GINGER

 GINGER

Ginger is a curious stuff in the sense that people start liking it as they grow older. What prompts this response could be that as and when we feel problems of digestion or feeling of dominant bile in the system, grand ma’s home remedy is Ginger. It is invariably a constant item among the vegetables as a fresh item.

Ginger shares kinship with Cardamom, Turmeric and Galang [அரத்தை] all being members of the family: Zingiberaceae. All have excellent medicinal properties and are inseparably intertwined with Indian culinary system and kitchen.

Ginger’s Botanical name : Zingiber officinale

The chief item used in all the above spices is the Rhizome [underground stem which spreads horizontally unlike aerial stems which are vertical in growth]. The rhizome is put to a variety of uses, mostly cooking/ health care systems. Ginger is said to be one of the earliest items to have been exported from Asia to Europe.

What makes Ginger, what it is are the volatile oils accounting for 3% of fresh weight. The chief ingredients in Ginger are Sesquiterpenes-particularly- Betabisobolene and Zingiberene. The typical components making Ginger pungent are Shogaols, Zingerone and Gingerols. A surprising array of substances [about 400 in number]are known to be part of fresh Ginger. The other constituents in Ginger are dietary minerals, fibres, phytosterols, vitamins, monoterpenes and Amino acids. Enzyme ZINGIBARIN is integral to fresh Ginger.

Ginger is an excellent remedy against nausea and bloating of abdomen.

Among several conditions favouring the onset of bloating   are spicy food, low fibre diet, acidic drinks, fatty food, High sugar and high salt content in food.

So, better food practices may help in preventing bloating

These relate to ‘consumption’ of more fibre in food; total avoidance of fizzy carbonated drinks and intake of larger volumes of water.

It is advised to totally avoid chewing gums – a masticatory habit for many to keep self engaged by chewing always.

Urgent swallowing of food without slow chewing in mouth can cause bloating; so, slow eating of food is recommended.

 Regularity in sticking to schedules of eating is also a helpful practice in avoiding digestive disturbances.

In any case, regular use of Ginger can help to get over these disorders.

Ginger can help to cure ulcers due to its phytochemical substances in fighting against invading bacteria, cold virus and a general upkeep of immunity. 

Prof. K. Raman