stomach and reducing the feeling of sickness. It is a great remedy for those who get sick to their stomach easily, and it also works as a detoxifier for the body which helps to remove toxins.
8. Helps reduce muscle pain: Ginger effectively reduces muscle pain, soreness, cramps, and spasms. It is also used by many athletes before or after an athletic event or competition since it can reduce soreness and fatigue in muscles so they can continue to perform at their best level even after rigorous exercise.
9. Helps with insomnia: Ginger is a natural remedy for insomnia. It has been used for centuries in South East Asia as a remedy for insomnia. According to studies, it can help people who have restless sleep and get up several times during the night.
10. Helps with urinary tract infections: Raw ginger also helps to kill bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. Ginger is also effective for preventing infections caused by bacteria from entering the body through the urethra (where urine comes out of the body).
11. Helps with menstrual pain: Ginger has been shown to reduce menstrual pain, cramps, and other problems due to its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to help relieve discomfort associated with menstruation in some cases.
12. Helps with sore throat: Drinking a ginger tea helps to relieve throat pain from a sore throat by reducing inflammation of the throat as well as increase circulation of blood and relieve congestion which helps clear up more severe cases of sore throats.
13. Helps with motion sickness: Ginger is very effective for treating motion sickness since it can prevent vomiting due to carsickness, sea sickness, or use of boats and planes. It’s a great thing to take traveling with you!
14. Helps with heartburn: Drinking ginger tea is a great natural remedy for heartburn as well as indigestion since it can help reduce acid reflux within the stomach and small intestine.
15. Helps with osteoporosis: An extract from the root of the ginger plant helps to reduce inflammation associated with osteoporosis and other bone related disorders. It is also shown to help relieve symptoms of these conditions, such as bone and joint pain as well as muscle weakness.
16. Helps with diarrhea: Ginger has been found to help people suffering from diarrhea because it contains a compound known as anonamine. This compound helps in the treatment of diarrhea and may be effective in preventing or slowing down the pace of diarrhea from occurring.
Ginger is a natural plant that has many health benefits including improvements in the digestive system, boosting immunity, preventing inflammation and pain, boosting metabolism, and more.
Even better – it tastes great too! Start adding some more raw ginger into your diet – add it to dressings and marinades for a real flavor boost, or make your own ginger tea by steeping some grated or finely chopped raw ginger in some boiling water.
Your taste buds, and your body, will thank you!
