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.
No comments:
Post a Comment