6 reasons to love gingerroot
Ahhh, ginger. You’ve probably eaten at least one something in your life that contains this venerable, versatile medicinal and culinary herb. In stir fry, perhaps? In a meat dish, cookies, or candy? Two of my favorite herbalists, Rosemary Gladstar, and Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., have lots to say about ginger—and it’s all good. By all accounts, ginger appears to be an herb with a five-star reputation.
Both Rosemary and Earl write books. They hold nothing back, they share their all. In “Herbal Remedies for Vibrant Health,” Rosemary tells readers that ginger is one of the classic herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, and it’s one of her favorites. Earl (“The Herb Bible”) made ginger one of his Hot Hundred. Ginger — an herb with stature.
This anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial herb has graced our planet for thousands of years. It received a mention in the uber-ancient Chinese compendium, “Prescriptions for Fifty-two Diseases.” Putting that tome together was surely a labor of love. Earl says it was completed between 1065 and 711 B.C.!
A short list of what ginger offers…
- aids digestion
- helps relieve motion sickness (cars, trains, planes, carnival rides, sky-diving, speed skating)
- relieves nausea (mommies-to-be, check with your doctor first before you use it)
- Ginger tea relieves colds and flu, sore throats, and congestion
Oh, and this: Earl says to apply a mixture of grated ginger to olive oil to the scalp as a dandruff be-gone remedy. He also mentions that, because ginger is an anti-inflammatory, arthritis sufferers may find relief by using it as a treatment.
Do you love it yet?
Fresh organic gingerroot, an herb with a looong, respectable history
How to buy, store fresh ginger
It’s almost impossible to not recognize gingerroot’s unique, rhizomish shape. As you shop for it, be sure the one you place in your grocery cart is firm and the skin is intact, no dark spots, no mold. When you get home, take it from your shopping bag and store it in a lidded glass container that you keep in your fridge.
Now that you’ve got your own ready supply, what now? Don’t let that knobby root put you off. It’s pretty easy to use. Here’s how we do it in our kitchen: We break off the portion we need, and, using a veggie peeler, remove the skin. I prefer to grate the ginger for use in tea, but slicing it crosswise works, too. Slices probably works best in stir fries and stews.
This aromatic herb comes with a couple of heat levels. Fresh ginger is warming; dried ginger is hot. Fresh is usually preferred in recipes (and tea).
Speaking of tea, we recently had a cold and flu outbreak at our house. This ginger tea helped quite a bit:
Grate ginger (to suit your taste) into a cup. Pour boiling water over it, cover with a saucer, and let steep for about 15 minutes. Strain into another cup, add honey to taste and fresh lemon. It’s pretty tasty, soothing, and healthful.
Last, but not least, ever want to give ginger candy-making a whirl? Check out this recipe (scroll down a ways to get to it).
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Coffee, tea—health benefits…and warm memories
My European-born dad had a way with coffee. He took the ordinary out of the act of sipping the deeply satisfying brew. Thus, coffee has always been my warm beverage of choice. Dad may have downed cups of tea for the short time he lived in London, but I’m bettin’ coffee reigned supreme
Until we moved to Minnesota, you’d never find a box of herbal tea in our kitchen pantry. Since then, teas of all kinds have found a place in our lives—though they’ll never replace our coffee-lovin’ ways.
A pantry shelf of herbal teas. The one at upper left is the brand of Tulsi Tea we like.
Among the teas we keep on hand are green, oolong, and tulsi. Every tea, it seems, has an attitude, er, that is, a unique taste and function. Green tea is one that doesn’t excite my tastebuds, yet it boasts a cornucopia of health bennies, such as protection against cancers of many types, and it aids weight loss. Taste and health benefits are two criteria I prize in an herbal tea. Though green tea doesn’t quite pass my taste requirements, who can pass up the stellar protections it offers?
Enter tulsi tea, a tea that has it all: taste, and a proud resume of outstanding health benefits. I’m astounded by this list, and maybe you will be, too. Presenting—many of tulsi’s benefits:
- it calms and relieves stress, and lowers blood pressure (good for the heart)
- it helps several of the body’s systems, such as the respiratory and digestive systems, and metabolism
- it boosts the immune system
- it helps vision
- it protects against free radicals
- it lowers blood sugar (good for diabetics).
And it’s one of the adaptogenic herbs, meaning it helps the body to adapt to new stresses. Scientific research supports these claims, backing up what the people of India have known for 5,000 years.
Herbal tea-drinking isn’t for everyone. Those who are after the quick fix, for example. I was one of ’em. When my first cup of herbal tea failed to halt my miserable cold, I felt gypped and ready to donate the rest of the box to a true tea-lover. Ahhh, but herbs aren’t quick fixes, I learned. Takes time, patience, and drinking more than one cup.
A couple of unrecorded (till now) side benefits
No tea manufacturer will tell you about these side benefits to drinking tea, or the price might shoot up! They’re probably unaware that some of their customers conjure up idyllic scenes in their minds when anticipating tea time. Like this relaxing (and improbable) scene I’ve painted in my mind’s eye: I’m wrapped in an afghan on a wintry night, comfortably settled into an overstuffed chair near a slightly roaring fire, where I’m reading one of the books I’ve been meaning to get to. Music plays softly as a backdrop. A cup of tea is within arm’s reach. Squares of good chocolate, also within reach, fill a cut-glass dish. Can you picture it?
And this. Whether tea or coffee, warm beverages stir warm memories. When I was in young kidhood, my dad and I frequently headed to his office at the college where he chaired the Modern Languages Department. There, he’d brew a pot of coffee (never tea) and serve me an almost microscopic amount in a tiny, flower-covered china cup with its matching saucer. No music, no afghans, no fireplace, no bowl of chocolates; just dad and me, making a memory I still treasure, as we sipped the lovely beverage he loved and that I learned to love. At no extra charge, coffee or tea offer timeless, priceless moments.
If you’d like to know more about tulsi tea, maybe you’d enjoy Dr. Narendra Singh’s book, Tulsi — The Mother Medicine of Nature. Have a cup nearby for maximum reading enjoyment.
Natalie M. Rotunda's Organic Pantry Blog 
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