GINGER OIL Zingiber Officinalis

Ginger was given its official botanical name, Zingiber officinale, by the famous eighteenth-century Swedish botanist, Linnaeus. Linnaeus derived the genus title Zingiber from its Indian Sanskrit name singabera which means shaped like a horn.

Ginger is one of more than 1,400 species belonging to the Zingiberaceae family, sharing the family's most popular honors with the spices turmeric (a principal component of curry) and cardamom. Ginger is a slender perennial reaching 24 to 39 inches in height. Its first stems are longer than the second and latter stems and bear beautifully fragrant flowers which are greenish-yellow and streaked with purple. The leaves are a dark green with a prominent midrib that is sheathed at the base, and the seeds are found in the rare fruiting body.

The most familiar part of the ginger plant used in commerce is the irregularly shaped and sized underground section which we erroneously call a root. Although ginger will probably always be associated with the term root, it is botanically correct to call it a rhizome. Unlike a root which dies if it is split, ginger can actually generate whole new plants from its budded sections. It is from these buds that ginger has been cultivated for thousands of years. Ginger grows best in a hot and moist climate with available shade, and in soil that is rich in loam and well tilled. The ginger rhizome is aromatic and thick lobed and ranges from white to yellow in color. One of the prized varieties and most unusual exceptions to this color range is a variety that possesses a characteristic blue ring which circles the fleshy interior.

Ginger is today the world's most widely cultivated spice. There are as many opinions as to who grows the best ginger as there are countries and regions that cultivate it. Ginger appears in so many varieties, with an estimated fifty in India alone, that any favoritism is a matter of personal taste. Each variety possesses its own distinctive flavor and aroma depending upon the soil and the manner in which it is grown. The most pungent gingers are reported to come from Africa, while milder varieties are found in China. There is some consensus that the milder gingers are better for culinary applications while the spicier varieties are best from a beverage and therapeutic standpoint.

People frequently subject to blood clots are generally prescribed oral anti-coagulants to help keep their blood relatively thin. One of the most commonly used medications for this is warfarin sodium (better known as coumadin). Unfortunately, it's also used as a potent rat poison and can lead to serious internal hemorrhaging over an extended period of time. Ginger root is an ideal replacement for such synthetic blood thinners. An average of two capsules twice daily in between meals appears to have helped a small number of those with such problems. Nothing seems to work quite like a hot ginger compress on muscular aches and pains, joint stiffness, abdominal cramps, kidney stone attacks, stiff neck, neuralgia, toothache, bladder inflammation, prostatitis and extreme body tension. But keep in mind that as wonderful a remedy as it is, time, considerable effort, patience and a certain change in lifestyle are all required in order to make it totally successful.

Ginger has pungent and warming properties that make it a valuable medicine. Ginger has a stimulating effect on the heart and circulation, creating a feeling of warmth and well-being and restoring vitality, especially for those feeling the cold in winter. Hot ginger tea promotes perspiration, brings down a fever and helps to clear catarrh. Ginger has a stimulating and expectorant action in the lungs, expelling phlegm and relieving catarrhal coughs and chest infections. Ginger is a wonderful warming aid to the digestion. Ginger invigorates the stomach and intestines, stimulating the appetite and enhancing digestion by encouraging secretion of digestive enzymes. Ginger moves stagnation of food and subsequent accumulation of toxins, which has a far-reaching effect throughout the body, increasing general health and vitality and enhancing immunity. Ginger is famous for relieving nausea and vomiting, from whatever cause. It settles the stomach, soothes indigestion and calms wind. Its pain-relieving and relaxing effects in the gut relieve colic and spasm, abdominal pain, distension and flatulent indigestion and help to relieve griping caused by diarrhea. In the uterus it promotes menstruation, useful for delayed and scanty periods as well as clots. Ginger relaxes spasm and relieves painful ovulation and periods, and is recommended to invigorate the reproductive system. Ginger also inhibits clotting and thins the blood; it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. Because of its heating properties ginger is not recommended for those who do not tolerate heat well or those with gastritis or peptic ulcers.

USES

Digestive problems - Ginger is an excellent remedy for many digestive complaints, such as indigestion, nausea, gas, and colic. Ginger relieves motion sickness and morning sickness. Ginger's antiseptic qualities also make it highly beneficial for gastro-intestinal infections, including some types of food poisoning.
Circulatory stimulant - Ginger stimulates the circulation, and helps blood to flow to the surface, making it an important remedy for chilblains and poor circulation to the hands and feet. By improving the circulation, ginger helps high blood pressure. Ginger also increases sweating and helps reduce body temperature in fevers.
Respiratory conditions - Ginger is warming and soothing for coughs, colds, flu, and other respiratory problems.
Chinese herb - Fresh and dried ginger are different remedies in China. Fresh ginger is given for fever, headaches, and aching muscles. Dried ginger is used for "internal cold," with symptoms such as cold hands, a weak pulse, and a pale complexion.
Other medical uses - Lymphedema, Strep Throat, Tennis elbow, Viral infection.

ESSENTIAL OIL OF GINGER

The essence of ginger can be summarized:

Ginger offers a variety of therapeutic effects which no modern medication can rival. Unfortunately, due to a monopolistic health-care system and a historically biased regulatory environment, full awareness of ginger's value has been limited.

Ginger is the most popular of hundreds of members of the Zingiberaceae family. To be botanically correct, ginger is a rhizome and not a root. Ginger is available in many varieties, from mild to spicy, and requires tropical conditions and fertile soil for optimal growth.

Over a period of 5,000 years, ginger traveled from Southeast Asia to the New World. Considered a treasure by some of the great figures of history, its ancient trade helped shape nations and insure its worldwide cultivation.

The observed effects of ginger are the result of the interactions of more than 400 constituents which can be broken down into four major classes: taste, fragrance, nutrients and synergists. While most of the therapeutic focus is on the pungent taste compounds, called gingerols and shogaols, ginger's protein-digesting enzyme and antioxidant are also key elements.

Observed effects like anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, antimicrobial and digestive benefit can all result from one principal action-i.e., enzyme action. An observed effect, such as an anti-inflammatory one, can also have a variety of principal actions at its root: enzyme, eicosanoid balance and antioxidant.

The dynamics of eicosanoids represent a key to understanding the diversity of ginger's actions. Eicosanoids are physiologically active compounds that the body synthesizes from essential fatty acids. When these elements become imbalanced, a wide variety of disease conditions can evolve.

The pharmaceutical industry has attempted to modulate eicosanoids to treat a host of disease conditions but has essentially failed because of serious side effects.

Ginger naturally helps balance these vitally important eicosanoids without side effects.

Over millennia, millions of people have enjoyed the benefits of ginger. For spiritual upliftment, digestive comfort and strength, stimulation and relief from infumity, ginger has been heralded as the herb of choice and has been included in most of traditional Eastern formulas. Ginger is quite aptly described in the traditional language of Sanskrit as vishwabhesaj, the universal medicine.

In more recent times, in the early part of the twentieth century, more than 25,000 U.S. physicians) the Eclectics, lauded the pain-relieving and cold-fighting values of ginger.

Ginger was used historically in different regions of the world for the same basic therapeutic applications. These include: analgesic, anti-arthritic, wound healing, anthelmintic, anti-ulcer, stimulant and aphrodisiac properties, plus treatment of a variety of respiratory, reproductive and digestive complaints.

Ginger is a preventive treatment for critical cardiovascular disorders. Like aspirin, ginger holds the potential to prevent thousands of deaths from heart attacks and strokes as well as colon cancer. But unlike aspirin, it will have no side effects.

The anti-ulcer effect of ginger is complemented by a host of other important digestive values which include relief of both diarrhea and constipation, liver protection and pro-biotic support.

The anti-nausea effect of ginger is well documented. From nausea resulting from chemotherapy and ocean travel to pregnancy and gynecological surgery, ginger is the natural treatment of choice.

Ginger, the bioavailability herb, assists the digestion of other nutrients and is a recommended addition to natural supplement regimes.

Parasites pose a much greater threat to the industrialized world than is generally recognized. Ginger exhibits a wide range of anti-parasitic activities.

The historic observation that ginger is a cold remedy is a result of a combination of principal actions including eicosanoid balance, pro-biotic support, antitoxic and cytoprotective influences.

Ginger possesses a significant anti-mutagenic potential against such powerful carcinogens as benzopyrene and the most toxic burned byproducts of the amino acid tryptophan. Research also warrants further investigation into ginger's anticancer properties and its role in a cancer-treatment program.

Ginger has been shown to affect positively parameters of health such as cholesterol and blood sugar and balance numerous body systems including the circulatory, respiratory and reproductive systems. Ginger's beneficial effects have also been demonstrated in external treatments with dramatic results.

Ginger is a remarkably safe herb. No modern pharmaceutical can compete with its range of therapeutic properties and absence of adverse side effects. Care and moderation should be exercised when using ginger during pregnancy and before surgery. Up to 1 gram daily of the powdered herb should be a safe preventive dosage for the general population. In all cases, introduction of ginger into the diet should be gradual.

The effectiveness of ginger will be dependent upon the quality of the rhizome. Since commercial ginger is subject to many potential levels of chemical contamination, organically certified products are recommended.

Both fresh and dry ginger are recommended forms for supplementation. There will be different properties gained from each. Ginger is commercially available in many forms including fresh, dried, syrup, capsules and extract.