10 Powerful Ginger Hacks You Must Know to Fix Common Health Problems

Table of Contents

"Consuming 1 tsp ginger paste with salt daily before meal, will stimulate digestive fire, increase appetite and purify tongue and throat."

1. Introduction

Since ancient times, ginger has been used as food and medicine, both ginger and shunthi (dry ginger) have been very famous medicines in the Ayurvedic system for centuries. Today, ginger is widely used in local medicines in India and the Far East, taken internally, it is a stimulating carminative, and externally it is used as a rubefacient that is, counter-irritant for relief of muscular pain. Like many other spices ginger is believed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Ginger is not only used as a medicine, it is also used in soft drinks, baking, and meat processing because of its high nutritional value and pungent aroma. Ginger brine and ginger oil are very famous. In the kitchen, it is used as a spice in food and in preparing tea, coffee, paste, cakes, cookies, bread, syrups, and candies. In beverages, it is used in wine, beer, and cocktails. 

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2. Nutritional Value 

Fresh ginger contains 80.9% moisture, 2.3% protein, 0.9% fat, 1.2% minerals, 2.4% fiber, and 12.3% carbohydrates per 100 grams. Its minerals and vitamins are calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C. The calorific value is 67.

3. Synonyms

• Kaphaari - It subsides kapha dosha.
• Katu - It has pungent taste.
• Mahaoushad and Naagar - It is a highly potent and efficacious drug.
• Ushana - Its rhizome is hot in potency.
• Utkata - It as tikshana (sharp) properties.
• Vishva - It is assimilated quickly inside the body.

4. Ayurvedic Properties 

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5. Classical Categorization

• Dhanvantari Nighantu – Shatpushpadi varga
• Madanpal Nighantu – Sunthyadi varga
• Kaiyadev Nighantu – Oshadi varga
• Raj Nighantu – Pippalyadi varga
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Haritaktyadi varga
• Charak Samhita - Deepaniya, Triptighna
• Ashtanga Hridaya - Pippalyadi

6. Identity, Purity and Strength 

For Fresh Ginger

• Foreign Matter – Not more than 0.5%
• Total Ash – Not more than 8%
• Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 1%
• Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 5%
• Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 2%
• Moisture content: Not more than 90%

For Dry Ginger

• Foreign Matter – Not more than 1%
• Total Ash – Not more than 6%
• Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 1.5%
• Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 3%
• Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 10%

(Source: The Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia of India 1989)

7. Preparation of Dry Ginger

Soak fully matured ginger rhizome in water and leave it overnight, next morning peel off the scaly epidermis with pointed-end bamboo splinters and keep it in sunlight for drying for 8 to 10 days. Soak dried rhizomes again in a slurry of slaked lime (1kg of slaked lime in 120kg of water) for 6 hours followed by sun drying. The process is repeated until the rhizomes become uniformly white. Finally, dried rhizomes have up to 8% to 10% moisture. The fully dried rhizomes are stored in air-tight containers for future use. 

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8. Ten Powerful Hacks for Common Health Problems

1. Menstrual Disorders - Fresh ginger boiled in water and mixed this infusion with sugar thrice daily after a meal.

2. Impotency - Half tsp of ginger juice and honey with a half-boiled egg and taken at night, tones up sex organs and cures impotency, premature ejaculation, and other sexual problems.

3. Influenza Fever - Fresh ginger juice mixed with a cup of fenugreek decoction and honey. 

4. Indigestion - Fresh ginger juice mixed with an equal quantity of vinegar, helps to improve digestion. 

5. Edema - Intake of ginger juice with jaggery along with goat milk.

6. Rheumatoid Arthritis - Daily intake of dry ginger and gokhru powder decoction in the morning. 

7. Cough - Dry ginger powder mixed with jaggery and long pepper, taken with ghee and honey.

8. Piles - Equal quantity of long pepper and dry ginger powder mixed with Haritaki powder with jaggery.

9. Diarrhea - Intake of dry ginger and jaggery powder mixed with curd, ghee, and milk.

10. Hic-Cough & Asthma - Powder of ginger and Bharangi mixed with double the quantity of sugar taken with hot water.

9. General Dose

• Powder: 1 to 2gm.
• Juice: 5 to 10ml.

10. Ayurvedic Formulations

Trikatu churna, Adarkapaka, Panchkola phanta, Saubhagya Shunthi khand, Panchasama churna, Samasarkar churna, Rasanadi kwath and Shunthi sura.

11. Contradictions

As it is hot and pungent in potency, its use is contraindicated in persons suffering from skin disease, burning sensation, and ulcers. hemorrhage in summer and autumn. It is taken with caution during pregnancy, lactation, or abnormal bleeding and by persons allergic to ginger.

12. Side Effects

Excessive use of ginger may cause heartburn and a bad taste in the mouth.  

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