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Getting to the Roots on Ginger
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
Remember when you were a kid and had a stomachache? There’s likely a home remedy your parent, grandparent or school nurse recommended…Do you remember? Ginger ale! Turns out, ginger is helpful in a multitude of ways.
Ginger is an aromatic rhizome, which essentially means it’s a root, which grows horizontally, that comes from a flowering plant. It dates back about 5,000 years, originating from Southeast Asia and used, to this day, as a spice, flavoring, food, and even medicine!
Ginger itself does not provide much nutritional value. According to the US Department of Agriculture, two teaspoons of ginger only has about four calories! Despite this, ginger offers many health benefits.
One of the most powerful bioactive components in ginger is gingerols. This phenolic compound exhibits antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, research shows the anti-inflammatory properties found in gingerol help reduce brain inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Similarly, the consumption of dried ginger extract helps enhance cognitive function in healthy brains.
Potentially, also because of its antioxidant properties, it may help alleviate joint pain caused by…
