Ginger’s not just for Asian-inspired stir fries and curries. It is actually one of the best things to toss in the juicer if you’re in the mood for something incredibly tasty and surprisingly healthy at the same time.
Apart from being a culinary ingredient, ginger has been used by some cultures, namely the Chinese and Indians, for the past 3,000 years as a natural medicine for a number of maladies like gastric pains, colds, nausea as well as bouts of dizziness. This root is even believed to be an aphrodisiac for its ability to get your blood flowing 😉
6 Unique Benefits of Ginger Juice
But that’s not all – ginger boasts a wide array of rather unique health benefits that I guarantee will make you want to juice it as soon as read through the list 🙂
Natural tummy relief
Forget about reaching for over-the-counter medications the next time you feel nauseous or gassy. Instead, bust out the juicer and some fresh ginger.
Apart from being medically proven as a type of carminative, or a substance that helps get rid of excess intestinal gas that can cause stomach pain, ginger is also abundant in compounds that soothes and relaxes the small and large intestines, which not only improves the absorption of nutrients from the foods ingested, but also prevents constipation while at it.
Very rich in potassium
The body requires a great deal of potassium to build muscles. Interestingly, a mere 2-ounce serving of ginger is packed with 1,038 milligrams of this mineral, which is approximately 20 percent of the recommended daily intake for adults.
Besides muscle formation, potassium also helps in maintaining the heart’s normal rhythm, converting carbohydrates into energy that the system can use to function up to par as well as evening out the acid-base in the body.
Prevents and eases inflammations
Ginger is loaded with gingerol, a type of anti-inflammatory compound that has been shown to relieve the pain and discomfort brought about by rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Moreover, gingerol also has the ability to ease the swelling caused by these diseases.
This is because gingerol helps control the proliferation of nitric oxide in the body, which can lead to the formation of peroxynitrite, a free radical that triggers pro-inflammatory compounds to become more active. When these compounds are let loose, they usually target the synovial lining of the joints that can cause osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Boosts your immunity against diseases
What’s really interesting about ginger is you can listed it as one of most popular folk medicines when it comes to the relief of numerous health issues like colds, coughs and fever around the world. From a medical standpoint, this root has been discovered to be loaded with vitamin C, a natural antioxidant that helps fortify the body’s defenses against disease-causing toxins and free radicals.
Aside from staving off illnesses, having sufficient vitamin C in the system also helps prevent premature cell death, which can take a toll on the repair and rejuvenation of muscles, ligaments, bones, cartilage, tendons and skin. This natural antioxidant also keeps the blood vessels supple and elastic. Remarkably, there are approximately 12 milligrams of vitamin C in a couple of ounces of ginger.
Helps prevent cancer
The anti-inflammatory compound gingerol found in ginger doesn’t just help prevent rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, but is also seen as a promising cure against colorectal and ovarian cancers.
According to one of the studies presented in the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in Phoenix, Arizona in 2003, gingerol not only helped improved the immune system’s ability to fight off cancer-causing free radicals and toxins, but also significantly slowed down the metastasis of cancer cells, particularly those found ovarian and colorectal cancers.
Now while further studies are still ongoing, medical researchers are optimistic that gingerol is going to be one of the more natural chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive agents that will be available for cancer patients in the coming years.
Promotes liver health
Ginger is very abundant in vitamin B3, also called as niacin, which is one of the key vitamins pinpointed by experts to keep the liver healthy and safe from diseases. Oh, niacin is also seen to have positive effects on the overall health of the eyes, hair and skin.
Tips for Juicing Ginger
- The spicy taste of ginger juice can take time to getting used to when consumed straight up. If you prefer your juices to have a milder flavor, you can combine ginger with apple, oranges, carrots and honey before tossing it in the juicer.
- Young children between six and ten years old should load up no more than 2 milligrams of ginger juice every day. And now while ginger juice is safe for pregnant women, if you’re pregnant – please limit your intake to a gram of ginger daily.
- The fresher the ginger root is, the stronger the flavor and more pungent the smell of your juice will be.
Best Ginger Juice Recipes
Here’s a wonderfully simple green juice recipe featuring ginger – it’s gentle enough for beginners, since cukes and celery provide a nourishing yet water-y base and there’s just enough kale in there to give the juice recipe ‘green cred’ without overpowering all the other yummy ingredients.
For a very different taste, you’ll want to try this slightly odd, yet delicious, ginger juice recipe. The ginger and ginseng combine to give it potent health benefits while the mango and grapefruit add their own load of vitamins and sweetness to round out the taste very nicely.
For those times when you could use a serious dose of focused energy, this is the juice recipe to turn to. It’s packing a serious load of varied green goodness – including highly-detoxing, anti-cancer watercress and anti-oxidant-laden sprouts – plus betanin-rich beets, pH-balancing lemon, and a flavorful dose of immune-boosting, digestive-aiding ginger to power you through your day!
