Ginger brews; My favorite hot and healthy herb plus an amazing delicious recipe

Ginger is one of my favorite hot herbs. It is fabulously versatile, medicinal and a very popular culinary herb in cuisines across the world. Ginger is hot not only because it is spicy but because in the medicinal world, it is also known to lower inflammation which is a common cause of so many illnesses that we are seeing today.  Ginger is abundant in the phytonutrient gingerol, a natural ingredient that relieves bloating and gas. It also facilitates and promotes healthy digestion while improving bowel function. Ginger acts as an anti-inflammatory by reducing the synthesis of pro-inflammatory (inflammation causing) prostaglandins.

Tip:  ginger can be used on inflamed joints to relieve pain just by placing cold pressed ginger juice in a flannel cloth with some castor oil over the affected joint for 5-10 minutes

It is also rich in essential oils, vitamin B, potassium, manganese, copper and magnesium.

I have used it in my practice with pregnant woman to prevent nausea, in fact for centuries ginger has been used in India, China and other Asian countries as a remedy for nausea.

Ginger can be taken in a capsule, eaten fresh and raw, cooked or brewed as a tea.

TIP: You can cut ginger place two to tsp in boiling water and steep for ten minutes. After cooling, optionally you can add honey, pieces of lemon or orange. When I am sick i will brew with a few cloves of garlic (my other favorite herb)

I also just saw this recipe which I cannot wait to try

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peeled, finely chopped ginger
• 2 cups purified water
• raw honey (optional)
• sparkling water
• 1 lemon, juiced

Preparation:

Boil 2 cups of water, and add the ginger. Reduce the heat to medium low, and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes.

Take it off the heat and strain.

When serving, use 1 part of ginger syrup and 3 parts of sparkling water. Serve it on the rocks. Sweeten to taste, using raw honey, or stevia, and add some lemon juice.

from http://www.bestherbalhealth.com

Enjoy !

 

Sprinkle away inflammation!

Inflammation is now the new buzz word when it comes to your health and if it is not tamed, can cause all sorts of problems for us!  What kind of problems? Well inflammation is basically the root cause of many diseases, if you have heart disease or diabetes, you have inflammation. If you have arthritis, you have inflammation. If you feel any pain in your body, bloated, headaches, or are prone to infections then yes, you guessed it, you have inflammation in your body.

So what to do? Well I have blogged about the best antiinflammatory diet in the past. Today I will share the best, the one most fabulous helpful hint that I have in my kitchen. This recipe can change your inflamed life and bring you back into balance!

Recipe:

1 cup sprouted flax powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ginger powder

In a spice shaker or well-sealed glass container place the following super potent anti-inflammatory nutrients and sprinkle away your inflammation at every meal. The flax seeds provide beneficial anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and are also fabulous for maintaining normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Also because of their high fiber content they will also ensure regularity.If you grind flax seeds fresh, the oils, once exposed to oxygen, will go rancid quickly. I choose sprouted flax seeds because they are nutritional more bioavailable, beneficial and the oils are preserved better because of the dehydration process.

As for turmeric and ginger, these two herbs are the powerhouses when it comes to calming inflammation in the body. These herbs need to be present in every kitchen! Black pepper is added to the recipe to potentiate the absorption and super health benefits of the turmeric.

So sprinkle away and move towards optimal health, a longer life and much less inflammation!

www.flackers.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/turmeric-health-have-a-happy-new-year_b_798328.html