Ginger: A spice for life

Such an exotic plant! Verdant spear-like leaves, inflorescences resembling flaming torches, reddish purple hues fading to pale yellow. A sculptural beauty regarded for its aesthetics and the roots for its culinary diversity & healing properties.

The Rhizomes we buy to add spice to our suppers have a broad spectrum of uses; sweet to savoury, digestive to topical applications, perfumes to medicines.

In summer ginger stimulates and promote sweating, which helps to cool us down. In winter it helps warm our digestion and keep our circulation flowing, relaxing our tightened tense chilled muscles.

A lovely winter warmer is an infusion of ginger added to a bath before bedtime. This can ease chronic muscle soreness, menstrual cramps, back pain and swollen joints.

Cut up or grate fresh ginger root (10 cm or so) and steep it in a litre of hot water for an hour or 2. Strain it and add to your bath, relax for 20 minutes and wash away the cares of the day. If you don’t have the luxury of a bath, a foot bath provides a warming alternative.

Another sleep time special is a cup of warmed milk with ginger and honey. Warming milk releases the amino acid tryptophan which is important for muscle and nerve health. Tryptophan is also important for the production of Melatonin and Seratonin.

The ginger helps relax muscle tension, easing cramps from the digestive system , achy sore backs or period cramps. The honey has soothing nourishing goodness all of its own. Even the ritual of gently heating and stirring the brew on a stove can prepare you for easy sleep.

A diffuse stimulant, calminitive, antispasmodic, digestive, diaphoretic it can be used to aid digestion, relieve nausea and vomiting, morning sickness & motion sickness , help in flatulent colic and promote menses. Its anti inflammatory properties can help cold arthritic pain and swelling. There are even recipes for baldness, requiring the rubbing of fresh ginger into the scalp.

Whatever the ailment, consider this generous fiery spice in the cool dampness of the winter months. Add it to your daily food and beverages to help keep the colds away. Powdered, dried, fresh or even crystallised this alluring tropical beauty draws you to warmer climes and cheery smiles.