GINGER: THE SPICE FOR YOUR LIFE
Remember the story of "The Gingerbread Boy"
when you were a kid. That little cookie guy was in good shape, healthy, alert and very clever. He had a lot of zip, zest and zing. The reason may have been all that ginger he was made out of. Then again maybe it was just a story but this thought isn't all that far fetched.
Ginger, the spice for your life; commonly considered a spice, one of the spices, seasonings that are regularly found on your kitchen spice rack is actually a rhizome, a part of the stem of the ginger plant that grows just beneath the surface of the ground and sends out the roots and shoots of the plant to nourish and support it. It is edible and very good for you.
William Shakespeare once said, "Had I but a penny in the world, thou shouldst have it for gingerbread." He knew the value of ginger and he probably really liked it, enjoyed the flavor, and liked it as a seasoning in the foods he ate. The ancients believed that ginger was a cure-all for just about anything that might ail you and today science is proving that they were right, at least to a very high degree.
The rhizome of the ginger plant is a bulblike growth that is odd in shape in that it commonly has four branches or limbs and a knob like protrusion that the ancient ones thought resembled man; two arms, two legs and a head and they believed that when eaten, ginger protected the whole body, somehow magically.
It was common practice for these ancients to carry ginger with them wherever they went to protect them, heal them and bring them good fortunesuperstition, yes, but again not all that far fetched a conclusion on their part. They were actually onto something that was indeed factual. Research has proven this to be so and has long since promoted the use of ginger as being very healthy and good for you.
I remember as a child and repeating the practice with my own children, that the minute one of us appeared to be getting ill out came the bottle of ginger ale, ginger tea was made and served to us and there was a tonic that we took during the cold winter months and early spring that contained a goodly amount of ginger to help us ward off colds and flu and any other illness that hangs around that time of year. I didn't know it then but apparently it worked because we were seldom sick.
Grandma knew what she was doing.
She knew about a lot of things that folks considered folk medicine and old wives tales that have since been proven to be true. That is the way it is with ginger.
In the summer when we became over heated Grandma would make us ginger tea by steeping a few crystals of candied ginger in a cup of tea. It was wonderfully delicious hot or iced and it was soothing and very shortly brought down the body temperature as well as helping to ward off the nausea and headache that goes along with heat stroke. This is a delicious tea even when you aren't sick and does wonders when it comes to having a restful night when you are so over tired and stressed you just can't sleep; those times when you feel jittery and restless all over. It soothes the savage beast. She learned about this wonderful cure from her grandma. Ginger was used for just about everything in one amount or another; for croup, for fever, for aches and pains and for sprains, for insect bites and rashes caused from allergies; it even helps with female problems like menstrual crampingout would come the ginger.
Grandma made a soothing, healing bath (not a literal soak in the tub bath but I suppose you could, I haven't tried it.) out of ginger, rosemary and thyme that have been tied up in a small piece of sheeting material or linen.
Combine 1 heaping tablespoon of ginger, 2 teaspoons of rosemary and I teaspoon of thyme in a bowl of very hot, simmering water, about 1 quart (4 cups).
Cover the bowl with a plate and let it steep for 5 to 7 minutes until the water is bearable to the touch. Soak and wring out a face cloth in this tea mixture and place it over the painful or congested area and cover with a bath towel to hold in the heat and the healing, soothing properties of the mixture.
Repeat this process about every 15 minutes for an hour or so. These compresses are an amazing relief and the aroma is wonderfully relaxing.
Ginger is a natural for boosting the immune system and it is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, thus being a blessing to folks who suffer from arthritis.
It is a natural decongestant and has been known for thousands of years to be a cure for indigestion and nausea.
It relieves gas and bloating and helps prevent and cure diarrhea. It reduces fever. Medical research has now shown that it also stimulates and improves the cardiovascular system, helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, even for the diabetic.
It relieves the common cold.
Ginger lowers and manages or stabilizes both the HDL and LDL helping us to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, it is good for your heart and now researches are saying ginger may well be useful in preventing some forms of cancer. Most of us already know that ginger has been used for eons as a treatment for motion sickness and is a great cure for bad breath. You just might want to get acquainted with ginger and add a little spice for your life.
Ginger is a good thing and ginger produces no known ill side effects and is not known to interact negatively with any other drug or supplement you may be taking. It is safe and it is one of our all around good guys.
I like ginger. I like the zip, zest and flavor ginger adds to my food. Ginger is good for you and I'm with William Shakespeare, I love gingerbread.