One of my fondest memories of my childhood was Mom pulling a steaming pan of gingerbread from the oven. She would place it on the counter to cool for a while, with our little faces turned up and waiting eagerly. Once she deemed it cool enough for young palates, she cut it into squares, placed a dollop of whipped cream on top and served it to us with our joyful exclamations ringing in the background. And when we were sick, Mom would give us ginger ale to settle our tummies. Those are my only early associations with ginger. But ginger has been mentioned in recorded history for thousands of years.
Nobody really knows the exact origins of ginger. It may have been
discovered in the tropics of Southeast Asia, but some botanists argue that its Sanskrit name indicates India as the site of origin. Today ginger is the world’s most widely cultivated spice, according to Paul Schulick author of Ginger: Common Spice & Wonder Drug, Third Edition (Hohm Press, 1996). There are at least 50 different varieties and each possesses its own distinctive flavor and aroma, depending upon the soil and the manner in which it is grown.
Schulick poses the question, “Could a common spice have helped shape modern history?" He goes on to say, "Sounds like an outrageous claim, but not more than two hundred years ago spices were the political and economic equivalent of today’s oil and clean water.” 
“The most ancient literature of all the great civilizations of the Middle East, Asia and Europe contains testimonials to both the medicinal and economic importance of ginger. From five-thousand-year-old Greek literature to 200 BC Chinese records, ancient historians equated the ownership of ginger or its trade routes with prosperity.” There are three principal reasons why ginger was such an economic powerhouse: (1) it possesses important medicinal properties (2) in earlier times it was used as a preservative (3) it was and is used in cooking."
Over recent years, the ancient spice has once again come into the limelight. Today’s leading grower/exporters of ginger are Indonesia, India, Australia, China, Nigeria, Jamaica and Sierra Leone. The leading importers are Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom.
GINGER IS SYNERGISTIC
So just what is synergy? Richard Buckminster Fuller once said, “Synergy means behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their parts.”
Schulick, in his book, says “What are mechanisms that allow ginger actually to prevent or benefit conditions like life-threatening heart attacks, arthritis and ulcers? Within one simple observed effect like ginger’s relief of inflammation might be a dozen different complex chemical interactions. The sheer magnitude of these reactions leads one seriously to question the entire paradigm of modern pharmacology, which searches for a single active constituent. The full spectrum of ginger’s actions is probably beyond comprehension; however, understanding something about the complexity of these mechanisms might help one better appreciate, use and gain value from the spice.”
Ginger’s demonstrated effects include:
Analgesic Antiemetic Antimutagenic
Antidiabetic Anti-inflammatory Antitussive
Anthelmintic Antitumor Hypocholesteremic
Antithrombic Antiviral Immune supportive
Antiulcer Anticathartic Thermoregulatory
Antibacterial Antifungal
RECIPES FOR RELIEF
From Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen, New York City-based experts on folk remedies and co-authors of Bottom Line’s Healing Remedies (Bottom Line Books, 2004) comes this recipe: for digestive relief after a gassy and/or fatty meal, prepare a cup of ginger tea by covering one tablespoonful of fresh grated ginger with one cup of boiling water. Steep
for 10 minutes, then strain and drink. This will aid in digestion and help prevent flatulence.
A tip: Keep ginger in the freezer to make it easier to grate. If the ginger is not frozen, simply cut three or four quarter-sized pieces of the fresh root for your tea. If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand and need instant relief, you can use ½ teaspoonful of ginger powder in a cup of hot water. Ginger tea is also good for nausea from all causes, and is very safe for pregnant women. The caveat is the ginger has to be close to the natural form to be effective, so ginger tea is probably best, but you can also find ginger ale that contains natural ginger in health food stores. The commercial brands of ginger-flavored ale won’t have the same effect.
As time goes by watch this blog for more information on this amazing little rhizome.
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Disclaimer: The purpose of this weblog is not to dispense medical advice nor in any way is meant to be construed as diagnostic or prescriptive. Always check with your physician before beginning any new program or trying any of the items discussed in the posts that appear on this site.
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GRACE
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VONNIE’S HEALTH SPOT
VOLUME ONE
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Photo Credits: Asian growing fields, Bill Perry-Fotolia.com. Ginger rhizome, Freddy Smeets-Fotolia.com. Woman drinking tea, Marin Conic-Fotolia.com.
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