Ginger Is a Superfood, but Not for Everyone: Who Should Avoid It?

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Ginger is not just a popular cuisine condiment but also a healthy food. However, when consuming this root, we should avoid a few pitfalls.

Let us discuss the safest, most effective ways to eat ginger to boost its health effects.

Health Benefits of Ginger

The biochemical constituents of ginger are abundant, and the main components include volatile oil, curcumin, zingiberol, gingerol, starch, and others. These components impart a variety of benefits to ginger.

1. Promotes digestion: Ginger contains ingredients such as gingerol and zingiberol, which can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and increase the secretion of digestive juice, helping relieve gastrointestinal discomfort.
2. Reduces inflammation: Curcumin in ginger has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects, which can relieve discomfort due to inflammation.
3. Relieves nausea and vomiting: The volatile oil in ginger can ease nausea and vomiting, especially nausea and vomiting caused by pregnancy and chemotherapy.
4. Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol: Curcumin and other ingredients in ginger can lower blood sugar and cholesterol, which helps prevent diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
5. Is an analgesic and antispasmodic: The gingerol and zingiberol in ginger can relieve pain, cramps, spasms, and muscle pain.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) posits that most natural foods can be classified either as “cold” or “hot.” They can further be subdivided into cold, hot, warm, and neutral food. Eating cold foods cools your body, while eating hot foods lends a warming effect. With this in mind, the body’s condition can be tuned via the proper balance of cold- and hot-food intake. For example, ginger’s energy is spicy and warm, so it is a warm food. In TCM clinical practice, ginger is widely used to treat gastrointestinal discomfort, cold arthralgia pain, fever, cough, aversion to cold, and other symptoms.