Seven ways that taking ginger can spice up your health

Seven ways that taking ginger can spice up your health


(NaturalNews) Cultivated and used medicinally for thousands of years all
around the world, ginger root is a powerful medicinal herb that offers a
variety of unique health benefits. When taken regularly in therapeutic
doses, ginger root can effectively cure nausea; promote healthy
digestion; boost immunity; treat asthma; improve cardiovascular function
and heart health; relieve pain; and even prevent and cure chronic
disease by quelling inflammation.

Besides being widely known for
the exotic, spicy flavor it adds to food and beverages, one of ginger's
other main claims to fame is its amazing ability to 1) improve digestion and promote better assimilation of nutrients into the body.
A plethora of scientific research conducted throughout the past several
decades confirms that ginger contains a distinct enzymatic profile that
works synergistically to promote healthy digestion, and ease the
processing of food in the stomach and intestines. (http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginger-000246.htm)

"The
'quintessential digestive herb,' ginger has the ability to restore
digestive balance as in the cases of ulcers, parasites or nausea; the
anti-emetic effects of ginger are therapeutic in cases of motion
sickness, morning sickness, and other kinds of nausea," writes Paul
Schulick in his 1995 paper entitled "The Many Roles of Ginger." "Ginger
also encourages full digestive potential, and due in part to its enzyme
activity, can increase bioavailability of drugs and nutrients."

On a similar note, ginger root is a proven 2) remedy for motion sickness, seasickness, and various other forms of nausea.
Pregnant women, chemotherapy patients, and individuals with mild or
moderate upset stomach can all experience relief by taking therapeutic
doses of ginger, which was shown in at least one major study to
eliminate nausea symptoms with as little as a one-quarter of a teaspoon
dose. (http://articles.cnn.com)

As quoted in the book Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems,
Dr. Robert Dozor, M.D., explains that "[g]inger in any form -- as a
capsule, as a tea, even as ginger candy, if it's actually made with the
herb -- can quickly calm nausea" (http://www.naturalpedia.com/book_Alternative_Cures.html). This includes cancer patients who experience debilitating nausea as a result of chemotherapy treatments.

Even better than its power to eliminate post-chemotherapy nausea; however, is ginger's amazing ability to 3) treat inflammation and boost immunity.
Chronic inflammation is linked to a host of debilitating diseases,
including cancer, all of which can be effectively prevented and even
treated with therapeutic doses of whole ginger extract.

Numerous studies, including one that was published in the British Journal of Nutrition
back in 2011, have shown that whole ginger extract effectively fights
cancer cells by inducing apoptosis, a process by which cancer cells
essentially "commit suicide." In the book Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer,
authors Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras explain how ginger's
powerful anti-inflammatory effect creates an environment within the body
that precludes the growth and spread of cancer cells and resultant
tumors. (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/turmeric-ginger.htm)

This same anti-inflammatory effect also makes ginger a powerful 4) pain reliever,
particularly for chronic pain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis,
sciatica, and fibromyalgia. A randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism
back in 2001, for instance, found that patients with osteoarthritis
experienced dramatic pain relief when they took ginger extract twice
daily. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11710709)

Ginger
is also an effective treatment for milder pain symptoms associated with
conditions like the occasional headache, sore muscles, and the common
cold. Ginger's unique compositional blend of analgesic substances
naturally inhibits pain-producing prostaglandins from activating an
inflammatory response within the body. Synthetic pain reliever drugs, on
the other hand, cannot accomplish this, at least not without eliciting
harmful side-effects.

"Ginger inhibits the production of
immune-system components called cytokines, chemicals that create a
long-term tendency toward inflammation. It also stimulates blood
circulation," writes Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., in her book Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies (http://www.naturalpedia.com/book_Prescription_for_Herbal_Healing.html). "These effects make ginger useful in treating a number of disorders marked by swelling and pain, such as arthritis."

Speaking of circulation, ginger has been shown to greatly promote 5) cardiovascular health
by suppressing the biosynthesis of an inflammatory mediator known as
leukotrienes. The dual-action, anti-inflammatory nature of ginger, while
it inhibits both leukotrienes and prostaglandins, it helps maintain
optimal arterial flow. Ginger also prevents platelet aggregation while
also stimulating the release of adrenaline, processes that both help
strengthen the heart.

Another way that ginger helps prevent and cure disease is through its diverse array of 6) antioxidants,
the two most prominent of which are curcumin and gingerol. Not only do
these and several other free radical scavengers prevent the growth and
spread of cancer cells, but they also prevent from forming, and even
eliminate, amyloid plaques in the brain that are linked to causing
Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain conditions.

"Ginger
is a source of a large number of important antioxidants that, amongst
other activities, reduce lipid oxidation by enhancing the activities of
crucial internally produced antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase,"
says Dr. Keith Scott, M.D., author of the book Medicinal Seasonings, the Healing Power of Spices.
"Melatonin, in particular, is not only a highly effective free-radical
scavenger itself, but also stimulates production of the main antioxidant
enzyme of the brain, glutathione peroxidase." (http://keithscottmd.articlealley.com)

Children and adults who suffer from asthma symptoms will also be pleased to learn that ginger is an effective 7) asthma treatment
as well. Ginger naturally contains several different compounds that can
help alleviate asthma symptoms. These include alpha-pinene, which
loosens mucus in the bronchial tubes, and beta-carotene, the antioxidant
precursor to vitamin A.


Source:-
http://www.naturalnews.com/037119_ginger_spice_immunity.html