Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is an herbaceous perennial (a flowering plant that lives more than two years) and a rhizome (a plant that grows underground) in the Zingiberaceae family, which also includes turmeric and cardamom.
Ginger's history dates back over 5,000 years, when Indian and Chinese medicine started using it as a tonic for many ailments. Although it originated in Southeast Asia, it has long been cultivated in many other countries.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, ginger is a super food, being tri-doshic (suitable for all doshas) when fresh. Still, in its powdered state, it is significantly heating for the Pitta dosha. Below is their energetics:
Fresh: It has a pungent and sweet taste, a warming nature, and the qualities of being unctuous, heavy, and Sattvic.
Dry: It has a pungent, sweet taste and a hot nature. Its overall qualities are drying, light, mobile, and penetrating.
The bio-medical actions of ginger include anti-Inflammatory, antiarthritic, lung tonic, appetizer, antiemetic, antispasmodic, carminative, burns ama (toxins), decongestant, detoxicant, digestive, galactagogue, sialogogue, spleen-tonic, stomachic and vasodilator.
Ginger is perfect for digestion, respiration, and the joints. It is believed to destroy ama (stored toxins), enkindle the digestive fire and secretion of digestive enzymes, prevent nausea, stop hiccups, clear phlegm in the lungs, alleviate coughs, colds, and breathing difficulties, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, relieve menstrual cramps and is believed to help with congestive-type cardiac disorders.
A fantastic way to improve digestion, absorption, and elimination is
to chew on a slice of peeled ginger (about the size of a dime)
before meals, invigorating digestive acids.
Ginger Pickle
This pickled ginger condiment is great to take before eating to aid digestion and dissolve toxins in the digestive tract. Ideally, take it five minutes before you eat (but it can be taken anytime). It will kindle Agni (the body’s digestive fire), which helps to transform food into nutrients and prevents the formation of Ama (toxic waste), which creates disease. You can make a batch of this and keep it in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
4oz fresh ginger, peeled
1-3 teaspoons of fresh lime juice
Pinch mineral salt
Preparation
Peel the ginger into thin slices (as thin as possible) and place them in a small, airtight container.
Add the lime juice and salt and mix well.
How to use:. It will kindle your digestive fire when your digestion seems sluggish.
Fresh Ginger Tea
Yield 1 Quart
Fresh ginger tastes “rasa” of pungent and is heating in nature with a sweet aftertaste. The consumption of ginger stimulates the digestive fire “Agni” and our appetites and improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body while scraping away undigested food called “Ama” in our system. Being a potent anti-inflammatory, it reduces joint pain and aching muscles, keeps the sinuses clear, and relieves nausea, gas, and stomach cramps.
Equipment Needed:
Pot for boiling water
Tea Press or Pot
Ingredients:
1-quart water
1-2 Tablespoons Fresh Grated Ginger
Sweetener to taste (I use a pinch of Stevia Herb)
Instructions:
Grate or slice the ginger very thin
Place the ginger in a pot, press, or thermos
Pour the boiled water into the container and cover it.
If you use a thermos, you can replenish the water during the day as you drink the tea.
Comments