Ginger is a rhizome of the Zingiber officinale plant, from the Zingiberaceae family. It is a powerful and versatile ingredient for any herbalist's kitchen. The most important ingredient in ginger is gingerol, through cooking transformed into zingerone and shogaol.
Ginger helps with constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia (impaired digestion), gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying), and colic. It decreases pain associated with arthritis, eases headaches, and reduces nausea caused by motion sickness or pregnancy. Ginger is also used to treat coughs, colds, and inflammation.
Folk remedy
A Chinese remedy for coughing are ginger eggs.
Make scrambled eggs as usual, and add finely diced ginger roots.
Ginger is generally considered safe. In rare cases it can cause an allergic reaction, resulting in a rash, or also bloating, belching and gas, especially when taken in powder form. If you have had ulcers in the past, then avoid chewing large quantities of fresh ginger. Also, if you are taking any blood-thinning medications (incl. aspirin), don't combine it with ginger.
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Herbalism & Healing