Ginger—Beyond Relieving Nausea, How Else this Herb may Help our Health

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In the first part of this article, we went over ginger and why and how it can help us. As you probably already know, a lot of people use ginger to help with digestive issues like nausea and indigestion. That’s why so many of us reach for a glass of ginger ale when we feel queasy.

The one time that ginger really should not be used to deal with nausea is unfortunately one of the main times that women would love to have some easy relief: pregnancy. According to Mayo Clinic’s website, some studies have suggested that large doses of ginger during pregnancy should be avoided due to possible danger to the developing baby. The website suggests that additional research be conducted before suggesting ginger to pregnant women who are dealing with morning sickness (which of course is not something that can tell time—many pregnant women end up feeling queasy for most of the day). Now granted, when I was pregnant I probably drank my share of ginger ale but again, these drinks tend to contain very small amounts of ginger, and it might only be ginger flavor as opposed to the potent stuff from the rhizomes. But pregnancy is definitely a time when you want to run things past your doctor first so if you are pregnant and nauseous, ask your doctor if even ginger ale is okay to drink.

As a bonus, ginger appears to have other healthful properties that go beyond our intestinal tracts. For example, it has been found to help relieve chronic pain by reducing inflammation, and it may also naturally lower the amount of prostaglandins we have in our bodies. This is good news because prostaglandins are natural pain-causing compounds that we have in our body, so reducing their numbers can help with chronic pain. Along these lines, if you can find ginger oil, it can help relieve the pain associated with aching muscles when it is massaged into the sore area. Again, this is probably due to its anti-inflammatory properties. People with rheumatoid arthritis have also responded well to ginger, either in an extract form or through a massage with ginger oil.

Still others have had luck using ginger to help with the symptoms of colds and allergies. Because it is also a natural antihistamine as well as a decongestant, if you are feeling miserable from seasonal allergies, you might want to consider trying ginger.

Ginger can be used in either a supplement form, and others like to take the fresh powdered root or peeled or cut up ginger root. Ginger tea can be very pleasant to drink and of course ginger ale, as long as it contains real ginger, can be very soothing as well as refreshing. Crystallized ginger is another form of the herb that some people enjoy. So if you have some health issues that you feel ginger might help, if you have your doctor’s blessing you might wish to experiment with the different forms and see which ones you like the best. Ginger does have a very pungent taste, so for many, taking it in capsule form is the easiest route to take.

References:

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=17E09E7CFFF640448FFB0B4FC1B7FEF0&nm=Reference+Library&type=AWHN_Supplements&mod=Supplements&mid=&id=4B40EAD438BC4693B50B840233A4628D&tier=2

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ginger/NS_patient-ginger

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.