Ginger Benefits

I was using ginger before and my mum was always letting me know how important it is to consume ginger but the moment I really understood what it can actually do was when it helped me with my cold. I came back home after a long day at work, it was snowing and I felt incredibly ill. I've barely had the strength to change into my PJ's and started to sneeze and cough repeatedly. It seemed like I got down with something but that's where my hubby came in. He whipped a strong mint tea and have me pieces of raw ginger to chew on. If you've tried raw ginger, than you must know how tingly it makes the tongue and the mouth. I didn't mind since I felt terrible to start with. I was starting to get a fever and snoozed into slumber. By the time I woke up, I felt completely fine. I felt like a new woman really. No pills, nothing – just ginger and I was back on my feet. That's when I decided to find out more about this incredible ingredient and these are my revelations.

Djumbir koristim vec jako dugo i mama mi uvijek napominje koliko je zdrav (znate vec kakve su mame). No, trenutak kada sam zaista shvatila koliko je bitan i zdrav je bila noc kada mi je pomogao doslovno izbjeci prehladu koja me vec pocela opasno hvatati. Sjecam se da sam dosla navecer kuci nakon dugog radnog dana. Padao je blagi snijeg a ja sam se osjecala bas umorno i iscrpljeno. Jedva sam smogla snage da se presvucem u pidzamu te sam se pokunjeno uvukla pod pokrivac. Apsolutno nisam imala volje da sebi pomognem na bilo koji nacin i tu je muz-puz uskocio. Napravio mi je jak caj od mente u rinfuzi te mi je isjeckao svjez djumbir i dao mi te komadice da ih grickam. Ako ste ikada isprobale sirovi djumbir znate da dosta pecka grlo, jezik i usne. Pocela me hvatati i blaga groznica te sam eventualno utonula u san. Do slijedeceg jutra, kada sam se probudila – potpuno sam se oporavila. Osjecala sam se kao druga zena jer sam, kako se kaze, “presijekla” prehladu djumbirom. Tek nakon toga sam odlucila saznati nesto vise o ovom nevjerovatnom sastojku a u nastavku slijede moja otkrica.

Does Zingiber officinale ring any bells? Well, ginger is actually the rhizome of this plant and even though people mostly call it a root – it most definitely is a rhizome. After ginger was first introduced in Europe (approximately 800 AD) it ranked second to pepper as a spice for centuries. Ginger cultivation began in South Asia and has spread to East Africa and the Caribbean. India, with over 30% of the global share, now leads in global production of ginger, replacing China, which has slipped to the second position, followed by Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand. However, Jamaican ginger is considered to be the best of all. Its name comes either from Middle Indic Singabera meaning “horn” + vera- “body,” (so called from the shape of its root). Ginger is used for seasoning and to flavor sweets, including cakes, cookies, breads, and beverages. It is also good in sauces, and fruit dishes, and is often used heavily in Asian cooking. I mostly consume it as a tea with some honey or lemon juice. Or I nibble on some raw ginger. I use it as a powder while I cook. When buying, look for ginger with the least amount of knots and/or branching.

Da li vam je pojam Zingiber officinale poznat? Djumbir je rizom (tj.podzemni izdanak) ove biljke te iako djumbir svi nekako iz navike zovu korijenom – definitivno se radi o rizomu, pomocnom izdanku. Nakon sto je prvi put predstavljen Evropi (priblizno 800 g.n.e.) popeo se na drugo jesto najtrazenijih zacina dok je prvo mjesto zadrzao biber. Uzgoj djumbira je zapoceo u Jugoistocnoj Aziji. Od tada ga je put vodio ka Istocnoj Africi i Karibima. Indija je sa svojih 30% globalnog udjela lider u proizvodnji djumbira te je zamijenila Kinu, koja se nalazi na drugom mjestu. Nakon Kine slijede Indonezija, Nepal i Tajland. Ipak se djumbir sa Jamajke smatra najkvalitetnijim. Djumbirov naziv potice iz starog sanskrita “Singabera” koji u biti znaci “u obliku roga”. Djumbir se koristi kao zacin ili kao dodatak slatkisima, kolacima, keksima, hljebu te napitcima. Takodjer se koristi u sosovima, vocnim jelima i cest je sastojak azijske kuhinje. Ja ga najcesce konzumiram kao caj uz malo meda ili limunovog soka. Cesto ga sirovog grickam. U prahu ga koristim u kuhanju. Pri kupnji, pokusajte nabaviti onaj koji se najmanje grana ili onaj koji ima najmanje kvrzica.

There are three kinds of ginger – big white ginger, small white ginger, and red ginger. Big white ginger has a large and bulging rhizome. Small white ginger has a rhizome rather flat and slightly bulging and red ginger rhizome is of red coloring but its size is smaller than the small white ginger. The rhizome is branched with small “limbs”. It has brown skin which is thin if harvested while young. The skin becomes thick when harvested at maturity. The color of the flesh varies from pale yellow to white or pink, or even red. Young ginger is fragrant, pungent, fleshy and juicy with a mild spicy taste. Whereas old ginger is fibrous and almost dry and tends to be spicier than its young counterpart. A recent study showed that young ginger brings down body temperature as in the case of fever. Whereas the old (dryer) ginger brings up the body temperature as in the case of a cold and suitable during winter.

Postoje tri vrste djumbira – veliki bijeli djumbir, mali bijeli djumbir i crveni djumbir. Veliki bijeli je vecih dimenzija te ima mnogo kvrzica, dosta je nepravilnog oblika. Mali bijeli djumbir je dosta spljosten te ima blage kvrzice dok je crveni djumbir, pogadjate – crvenkaste boje i dosta je manji od prethodne dvije vrste. Rizom ima dosta nekih malih “nogica i rucica”. Kozica mu je smedjkaste boje koja je dosta tanka ako je djumbir mlad. Kozica postanje deblja ako je djumbir odvojen u zrelosti. Boja mesnate unutrasnjosti varira od blijedo zute do bijele ili ruzicaste, nekada i crvene boje. Mladi je djumbir dosta jakog i ostrog mirisa, mesnat i socan uz blago zacinjen ukus. Stariji, zreliji djumbir je fibrozan tj. vlaknast te skoro isusen i sklon je ka dosta ljutom okusu. Neka novija istrazivanja sugerisu da ce mladi djumbir sniziti tjelesnu temperaturu. Stariji, zreliji djumbir opet djeluje suprotno – povecava tjelesnu temperaturu sto je pozeljno tokom prehlade, groznice i uopsteno tokom zime.

Ginger health benefits; 

It is good at preventing travel sickness 

Cures bloating 

Is used in prevention of heart disease 

It has anti-inflammatory properties (gingerols) 

It is excellent at treating cold and cough (in case of a dry cough, use young ginger but if there is phlegm, use old ginger) 

It is used in treating arthritis 

It aids with stiff joints 

It helps control high blood sugar and blood pressure 

It has anti-allergic properties 

It is an anti-coagulant: 

It is an anti-oxidant 

It calms down digestive disorders (heartburn, indigestion, nausea, vomiting – any type of tummy grumbles) 

Helps relieve fatigue when recovering from fever (also helps with muscle pain and soreness) 

It helps with menstruation cramps 

It acts as a pain killer – used internally or externally (on temples, on an aching tooth etc.) 

Helps relieve nausea, morning sickness (will not harm the fetus) and motion sickness 

Some studies show ginger may also help prevent certain forms of cancer 

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Prednosti djumbira u sluzbi zdravlja; 

Ublazava simptome mucnine tokom putovanja 

Lijeci nadutost 

Koristi se u prevenciji nastanka srcanih oboljenja 

Posjeduje protuupalna svojstva (zahvaljujuci gingerolima) 

Izvrstan je pri lijecenju prehlade i kaslja (u slucaju suhog kaslja treba koristiti mladi dok je za kasalj sa sekretom idealan zreli djumbir) 

Koristi se pri lijecenju artritisa 

Olaksava muke ukocenih zglobova 

Pomaze pri kontrolisanju visokog krvnog pritiska i secera u krvi 

Posjeduje protualergijsko djelovanje 

Ponasa se kao antikoagulans 

Djeluje kao antioksidans 

Umiruje probleme sa probavom (zgaravica, probava, mucnina, povracanje – u sustini, djumbir je dobar u svakom slucaju problema sa stomacicem) 

Pomaze pri oporavku od iscrpljenosti nakon prelezane temperature (pomaze i pri bolnim misicima) 

Olaksava menstrualne grceve 

Ublazava bol kada se konzumira ali i pri vanjskoj upotrebi (npr.utrljati malo sirovog mesa djumbira na slijepoocnice pomaze pri glavoboljama, direktno na zub i desni pri zubobolji i sl.) 

Pomaze pri jutarnjoj mucnini (nije stetan za fetus) te morskoj mucnini 

Neka istrazivanja sugerisu da djumbir djeluje preventivno kod odredjenih vrsta raka 

*Benefits of ginger in facial skincare

As I've mentioned before, ginger contains an antioxidant called gingerol which fights skin-damaging free radicals and can help promote a brighter, firmer and more youthful appearance. Ginger stimulates circulation which, in return, delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the skin, resulting in a healthier appearance. It also helps reduce skin inflammations and that makes it a great ingredient for acne-prone skin. Ginger is antiviral and antibacterial and it reduces inflammation. It has anti-inflammatory properties which help to prevent acne eruptions while its antiseptic and cleansing properties keep the skin clean and free of blemishes. It has an invirogating and stimulating effect on the skin. Ginger can also improve the appearance of scars in terms that it fades them away. Ginger is also high in Vitamin C – one of main antioxidants used for fighting wrinkles. If you want your hzpopigmented (white) scars to fade, you might want to try applying ginger juice in the following manner. One way to get ginger juice is by grating ginger and then squeezing the juice out. Another way to put ginger juice on the skin is by rubbing a fresh slice of ginger on the skin. 

*Prednosti djumbira u njezi koze lica

Kako sam spomenula, djumbir sadrzi antioksidans koji se zove gingerol i on se bori protiv slobodnih radikala koji stete kozi. Gingerol pomaze da koza djeluje svjetlije, cvrsce i mladje. Djumbir potice cirkulaciju koja, zauzvrat, omogucava da vise kisika i nutrijenata bude dopremljeno do koze. To automatski znaci zdraviji izgled koze. Takodjer umiruje upalne procese sto ga cini idealnim za potrebe koze sklone aknama. Takodjer posjeduje protu-virusno i antibakterijsko svojstvo koje smanjuje upale – to znaci da sprijecava “napade” akni dok antisepticko djelovanje odrzava kozu cistom i bez bubuljica. Djeluje prociscujuce. Djumbir takodjer mnogo pomaze kod oziljaka u smislu da ih izblijedi. Ima i visok udio vitamina C koji je jedan od osnovnih antioksidanata koji se koriste u borbi protiv bora. Ako zelite izblijediti svoje bijelicaste (hipopigmentacijske) oziljke, onda nije lose koristiti sok djumbira na slijedeci nacin. Njegov sok mozete dobiti tako sto cete usitniti djumbir i procijediti ga. Isto tako, mozete prerezati sirov djumbir i mesnatim, unutarnjim dijelom premazati bijele oziljke. 

*Benefits of ginger in body skincare

Did you know that the stimulating and detoxifying effects break down cellulite, creating smoother and more supple skin? Improved circulation delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the skin which improves its appearance. Ginger will improve the elasticity of the skin so it appears more firm and youthful. 

*Prednosti djumbira u njezi koze tijela

Da li ste znale da stimulirajuca i detoks dejstva djumbira pomazu u razlaganju celulita te pomazu zagladjivanju povrsine koze? Poboljsana cirkulacija doprema vise kisika i nutrijenata do koze sto joj u konacnici poboljsava izgled. Djumbir popravlja i elasticnost koze kako bi djelovala cvrsce i mladje.

*Benefits of ginger in hair care

Ginger oil has huge benefits for hair. It helps protect and condition hair, (especially dry and damaged hair) so it leaves it soft and shiny. Ginger oil when combined with olive oil helps treat and nourish the scalp and it helps with dandruff. It is also believed that it stimulates hair growth. Hair becomes more soft, smooth and manageable after using it together with olive oil as a hair / scalp mask.

*Prednosti djumbira u njezi kose

Ulje djumbira je jako korisno za kosu. Pomaze pri zastiti i njeguje je (posebno suhu i ostecenu kosu) te ona postaje sve meksa i sjajnija. Ulje djumbira u kombinaciji sa maslinovim uljem pomaze u tretiranju i njezi tjemena te pomaze kod peruti. Takodjer se vjeruje da pospjesuje rast kose. Kosa je meksa, gladja i lakse je oblikovati zahvaljujuci kuri od maslinovog i ulja djumbira.