Ginger stuff that matters

Ginger (specie - Zingiberis Rhizoma), is a tuber that is consumed as spice for cooking or as tea or used as medicine. It is the underground stem of the ginger plant. It is a knobby fibrous root having smooth light brown skin. The flesh off the root is white. It is used as a seasoning and flavours sweets to include cakes, cookies, bread, sauces, fruit dishes and beverages. In Asia, it is heavily used as cooking ingredient. When buying fresh ginger from the market, always buy roots with least amount of knots or branching. Some of the culinary and medicinal usages are:

• Help ease nausea from chemotherapy treatment
• Classified as a stimulant and carminative. It is used as medicine for dyspepsia and colic.
• Have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that is useful for treating heart disease.
• Decrease joint pain from arthritis
• Tea brewed from ginger is used as remedy for colds and good for a sore throat treatment.
• A slice of ginger taken along with four leaves of tulsi can cure congestion, cough and cold.
  In the United States, ginger ale and ginger beer have been recommended as "stomach settlers" for generations in countries where the beverages are made, and ginger water was commonly used to avoid heat cramps.
• Used to treat inflammation
• It has a sialagogue action, stimulating the production of saliva.
• Research on rats suggests that ginger may be useful for treating diabetes.
• Young ginger roots are juicy and fleshy with a mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and dry. In Chinese cuisine, ginger is used as a spice to cover up strong odors and flavors such as in seafood and mutton.
• It is also made into candy, used as a flavoring for cookies, biscuits and cakes.
• It is used as main flavor in ginger ale, a sweet, non-carbonated beverage.
  

It is contraindicated in people suffering from gallstones as the herb promotes the release of bile from the gallbladder. In the United States, ginger is used to prevent motion and morning sickness. It is recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration and is sold as an unregulated dietary supplement.

Health Stuff About Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. A bulb of garlic, the most commonly used part of the plant, is divided into numerous fleshy sections called cloves. Clove garlic (also called Pearl garlic or Solo garlic) also exists; it originates in the Yunnan province of China. The cloves are used as seed, for consumption (raw or cooked), and for medicinal purposes.

It is claimed to help prevent heart disease (including atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure) and cancer. It acts as antibiotic (in vitro) and stops infection. It enhances cardiovascular health, stimulates the immune system, helps reduce skin and chest infections and reduces blood clotting.

It is also alleged to help regulate blood sugar levels. Regular and prolonged use of therapeutic amounts of aged garlic extracts lower blood homocysteine levels and has shown to prevent some complications of diabetes mellitus. People taking insulin should not consume medicinal amounts of garlic without consulting a physician.

In modern naturopathy, it is used as a treatment for intestinal worms and other intestinal parasites, both orally and as an anal suppository. Garlic cloves are used as a remedy for infections (especially chest problems), digestive disorders, and fungal infections such as thrush.
It has been used reasonably successfully in AIDS patients to treat cryptosporidium in an uncontrolled study in China. It has also been used by at least one AIDS patient to treat toxoplasmosis, another protozoal disease. Garlic supplementation in rats, along with a high protein diet, has been shown to boost testosterone levels.

Garlic has been regarded as a force for both good and evil. A Christian myth considers that after Satan left the Garden of Eden, garlic arose in his left footprint and onion in the right. In Europe, many cultures have used garlic for protection or white magic, perhaps owing to its reputation as a potent preventative medicine. Central European folk beliefs considered garlic a powerful ward against demons, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires, garlic could be worn, hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes.