The Spice Cupboard-1

One of the spices that I have been finding out about within the last year, which I started to take some time ago and which may be helpful for some of the people in the WA community is what I am going to be writing about today. Yes, it is ginger root, a very natural foodstuff given to us by mother nature to help us make ourselves feel better.

I love this particular spice because it stops me from going to the doctors or chemist for drugs that more often than not give me even worse side effects than what I went to the doctor with in the first place.

Anyway, ginger root, yes, I have loved ginger biscuits since I was a small child, and I grew up knowing how difficult it is to control my tendency to eat a whole packet of ginger nuts with a big cup of tea, dunking heaven. Then you have wonderfully moist ginger bread these are made with the powdered spice, though if you add a little grated fresh ginger root to the mix then you will get a little of that wonderful heat.Enough of that, I am feeling hungry.

.If you buy yourself some of the fresh ginger root, and slice or better still grate an inch or two into a small pan of boiling water you boil it for five to ten minutes you will then have some ginger tea. You can add some honey to this and a little lemon juice for a wonderful drink, a little like a liquefied ginger sweet that will make you feel a lot better when you have a cold. If you are suffering badly from a cold, grab some ginger essential oil, run yourself a hot bath, add three drops of essential oil to the bath, soak in the water and then take yourself off to bed. With some painkillers or maybe some ginger, honey and lemon drink. Yes, you will sweat but that will help.

Ginger, can also help to speed up the metabolism and one thing I started to do was if you have an energy slump in the afternoon, a couple of apples, a couple of carrots and a very good couple of inches of fresh ginger root, put into a liquidizer with a good glass of filtered water and whizzed up, I peel the ginger and I take the core from the apples. Fifteen minutes after drinking this mixture and I am ready to take on the world again rather than feeling like I could sleep till tomorrow and then some.

Ginger essential oil is a wonderful oil to have in the cupboard if you suffer with painful joints, you do have to add it to some carrier oil before using, such as almond oil or any other oil that doesn't smell too much. If you rub the oil mixture around your joints you will feel a lovely warming effect. You can also buy ginger capsules from different health food shops, these help tremendously as well as the ginger soes have an anti inflammatory effect, also a slight analgesic effect.

If you suffer from nausea, due to travel sickness, sea sickness, morning sickness (pregnancy) or sickness due to a bad headache, try some ginger tea, with the honey as this is good for your stomach as well.

I am sure that there are many other ailments that ginger can help with, in fact there are studies being done now on ginger and blood pressure, ginger as an anti-cancer agent and diabetes but as I am not a doctor I would never think of advising people with such serious diseases. As herbal medicine is called a complimentary medicine, maybe it can be taken as well, with the doctors permission of course.

Enjoy your day

Steph