Ginger is an everyday power spice. It is used widely in ayurveda because it is so effective even when used by itself. An ayurvedic sutra, or verse, indicates that everyone should eat fresh ginger just before lunch and dinner to whet the appetite and promote digestion.
Ginger helps balance Vata and Kapha doshas (mind-body types) and aggravates Pitta. Traditional ayurvedic texts recommend ginger to help with joint pain, motion sickness and clearing the microcirculatory channels to facilitate better absorption of nutrients and elimination of wastes. Ginger improves assimilation and transportation of nutrients to targeted body tissues. According to ayurveda, ginger also: aids a healthy response to allergens, supports respiratory health and helps with occasional congestion; supports blood circulation, promoting cardiovascular health; helps with occasional upset stomach, gas and menstrual cramps; and aids indigestion by mimicking digestive enzymes used to process protein in the body.
Modern science, by way of worldwide research, ratifies ginger’s effectiveness in coping with motion or airsickness, promoting digestion, and helping with joint discomfort, particularly in the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis. Because its heating quality helps to loosen congestion, ginger root is often found in many products for immunity and the respiratory system.
Cook with ginger
Dried, ground ginger is a warming spice, contributing the pungent taste. It imparts zest to vegetable and lentil dishes. Add with other spices during cooking, or sauté in ghee and add to dishes. It has a very concentrated flavor and a little goes a long way. Dried ginger can be found in Ayurvedic Spice Mixes, and it combines well with many ayurvedic spices, including turmeric, fennel, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne.
A good way to eat raw ginger is to dip two or three thin slices of ginger in a little salt and lime juice before a main meal. If you find that ginger’s pungent taste renders it difficult to eat raw or on its own, add a few thin slices to your legumes or vegetables as they cook. Another option is to sauté grated ginger in a tablespoon of ghee, adding the mixture to warm milk (add sweetener if you like), desserts or other dishes.
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Medical Disclaimer: Individual Results Will Vary and Individual Results are not Typical. This article is based upon the opinion of the author. Information in this article and Internet links to other affiliated organizations is presented for the sole purpose of imparting education on Maharishi Ayurveda and its related products and neither the information nor the products are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, or are pregnant or lactating, making changes to your diet or routine, it is recommended that you speak with your physician.
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About Emily Plate
Emily Plate grew up on a diet of baloney sandwiches, pop (that’s soda) and cheese balls. After traveling a bit and seeing how the rest of the world eats, she dropped everything (a temporary secretary job and living on someone’s beanbag were basically “everything”) to move to Maharishi University for meditation, organic food, sustainability and her very own bedroom. She’s been in Fairfield, Iowa, ever since, studying and working in natural health. When not blending flower essences for friends or sniffing ylang ylang, she writes poems and non-fiction, sings songs and walks through her woods with a machete.
“Herbs seem, to me, like food’s medicine hat. Each comes in its own little edible package, created by nature and completely clever. At the same time, it’s easy to become bogged down in the details of study, eventually certain that one needs ALL the herbs. That’s why it’s so helpful to have formulations available—to let the body learn from them and, in turn, to learn from the body.”
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Dried, ground ginger is a warming spice, contributing the pungent taste. It imparts zest to vegetable and lentil dishes. Add with other spices during cooking, or sauté in ghee and add to dishes. It has a very concentrated flavor and a little goes a long way. Dried ginger can be found in Ayurvedic Spice Mixes, and it combines well with many ayurvedic spices, including turmeric, fennel, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne.
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I do like the manner in which you have presented this specific matter and it does indeed offer me personally some fodder for thought. All the same, thank you for this excellent piece. Tempe Dentist, Tempe Dental Studio, 4427 South Rural Road Tempe, AZ 85282
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