Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

Ginger

July 28, 2006 on 12:39 pm | In Main, Ginger | Comments Off

Ginger

Ginger root is actually the rhizome of a perennial plant that is used extensively as a spice in many, if not most cuisines of the world. Originating in southern China, cultivation of ginger (Zingiber officinale) spread to India, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean. Young ginger roots are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They can be pickled in vinegar as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea.

On the other hand, mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. Their juice is often used as a spice in Chinese cuisine to cover up other strong odors and flavors such as in seafood and mutton, so it is extremely potent.

Ginger is also made into candy, being used for flavoring cookies, crackers and cake. It is also used to elaborate beverages, from non-alcoholic ones to beer, liqueur, and wine. In the form of powdered dry ginger (ground ginger), it is typically used to add spiciness to gingerbread and other recipes.

Composition

Ginger contains up to 3% of an essential oil that causes the typical fragrance of the spice. Its pungent taste is due to nonvolatile phenylpropanoids (particularly gingerol –chemically relative of capsaicin- and zingerone).

Traditional uses

Ginger root is very popular in the treatment for nausea, although it is not advisable for morning sickness commonly associated with pregnancy. Ginger root also contains many antioxidants, while the gingerols recently named have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic, antibacterial, and GI tract motility effects. Therefore, powdered dried ginger root is made into pills for these uses.

Ginger root is also said to avoid cramps, relieve inflammation, and has blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties. However, more conclusive research is needed in order to prove these actions.

Fat loss action?

During a trial performed on the Department of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, in Japan, an aqueous extract of ginger inhibited the hydrolysis of triolein emulsified with phosphatidylcholine by pancreatic lipase in vitro. The extract also reduced the elevation of rat plasma triacylglycerol levels 1 and 2 h after oral administration of a lipid emulsion containing corn oil.

According to the experts, these results suggested that the aqueous extract of ginger root might inhibit the intestinal absorption of dietary fat by inhibiting its hydrolysis. Therefore, they investigated the antiobesity effects of this extract by feeding a high-fat diet to mice for 8 weeks.

The results showed that body weights at 2-8 weeks and final parametrial adipose tissue weights were significantly lower in mice fed a high-fat diet containing 3% aqueous extract of ginger root than in the controls fed the high-fat diet alone. However, they also fed another group a high-fat diet containing just 1% aqueous extract of ginger root, and it also significantly reduced final parametrial adipose tissue weights, which were elevated in mice fed the high-fat diet.

Hence, experts concluded that the evident antiobesity effect of aqueous ginger root extract in mice fed a high-fat diet may be due in part to the inhibition of intestinal absorption of dietary fat by the active compounds of this herb.

Another possible way ginger may be useful in the fat-loss field is the one related to its thermogenic action. Apparently, ginger might induce the muscle tissue to consume more oxygen, which is necessary for burning fat as a source of energy fuel. That is why some supplements combine this herb with some others, like cayenne, since its constituents have been shown to have similar properties, as well as to affect metabolic rate.

Forms and doses

Ginger taken as an infusion has a standard dosage of 1 cup 2-3 times daily, while in the tincture form, 5 to 10 mils per week are advised. As fresh root, ½ to 1 gm 3 times daily, and in powder form, 1/2 gm 2 times daily should be taken.

Although normal doses of ginger have not been associated with any problems, large doses should be avoided during pregnancy, and also in cases of gallstones, as well as before surgery. It is good to keep in mind also that ginger may increase the absorption of other medications, so the opinion of a qualified caregiver is advised for every case.