Ginger

Plants have a lot to offer. It is up to us to find out the hidden values.

Ginger is often referred to as the root of a plant. Whatever the part of the plant it is, the benefits of ginger is vast. The whole plant is in fact beneficial and edible, thus used for many types of cooking in Asian countries. It carries with it an aroma so special it is not available anywhere else.  

Young ginger is crunchy and nice to chew on. It is easily acceptable for people who are starting to taste ginger. Old ginger on the other hand is very fibrous and often too spicy for beginners. However, old ginger offers more benefits compared to the young ones. Thus, the Chinese proverb “The older the ginger, the more spicy”. This proverb connects nature with humans. It literally refers to older men are more experienced compared to younger men. It is to advice people to be respectful to the elders, especially in business deals.

Ginger contains gingerol, with highest concentration in the skin. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to ensure the source of ginger we are using. Organic would be a great choice when the plant food is to be consumed whole, without removing the skin. Or, an even better choice, plant our own. It is easy to grow because of its hardiness. It does not require much care in tropical countries. Just prop a few tubers in the ground and they will do their own magic. We can expect to get some good yield after about six months.

This part of the plants has been used as medicine in Asian traditional healing such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda. We can trust the healing properties of this plant as people from totally different backgrounds and countries are using ginger commonly to cure certain ailments. TCM is from China while Ayurveda is from India. Though both countries are from the same Asia continent, if we are to measure the distance in the world map, they are miles away. Hundreds of years ago, it is quite impossible for them to communicate without the help of modern transport and technology.

The point is, if people from faraway lands that have never communicated with each other, can come up with the same conclusion to use ginger as medicine, then they must know what they are doing. We can trust their findings that ginger is a beneficial.

The heat that ginger provides is soothing to the stomach. It helps in gathering gas or wind in the stomach, to be released as burp or fart. Though this may sound disgusting, it is a natural course our body uses to remove excessive gas or wind in the whole body.

Our modern lifestyle is actually quite damaging to our body. We take cold showers after the sun is down and sleep in less than an hour after bath. Our hair is probably still damp when we go to bed. These are all bad practices that we do every single day. It can lead to bloating, inflammation, joint pains, stiff neck, and even chronic headaches. We may not feel it now but as age catches up all the problems will creep in making us miserable. This is not yet including the cold drinks that we take on a hot day, especially the carbonated ones.

Having ginger in our diet helps ease all of the above symptoms and illnesses, and prevent recurrence. Their effects may not show immediately, but they are the long term cure.

Many of us think that putting ginger into our diet is a hassle. If you are keen to keep your health in tip top condition, you will find by all means and ways to do it. There are manufacturers specializing in making ginger easily accessible even to those countries where it is impossible to cultivate ginger. Nowadays, ginger come in the form of powder. Just one scoop a day in the morning is all you need to get yourself going. You can even use ginger powder in soups or mix with other beverages and have it together during meal times.

In the end, it is the effort that matters. Learn to live and grow with ginger.

 

Carrots in winter and ginger in summer, then the doctor won’t have to write a prescription.    

Chinese Idioms, www.yoyochinese.com