Ginger Health Benefits & Simple Ways To Use It

Ginger is one of the most potent herbal medicines you can easily find in the grocery store. It’s helpful for a whole range of health support, from digestion to circulation to immune function. Ginger is a great example of food as medicine and my kitchen is never without this delicious, powerful herb. Get to know the health benefits of ginger, plus some easy ways to use ginger to support your overall health.

The information in this post is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is always best to work with a qualified healthcare professional before incorporating herbs into your diet.

Health Benefits & Ways To Use Ginger

Ginger Monograph

Botanical name: Zingiber officinale
Properties: Analgesic (anodyne), anti-emetic, aromatic, carminative, counterirritant, diaphoretic, digestive tonic, circulatory stimulant
Energetics: Warming to hot, drying
Taste: Pungent
Parts Used: Rhizome

Habitat/Growing/Harvesting

Native to Asia, ginger is an herbaceous perennial grown throughout the tropics in zones 9-11. It is propagated by planting rhizomes 1-2 inches below the surface of the soil with the eyes facing up. Space rhizomes about 15 inches apart. It prefers rich, loamy, well-worked soil that is kept evenly moist and prefers shade to partial shade.

It can be grown in a container indoors in indirect light or on a protected, shaded patio for those of us outside of zones 9-11.

For fresh use, harvest rhizomes that are between 4-7 months old. Older rhizomes, 7-9 months old, are more pungent and less fleshy, so they’re better used for drying.

Health Benefits & Common Uses of Ginger

Ginger is one of the best herbs for digestion. It helps relieve stagnant and cold digestion, like bloating, gas, and that heavy feeling you sometimes get after meals. Ginger stimulates digestion when taken after meals, speeding gastric emptying in healthy people and those with functional dyspepsia. It also aids in the absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract.

Ginger is probably most well known for relieving nausea, specifically during pregnancy, for motion sickness, and for those undergoing chemotherapy. It can also be helpful in gastrointestinal infections, including food poisoning. Herbalist Robin Rose Bennet recommends preparing a ginger foot bath to effectively relieve nausea and vomiting when other ginger preparations can’t be kept down. (3)

It is a premier herb for support during the cold and flu as it enhances immune function. It warms you up from the inside out, gets stuck mucus flowing again, and relieves chest congestion, stuffy noses, and sore throats.

Ginger has been shown to be as effective as ibuprofen for reducing the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. (1) It stimulates circulation and can be used to relieve sore muscles, painful joints, and cramping during menstruation, especially when used in a bath. It’s also very helpful relieving painful menstrual symptoms associated with delayed menstruation, clots, and fibroids.

Ginger Folklore & Magical Uses

Ginger is a great plant to use in spell and ritual work to enhance energy, strength, and power. It is traditionally used in both money and love spells.

Eating ginger before performing spells is believed to lend power to the spells—especially love spells.

Whole ginger roots are planted and grown to attract money. Ginger powder can be sprinkled into pocket or onto money for this purpose, as well.

Ginger Cautions/Contraindications

There’s a chance therapeutic amounts of ginger may interact with certain medications like warfarin and medications for diabetes and high blood pressure. Traditional Chinese Medicine cautions against using more than 2 grams of dried ginger per day for pregnant women.

Easy Ways To Experience The Health Benefits Of Ginger

Ginger Tea

A warm cup of ginger tea is probably the easiest and most effective way to experience the benefits of ginger. Hot ginger tea is perfect to support digestion, boost your immune system at the first sign of a cold, or warm you up from the inside out. Plus, it’s simple and delicious to brew yourself a mug of ginger tea at a moment’s notice.

Ginger Tea

Ingredients:

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced or grated
12 ounces
Lemon wedge
Honey, to taste

Directions:

Using a tea infuser or teapot, place the fresh ginger in the infuser and pour boiling water over it. Make sure the ginger is fully submerged in the water. Cover and let steep for 10-15 minutes.
Strain out the ginger. Add a squeeze of lemon and a bit of honey, if desired. Enjoy!

Ginger Honey

Ginger honey is another incredibly easy and delicious way to prepare ginger. By combining fresh ginger and honey and letting them infuse, you’ll have an herbal honey that can be added to tea or drizzled over anything from yogurt to roasted vegetables. A spoonful of ginger honey taken straight is also a great way to soothe a sore throat.

Ginger Infused Honey

Ingredients:

½ cup grated fresh ginger
¾ – 1 cup honey

Directions:

Add freshly grated ginger to an 8-ounce jar with a tight-fitting lid. Fill the jar with honey, stirring to make sure the ginger is evenly distributed and there are no air pockets. Secure the lid, label the jar with the contents and the date, and let the honey infuse at room temperature for at least a few days and up to four weeks before using.
You can strain out the ginger from the honey once you’re done infusing if you like, though I never do. Store the honey in the fridge. It should easily stay good for a year, though it’s so delicious it’s not likely to last that long.

I recently drizzled some ginger honey on focaccia bread and it was absolutely amazing. Check out the recipe here: Gluten-free Winter Focaccia With Pear, Pistachio, & Rosemary

Added To Soup

Grated ginger is a great way to add flavor, warmth, and nourishment to soup. Depending on how much you add, it can complement just about any soup recipe. Adding a tablespoon of fresh ginger to any soup gives it a subtle kick. Or add several tablespoons for a spicier, ginger-forward flavor. Either way, you’ll enjoy the warming, stimulating, health-boosting benefits of this delicious spice.

Ginger Garlic Thyme Oxymel

An oxymel is an herbal extraction of vinegar and raw honey. It’s a great way to extract the healing benefits of herbs and the result is actually pretty tasty. By combining ginger with other immune-boosting herbs like garlic and thyme, you’ll have an herbal preparation that you can take daily to help strengthen your immune system or at the first sign of a cold to help bolster your immune defenses.

Get the recipe here: Immune-Boosting Ginger Garlic Thyme Oxymel

Liberally In Baked Goods

Granted, eating a cookie with ginger in it isn’t likely to produce any noticeable health benefits. But adding spices like ginger into your recipes regularly and liberally is a great way to “microdose” these powerful herbs for a subtle and cumulative effect.

Here are a few recipes for inspiration:

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Ginger Health Benefits & Simple Ways To Use It