10 Amazing Health Benefits Of Consuming Ginger Water

Ginger is a miraculous herb that has a distinctive hot flavour. It is used to spice up curries, cakes, and beverages in many traditional cuisines in the world. In Indian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, ginger is one of the most commonly used condiments. Ginger is known to possess anti-inflammatory properties which can be useful in relieving arthritic pain. It can relieve menstrual cramps, reduce nausea and queasiness, and settle an upset stomach. It is used to treat minor problems of cold, flu and migraines. Gingerol and shogaol, two bioactive compounds in ginger, either raw or dried, are known for their anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger also has compounds like zingerone, flavonoids, zurumbone, olioraisins etc. that are known to be antimicrobial in nature.

* Powerful Antioxidant

According to an article published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) ginger is a powerful antioxidant. Gingerol and shogaol are proven to inhibit the production of pro anti-inflammatory cytokines. Regular consumption of ginger helps the cells combat oxidative stress that is caused by free radicals.

* Can cure nausea

Another research article published by the NCBI suggests that ginger and its compounds accumulate in the stomach and intestines. It acts as a pain reliever and works as an anti-nausea agent. Ginger prevents queasiness, retching and vomiting tendencies associated with chemotherapy, pregnancy and other surgeries. It also prevents the gastrointestinal tract from infections.

* Can reduce cholesterol levels

Ginger is effective in reducing LDL (bad cholesterol) and increasing HDL (good cholesterol) in the body. Bad cholesterol can lead to problems like type II diabetes and heart diseases. It also improves lipid metabolism of the body, an article published in the NCBI concluded. Diabetic people who consume ginger are shown to have lower levels of triglycerides than others.

* Regulates Blood Pressure

An article published by the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre (PBRC) concluded that ginger is effective in regulating the body’s blood pressure. The efficacy of ginger as a potent regulator of blood pressure was assessed under varied dosages and researchers found reduction in platelet aggregation in Coronary Heart Disease Patients.

* Prevents allergic reactions

Ginger and its compounds have anti- inflammatory properties that help reduce inflammation of the muscles, joints and bones. Asthma and other allergic reactions cause the inflammation of the respiratory tract thereby constricting the air passage. Ginger is effective in the prevention and treatment of allergies, according to a report published by the NCBI. It also reduces pulmonary inflation and gingerol is effective in reducing eosinophil and other allergens in the blood and lungs.

* Anti-carcinogenic properties

Recent findings by the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre (PBRC) revealed that ginger can be used the prevention of benign or malign tumours and cancer. Ginger and its components suppress VEGF, a component that inducts tumours. It also inhibits the formation of new blood vessels that can lead to tumours and cancer.

* Can prevent Diabetes

Diabetes Co. UK, in a published article suggested that researchers from Sydney, Australia found that regular consumption of ginger with high concentrations of gingerol can effectively cure diabetes. Another research by the NCBI also suggests that ginger has anti diabetic effect. When supplemented with ginger along with other things, the muscle can uptake more glucose without the use of insulin.

* May prevent arthritis and osteoarthritis

Many researches have been conducted on the effectiveness of ginger to cure diseases like arthritis and osteoarthritis. Studies have claimed that ginger can effectively treat joint pains in arthritis and the herb has since a long time been used to cure pain. Arthritis Organisation too suggests that ginger is effective in treating arthritis. But the evidence proving the efficacy of ginger is weak. However, the inefficacy can also be attributed to clinical practices, dosage of ginger administered and instrumentation among other things.

* Prevents morning sickness

More and more would-be mothers and their families are turning to traditional medicinal practices over modern medicines. Adverse effects of the chemical drugs on the foetus are making them choose herbal medication. A paper published by the NCBI concluded that ginger can be used as a convenient and accessible herb to cure gestational nausea and vomiting.

* Prevents Bacterial Infections

Ginger is known to possess antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Ginger prevents the growth of Helicobacter Pylori in the stomach and small intestine. H Pylori is known to cause sores, ulcers, infections and cancer of the stomach and small intestine. Research showed that ginger is effective in the treatment of ulcers and other infections as it kills H Pylori and other such microbes.