Tuesday, January 13, 2015
world's healthiest ginger collection
My Readings on all About Ginger, collated from multiple websites, thanks to the folks their and their perspectives on ginger learnt a few things today..
My thanks to
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Starting off, Ginger is one of India's and Asia's contribution to the world, a large portion of ginger is grown in the Malabar region in India [ Kerala, South Karnatak that i Call home territory ], we have grown as kids feeding off large quantities of ginger, Recently I read and was strongly influenced by Colin Campbell's Book The China Study that suggests that we shift to a plants based whole foods diet, and recently i had a fall playing football at my campus which has caused a induced Osteo-Arthritis / inflammation situation, as they say necessity is the mother of invention / change! and i was actively foraging for ways to battle my current predicament, when i chanced upon these reads recently, placing my personal notes collection for general benefit..
History and Background on Ginger
- Zingiber officinale. The plant's botanical name is thought to be derived from its Sanskrit name Shringavera which means "horn shaped," a physical characteristic that ginger reflects.
- AS JV Hebbar notes, Ginger has been cultivated in Malnad region of Karnataka since times immemorial. The world famous tourist spot “Shringeri” , formed by Adi Shankaracharya, gains its name from the term “Shringavera Giri”( the mountains in which Shringavera – ginger is cultivated). Later, the name got evolved in to Shringeri
- some synonyms for ginger Ardraka, Moolaja, Ardra Shaka, Gulma moola
- Dry ginger goes by the following names, Shunti, Mahaushadha, Vishva, Vishva Bheshaja, Nagara, Vishvaushadha, Shrungavera, Rahuchatra, Ushana
- top commercial producers of ginger include Jamaica, India, China, Fiji, Indonesia and Australia.
- choose fresh ginger over the dried form of the spice since it is not only superior in flavor but contains higher levels of gingerol as well as ginger's active protease (it's anti-inflammatory compoun
- Ginger, is a rhizome, a thick underground stem that sprouts roots and shoots.
- Each ginger plant can grow up to three feet high and produce 2-5 sections of ginger, which can be harvested year-round. After a ginger root is broken off from the main plant it is washed and dried in the sun.
- Once dried, it can be used for cooking or medicinal purposes.
- Ginger can be grown at home, in simple pot gardens with a 3-6 months time period, possibly idea for a balcony garden in an apartment or roof gardens,
Consuming Ginger, Recipes
- Turn up the heat while cooling off by making ginger lemonade. Simply combine freshly grated ginger, lemon juice, cane juice or honey and water.
- Add extra inspiration to your rice side dishes by sprinkling grated ginger, sesame seeds and nori strips on top.
- Combine ginger, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic to make a wonderful salad dressing.
- Add ginger and orange juice to puréed sweet potatoes.
- Add grated ginger to your favorite stuffing for baked apples.
- Spice up your healthy sautéed vegetables by adding freshly minced ginger.
- How to handle ginger? Read a comment from a lady who suggest 2 simple ways ways:
- either I freeze it and grate it into my dish using a microplane - fresh ginger flavor instantly whenever I need it;
- Chop it into a fine mince before adding. In a hearty textured dish, I guess peeling wouldn't be necessary, but in a finely textured sauce or custard I would definitely peel it.
- Do you need to peel ginger while using? I get the sense that peeling is not of great value, possibly some nutrients are lost in the process, clean the ginger and use it, if making puree then peeling anyways does not make sense.
- If you still have to peel, then soak in hot water for a couple of minutes and use the edge of a tea spoon to peel off of the skin.
- Does peeling eliminate fertilizers and fungicides? this debate is not conclusive, the possibility that ginger soaks all the chemicals into the roots thereby not being a surface phenomenon is high likelihood, suggested that we use
Ginger as medicine
The detailed nutrient profile is provided by WHFoods Ginger Nutrients profile page.
- Ginger is one of the oldest medicinal foods.
- Charakas classical categorization
Trishna Nigrahana – Group of herbs useful in relieving thirst
Shoola Prashamana – Group of herbs useful in relieving abdominal pain
Deepaneeya – Group of herbs useful in improving digestion strength
Arshoghna – Group of herbs useful in treating piles,
Truptighna – Group of herbs useful to relieve pseudo-satiation,
- Since the herb originated in Southeast Asia, it's not surprising that ancient Chinese and Indian healers have made ginger a part of their toolkit for thousands of years.
- Ayurvedic texts credit ginger as a "universal great medicine". An old Indian proverb says that "everything good is found in ginger." Traditional Chinese medicine holds that ginger "restores devastated yang" and "expels cold".
- Ginger grows best in warm, damp areas, it's currently cultivated in China, India, Australia, and Jamaica. China and India produce most of the world's ginger, with half being produced on India's Malabar Coast.
- Oils give ginger its distinct aroma and flavour, as well as its medical properties. The amount of these therapeutic compounds in ginger is determined by geography, time of harvest, and processing methods.
- Volatile compounds in ginger
- (cyclooxygenase) and LOX (lipooxygenase), making it anti-inflammatory.
- it can lead to a lower production of chemical messengers like LTs (leukotrienes), TNF (tumor necrosis factor), and PGs (prostaglandins). This occurs systemically and at the site of inflammation,
- Ginger is in the same family as cardamom and turmeric ] What more proof regarding the value of Ginger!!
- Beta-elemene is an anti-cancer pharmaceutical derived from ginger
- ginger in Asia is common because it's believed to cleanse the body of toxins from meat dishes.
- ginger is a "warming" food for the body. helps the body sweat, thereby a good cure for colds,
Some Studies that showcase gingers health and nutritional Benefits
- Ginger is regarded as an excellent carminative (a substance which promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) and intestinal spasmolytic (a substance which relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract).
- Ginger is very useful in reducing the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, even the most severe form, hyperemesis gravidum, a condition which usually requires hospitalization. In a double-blind trial, ginger root brought about a significant reduction in both the severity of nausea and number of attacks of vomiting in 19 of 27 women in early pregnancy
- ginger was shown to be far superior to Dramamine, a commonly used over-the-counter and prescription drug for motion sickness.
- Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain level
- A study published in a recent issue of Osteoarthritis Cartilage. In this twelve month study, 29 patients with painful arthritis in the knee (6 men and 23 women ranging in age from 42-85 years) participated in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study
- A study published in the November 2003 issue of Life Sciences suggests that at least one reason for ginger's beneficial effects is the free radical protection afforded by one of its active phenolic constituents, 6-gingerol. In this in vitro (test tube) study, 6-gingerol was shown to significantly inhibit the production of nitric oxide, a highly reactive nitrogen molecule that quickly forms a very damaging free radical called peroxynitrite
- February 2005 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine sheds further light on the mechanisms of action that underlie ginger's anti-inflammatory effectiveness. In this research, ginger was shown to suppress the pro-inflammatory compounds (cytokines and chemokines) produced by synoviocytes (cells comprising the synovial lining of the joints), chrondrocytes (cells comprising joint cartilage) and leukocytes (immune cells
- University has already applied for a patent on the use of (6)-gingerol as an anti-cancer agent and has licensed the technology to Pediatric Pharmaceuticals (Iselin, N.J.
- Dr Rebecca Lui and her colleagues from the University of Michigan, showed that gingerols, the active phytonutrients in ginger, kill ovarian cancer cells by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) and autophagocytosis (self-digestion
- Investigators have isolated the gene responsible for the compound and the protein it produces, which they have named dermicidin. Dermicidin is manufactured in the body's sweat glands, secreted into the sweat, and transported to the skin's surface where it provides protection against invading microorganisms, including bacteria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus (a common cause of skin infections), and fungi, including Candida albicans
Thanks to EasyClip a simple Android app that helps clip and aggregate notes from various Android Applications.. making blogging easier ..
