The greatest wealth is health.
— Virgil
We Aussies LOVE ginger. From our ubiquitous ginger beer to luscious dark-chocolate coated chunks of ginger…we can’t get enough! Which is awesome because ginger also happens to be a health dynamo.
From a Traditional Medicine perspective – ginger is one of the most frequently recommended herbs in our pantheon. We use it to help with everything from nausea to arthritis.
The oil of ginger root is used to treat nausea and vomiting. The best thing about this solution is there are no known side-effects and ginger doesn’t interfere with other medications. Because of this – ginger makes an excellent treatment for all types of motion-sickness and is safe enough for pregnant women to use for morning sickness.
A lesser known use of ginger is for hay fever. Ginger may help reduce the effects of allergies in certain people by reducing inflammation in bronchial tubes, this in turn helps with breathing. It is also great for assisting inflammation in arthritis sufferers.
Ginger is versatile. You can eat it raw. Make a tea or ginger ale or ginger beer. You can add the powdered form to soups, stews and all kinds of baked goods. In moderation…enjoy it chocolate covered or candied. You can even take an extract in pill form if you don’t like the taste.
One of my favourite ways to incorporate ginger into my diet is a homemade tea. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Your digestion, movement and breathing will all say thank you!
Tranquil Ginger and Lemon Tea
(Recipe from Healthy World Cuisine)
INGREDIENTS
· 2 inch ginger root knob (fresh) peeled and chopped into 4-5 slices
· ½ lemon fresh – cut into wedges
· boiled water for tea
· honey to taste – optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Boil water for tea.
Place ginger and lemon slices in tea-pot and cover with hot water and let steep for about 10- 15 minutes.
Pour your tranquil lemon ginger tea into tea cups and serve with a little drizzle of honey if desired. ( If you happen to be feeling under the weather, honey is very therapeutic for coughs and colds)
You can keep adding more hot water to your ginger and lemon tea-pot and steep as desired. Depending on how fresh your ginger is, you may be able to steep up to 3-4 times and still have a lovely flavour and aroma.
Relax and feel the heart warming effects of the Tranquil Lemon Ginger Tea.