GINGER

For more than 2,500 years, ginger has been used to treat ailments and please the pallet. Today the edible portion of the perennial plant is used worldwide in a variety of ways. In France they use it to flavor a liqueur and the United Kingdom produces a ginger flavored wine. In the Middle East, ginger powder is used as a spice for coffee and in the West, we use ginger to satisfy our sweet tooth in gingerbread, ginger ale, ginger snaps—even ginger candy.

Generally ginger is used to improve digestion, absorption and assimilation. In addition, ginger has been used frequently for dyspepsia and colic, to ease pain from arthritis, has blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that can help treat heart disease, and can be an effective treatment for nausea. Gingerols have shown evidence of aiding the movement of the gastrointestinal tract and have antibacterial, sedative, antipyretic, and analgesic properties.