Healing powers of GInger Root!

As promised I want to post some natural remedies I use regularly during the winter months when the cold and flu viruses are lurking! I'm frequently asked how to help the cough, nose, sore throat ect. Instead of putting so much information all into one post and boring you to death...I thought I would do a post on one at a time. I will try to keep the info simple and easy to practice.

Also, this would give the readers a chance to post your comments on your experience with this remedy or recipe. I would like to keep it to YOUR experience with this remedy.

If you haven't already, now would be the time to get busy stalking the kitchen with these remedies, so you have them on hand at the first sign of discomfort.

First, I believe in practical preventives! I'm not waiting for the cold or flu to pop up in my house before jumping to cure it! I have a large family...takes awhile for a complete round from ONE virus! Blech!

We have a sugar-free policy! I try to substitute everything with honey. Sugar-free doesn't mean equal, splenda, or any other artificial sweetener! Those will kill you much faster than the white sugar! ;)

If you're not sure where to start, just google recipes that call for honey instead of sugar. They're out there! TONS! Some of the best chocolate chip cookies I ever made were with whole wheat flour and honey! :)

Why don't I want to eat sugar??? Just thought I would throw in some info on SUGAR!


Sugar is by far the leading cause of dental deterioration - cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, failure of bone structure, and loss of teeth.

Sugar is the main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

It is either a significant or contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.

It has an extremely harmful effect in unbalancing the endocrine system and injuring its component glands such as the adrenal glands, pancreas and liver, causing the blood sugar level to fluctuate widely. It has a number of other extremely damaging effects on the human body.

Some of the other effects of sugar on the body are:

Breaks down the Immune System, overloading the body with toxins and harmful bacteria.
Increases overgrowth of candida yeast organism
Increases chronic fatigue
Can trigger binge eating in those with bulima
Increases PMS symptoms
Increases hyperactivity in about 50% of children
Increases tooth decay
Increases anxiety and irritability
Can increase or intensify symptoms of anxiety and panic in susceptible women
Can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels, which causes the body to store excess carbs as fat.

There. Did I do a good job scaring you??? ;)

Natural remedies are not a quick fix! I've had people ask me for advice, take it one time, and tell me it didn't work. It's not meant to just ease symptoms so much as it is to build your body's own natural mechanism and defenses to fight disease as your body is designed to do. While most medicines will ease your symptoms, most do not heal or boost your own body's immune system to take care of itself. Example: my husband was thought to have blood pressure problems! He was advised many times to get on blood pressure medicine...meanwhile, wifie researching for alternatives, as I detested the thought of him being enslaved to drugs for the duration of his life and missing out on opportunities because of high blood pressure. I did a major diet change(no sugars, bad carbs, processed or artificial foods) and took herbal supplements needed to boost his own body's natural way of regulating the blood pressure! It worked! And it's been perfectly normal.

Well, I said all that to say, I find it's important to firstly begin laying a healthy foundation in addition to using natural remedies. By healthy foundation I mean I don't buy any artifical ingredients, preservatives, or things I can't pronounce or read on the box, no sodas, artificial sweeteners, and I try to buy fresh, raw, and as organic as possible! That's the best thing you can do to prevent a lot of illnesses and naturally boost your immune system. You'll feel so much better too:)



One remedy I use A LOT is Ginger Root! You can get it in the produce section of your grocery store. I prefer to use raw ginger root than the powder!

Here's what it looks like :)


There's so many wonderful uses for ginger...Here's what I use it for:

Lower fevers
cough/cold
nausea
headaches
detox
menstural cramps
Pain/inflammation
high blood pressure
diarrhea
earaches
Muscle fatigue/aches/pains


I could post a TON of info on Ginger Root, but I don't want to overwhelm my readers who are just learning how to apply natural remedies. So I'm sticking to simple remedies here.


Ginger Root is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Therefore, it really boosts your immune system, and as an anti-inflammatory will relieve pain and swelling.

Ginger Root is also a natural blood thinner! So blood clots can also be prevented with supplements of ginger root extract, which contains substances that inhibit the aggregation of blood platelets that form clots.

Ginger Root is excellent for nausea, as mentioned above. Ginger Root helps the digestive process by breaking down the proteins which cause nausea and relieves morning sickness by relaxing stomach muscles.

I peel and cut about an inch of the ginger root and boil in water. Drink as a tea with honey to sweeten if you prefer. You can drink it cold too, if you want to brew it like you would iced tea. This is especially beneficial for morning sickness and the flu when you feel nauseous. My friend's baby was vomiting profusely and wasn't keeping anything down. I came over with ginger root, boiled a piece and deluded it with water in her bottle(she loved it) She kept the whole bottle of ginger water down!!!

Fevers: I make the ginger tea only cold...I sometimes add lemon, garlic, and honey. Which is an excellent tea for coughs that won't go away...good to drink before bed...not that appetizing, but it sure helps! My children will drink ginger, lemon, and honey tea all day! I can avoid the flu and cold virus this way!

I also boil a few peices of ginger root and pour in bath water. You should simmer ginger root or grated ginger root for 10 minutes. Ginger will cause you to sweat when you soak in a a ginger bath...which is excellent for fevers, in addition will eliminate toxins in your body. I make sure my kids have plenty of water to drink before they take a ginger bath. A bath or two later really lowers their temperature and they start feeling much better. Because ginger root promotes perspiration, it will work to relieve congestion as well. If you use dried ginger, add 3 to 4 tablespoons to your bath.

Earaches: Make an oil infusion by grating some ginger in a 1/4 cup of really warm water, let sit for 10 minutes, use juice from ginger and an equal part of olive oil. I use a cotton ball to soak infusion and squeeze drops into each ear for pain relief.

Inflammation: To make a fomentation(poltice) for treating external aches, pains and inflammations, simmer five ounces of grated ginger in two quarts of water for 10 minutes. Apply the fomentation to the affected area with a cloth and re-apply to keep it warm. Reddening skin indicates increased circulation.

Muscle fatigue/aches/pains: Soak in ginger bath for relief and to relax muscles. If you don't want a bath...make a massage oil with equal part of ginger juice(made from the grated ginger and equal parts of olive oil! Rub on sore muscles. Massage oil will also relieve dandruff! :)

However you choose to take ginger it will LOWER your blood pressure, regulate your metabolism, and promote circulation to your heart. GInger also has a cleansing affect on the kidney and bowels.

Fresh ginger root will keep for 3 weeks..I have also froze ginger root too. In case you're wondering about the nutritional value ...

Now excuse me while I go add Ginger Root to my grocery list for tomorrow!! :)