8. ginger
Ginger is yet another strong flavorant that holds many benefits. This tiny little root plant is absolutely loaded with antioxidant and anti-inflamatory properties. By only consuming a small amount of the root inflammation can be reduced better than some anti-inflammatory medication. Those of us who suffer from asthma need to pay special heed to its medicinal properties.
Ginger has been reported to inhibit airway contraction. When the lungs are dry, it becomes very difficult to breath. This is where ginger comes in pretty handy, seeing that it stimulates mucus production and alleviates asthma symptoms. The active ingredient in ginger, gingerol, may also help in fighting respiratory infection caused by the RSV virus.
For the pregnant ladies who suffer from morning sickness or nausea in general, ginger rank right up there with other nausea alleviating medicines. With only a few grams of ginger (1 – 1.5 grams to be exact), a number of studies showed that morning sickness was greatly reduced in the women who suffered from morning sickness.
Ginger can be used or ingested in a number of different ways. The most popular ways by far are using it as a tea extract and enjoying a pickled version with your favourite sushi. The best way to extract the most of the root’s beneficial properties is by using a masticating juicer. These machines squeeze out every last drop of nutritious value out of the ingredient that it processes. Be sure to add only a small amount of ginger to your next juice as it is a very dominating flavorant and can easily overpower any other taste in your juice.