Ginger

Ginger – a tropical medicinal plant. It grows in India, Ceylon, Central America, China. Ginger oil is received from rhizomes of this plant. Receiving one kilogram of essential oil requires fifty kilograms of dry rhizomes of ginger. To Europe this spice was delivered from Asia.

Ginger began to be grown up for the first time in Northern India. Phoenicians used its rhizomes instead of money in the beginning, and a little later began to sell them in the states of the Mediterranean as expensive and valuable spice. Rhizomes cost very much, however, despite it, every year it became more popular.

Properties of this curative plant were studied by the Greek druggist and the doctor Dioskorid. It described ginger as the means warming a body and improving a metabolism. Dioskorid appointed a ginger root at digestive tract diseases.

In the Middle Ages from Rome and Greece this spice got to England, and then and to other European countries. Elizabeth I very much loved ginger bread which was considered as a big delicacy.

In our country for the first time learned about surprising properties of ginger at the time of Kievan Rus'. In old times gingersnap enjoyed special popularity. Spice was added to fruit liqueurs, Easter cakes, sbitn, kvass.

And aroma and taste of this plant was unfamiliar to residents of the Soviet Russia as after the revolution import of spices on old channels was not resumed. And therefore the ginger root in our shops appeared rather recently.

Composition of ginger

Ginger contains all irreplaceable amino acids. Its burning taste is caused by presence at its structure of a gingerol – fenolopodobny substance. Hundred grams of a ground root contain 9,2 g of proteins, 6 g of fats, 71 g of carbohydrates, 6 g of cellulose, and also 116 mg of calcium, 12 mg of iron, 184 mg of magnesium, 148 mg of phosphorus, 32 mg of sodium, 4,7 mg of zinc, 1,34 mg of potassium.

The root also contains 12 mg of ascorbic acid, 0,046 B1 vitamins, 0,19 mg of B2 vitamin, 5,2 mg of Niacinum, 0, 015 mg of vitamin A.

The following active components are its part: cineol, феландрин, baras camphor, camphene, tsitrat, essential oils.

Caloric content of ground ginger makes 347 kcal on 100 g, a root – 80 kcal.

Useful properties of ginger

Curative properties of ginger were known long ago. So, residents of Ancient Rome treated this exotic spice eye diseases. Residents of the countries of the Western Africa used ginger at an osiplost of a voice and quinsy. Residents of China considered a root of this plant an excellent natural stimulator and used it as presenilation medicine. Japanese applied a root as nausea, wounds and hangover medicine.

The set of medicinal properties of ginger is used in medicine and now. In the recreational and medical purposes the fresh root of ginger, the dried-up ginger root, ginger powder, ginger oil, essential oil of ginger is used.

In medicine this plant is applied in the form of tablets, powders, ointments, pastes, solutions and collecting.

The advantage of ginger is based on its antibacterial, antimicrobic, antiinflammatory, cholagogue, carminative action. Besides, ginger promotes clarification of walls of vessels from atherosclerotic plaques, and also removes spasms of various genesis, stimulates blood circulation, treats furuncles and ulcers, raises a female and men's potentiality, supports a heart muscle tone, renders anthelmintic, anticoagulative, aromatic, salivant and sudorific action.

The important advantage of ginger consists that it increases medicinal properties of other plants at joint use.

In addition, the advantage of ginger consists in its ability to reduce rheumatic, head, joint and muscular pains. The regular use of this plant saves from need of reception of analgetics and other anesthetics of drugs.

It is useful to use this spice at acne rash, a hair loss, dandruff.

It is useful to apply ginger at toxicosis during pregnancy. He perfectly removes nausea, saves from weakness and dizziness. Besides, this plant treats frigidity and infertility, raises a uterus tone, removes spasms during the menstrual period, and also helps to keep external attractiveness and youth.

The essential oil received from a ginger root is applied in an aromatherapy and cosmetology.

Essential oil is used for preparation of hot and cold bathtubs, massage, compresses, by enrichments of dry tea and wine, preparation of aromamedalyon.

Ginger for weight loss

Many use ginger for weight loss that is very reasonable, it belongs to the warming products stimulating blood circulation and accelerating a metabolism.

For weight loss ginger should be made in the form of tea and it is obligatory to filter before the use, otherwise its structure will be very saturated. It is better not to have such tea in the evening as it possesses tonic action.

Ginger can be used not only in days of weight loss, and it is regular, making it together with black or green tea.

Ginger – contraindications to use

Ginger is contraindicated at stomach ulcer and a gullet, nonspecific ulcer colitis, a duodenal ulcer.

The use of ginger is contraindicated at sand and stones in a bladder and kidneys.

During pregnancy the ginger or products containing ginger should be used with extra care.

It is impossible to use it at high temperature, at hypersensitivity to ginger, at various bleedings, and also in the period of an exacerbation of ulcers and hepatitises and inflammatory diseases of skin.

Ways of storage of ginger

It is necessary to store fresh ginger in the refrigerator no more than a week. The dried-up ginger root keeps the properties about four months.

The dried crude ginger should be held in the cool dark place. It can also be frozen for longer storage.

Ginger in the candied look can be stored in the refrigerator about 30 days.