Ginger is a very common herb used in Chinese Medicine, with heaps of health benefits. It’s no surprise when you see all the various ways it can be used. There are may uses in Naturopathic or western herbal medicine as well as Chinese medicine, for health problems.
In Chinese Medicine, it’s one of those substances considered both a food and a medicine (herb).
Two types of ginger are used in Chinese medicine. The dried root – Gan Jiang and the fresh root, Sheng Jiang.
The fresh root is what’s most available to people, having a thumb of ginger in the fridge can a handy part of your natural first aid kit!
Here are 3 handy ways you can use fresh ginger at home for simple herbal treatments:
- Nausea
- harmonizing digestion
- pushing out cold and flu’s
- morning sickness
Ginger can be prepared in the following ways:
GINGER TEA : 5 slices of fresh ginger + 1 teaspoon of honey or sugar (or molasses), steep in 1 cup of boiling water. This should be covered or steeped up to 15 minutes or more, before drinking when it’s suitable temperature.
Ginger tea can be sipped for morning sickness, to harmonise digestion and to descend rebellious stomach energy that causes nausea.
Ginger in Cold and Flu treatments.
The nature of this herb (and food) is warm and pungent. It can promote sweating and release pathongens this way. Ginger tea can be taken in the following scenario:
Initial Wind-Cold attack symptoms – feeling tired, cold (Chinese medicine calls this aversion to cold – where you feel like you want to rug up, put more clothes on, don’t want to be outside or anywhere near a draft), shivery, slight fevery or bit of sweating (maybe feel a bit clammy) but not big sweating yet. NO SORE THROAT (although the throat may feel like glands are swollen, there is no pain in the throat or loss of voice).
Make the ginger tea (same as above) aka – Take 5 slices of fresh ginger (which you can get from any supermarket or fruit & Vege place) + 1 teaspoon of brown sugar or honey and add hot water. Cover the cup with a plate to allow it to steep for 5-10mins. Drink it all down, and get as warm as possible. Rug up, put on jackets etc to promote sweating. If this dosen’t work in about 30 mins, then drink another cup of the tea. If this still dosen’t work then see your Chinese herbalist they will be able to prescribe you a stronger herbal formula to do the same thing, depending on how long you have been sick for.
NOTICE: this information is provided in public interest of keeping people healthy as possible. Common sense should always be applied. Too much of anything can be hazardous to health. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or diagnosis by a health practitioner. If you have a health condition, you should check with your health care practitioner before using foods as medicine treatments, if you are in any way unsure about the suitability of the food agents, herbs or recipies for your body. In an medical emergency always contact emergency services, call 000 in Australia.
This article is written by Marie Hopkinson, the Chinese Herbalist & Acupuncturist at Metro Health and Medicine in North Perth. Marie is available for consultation by calling 1300 132 830 or email [email protected]