Rooting Out Nausea

Rooting Out Nausea

It  is thought that Ginger (Zingiber officinale) was never like it is as a  wild species, but a cultigen created by the first Austronesian people of  Island regions of Southeast Asia, and travelled with them and expanded  through the Austronesian expansion.

In  fact, Ginger has been around for so long and so loved that it has  incorporated itself into the traditional medicine pharmacopoeia of many  cultures.

Ginger is a perennial with rhizomous roots which grow false stems (made of rolled leaves) bearing yellow and purple flowers.

It  is the rhizomous root that produces the hot fragrant spice which is  consumed in many cuisines, beverages, as well as used in traditional  medicines.

Many  people know of the famous anti-nausea activity of Ginger, but few know  that Ginger is also showing good clinical results for having  anti-obesity and metabolic syndrome activities, gastroprotective and  prokinetic effects, let alone benefits for blood pressure, dysmenorrhea,  morning sickness, osteoarthritis, and exercise-induced muscle soreness.

In  functional medicine, Ginger is increasingly used for its prokinetic  activity, and for preventing relapse in small intestine bacterial  overgrowth (SIBO) treatment.

In a recent meta-analysis, the use of Ginger supplementation was also found to benefit non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The bioactives in ginger are classified into three main classes, the gingerols, volatile oils and diarylheptanoids.

In  western herbal medicine, Ginger is also known for its affinity for the  throat, and for promoting digestive & respiratory health. In fact,  it is often used as a ‘medicine horse’, an herb to direct the activity  of other herbs to a certain region, for the throat.

Dried, powdered Ginger is also wonderful in a hot bath to for a sore muscle soak.

The  Ginger essential oil is also often added to body care and aromatherapy  products for its stimulating, refreshing and warming qualities.

For  nausea, Ginger is hard to beat, has strong clinical substantiation, and  can be used fresh or dried (consumed), or as an essential oil.

Not  only has Ginger been found in clinical studies to be safe and effective  this way for pregnancy-related nausea, but also inhaled post-surgery.

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*This  content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not  intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice  or treatment from a personal physician.

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