Boost Immunity with Ginger
Dry vs. Fresh Ginger
Did you know that dry ginger and fresh ginger have different compounds, rendering them medicinally useful in different ways? Dry ginger is particularly helpful during fall and winter months. Opt for dry ginger to promote a health immune system during cold and flu season.
Dry ginger (Gan Jiang, Zingiber officinale, 干姜) is a warm, dry herb that's ideal for use in winter.
In Chinese medicine, we describe it’s action as tonfying the Spleen and Stomach yang Qi, it expels interior cold, warms the Lungs and transforms phlegm, warms the channels and stops bleeding. Dry ginger is an excellent winter tonic.
It’s great for balancing kapha dosha, people that run cold and damp, and fortifying us especially in the cold, damp, rain and snow. Dry ginger is heating and not appropriate in large doses for those of us that run hot and dry, unless it’s combined with cooling, nourishing herbs.
Add dry ginger to your next bowl of oatmeal to reap it's many benefits! And these two tea recipes.
Try this recipe to balance dry ginger's dry nature with the warming, hydrating qualities of ghee and honey.
Simple Ginger Tea
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon dry ginger
1/2 teaspoon ghee
Honey to taste*
Directions:
Add dry ginger and ghee to a mug and cover with boiling water. Allow mug to cool to a temperature where it's comfortable to hold the mug, about 5 minutes. Add honey, stir and enjoy.
*Honey should never be heated. Add honey when your tea is cool enough to drink.
Winter Elixer
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 teaspoon dry ginger
½ teaspoon ashwagandha powder
2 teaspoons tulsi powder
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
½ lemon squeezed
Honey to taste*
Directions:
Heat the water in a pot on the stove. Mix in the ginger, ashwagandha, tulsi, and cardamom and let the tea come to a rolling boil. Take it off the stove and let it cool down a little. Mix in the fresh lemon juice and just a touch of honey for taste.
Note: this recipe makes 2 cups of tea. Double the recipe to keep in a thermos at your desk at work, or at home to make it easy to enjoy throughout the day. Find original recipe here.
Ginger has been found to help migraines, nausea (fish ginger), protect us from radiation (cooked ginger) , fight inflammation and protect our DNA. Check out Dr Gregor's video on ginger and migraines.