Here’s something you might not know about ginger. It’s great in cooking, and of course most people know it’s a mild stimulant. But did you know that it’s good for pain relief and inflammation as well?
There are scientific studies on the effectiveness of ginger for period pain, muscle soreness from exercise, back pain, headaches and joint pain, its effect in reducing inflammation.
Ginger has been used for thousands of years to spice up a dish, so because it’s a food ingredient you can be sure that it’s safe in moderation. Its first use was in ancient China and it’s still a staple in modern Chinese cuisine – and traditional Chinese medicine.
Most external uses of ginger involve ginger oil, which is made simply by drying and crushing the root, then gently separating the oil by steam distillation. You can even make a ginger oil at home by heating ginger powder in olive oil.
Although we know it works, there are over 400 different ingredients in natural ginger and it’s not yet clear which of them has the most effect, whether it’s an antioxidant, or something that inhibits prostaglandins or transcription factors … at the end of the day, all we care about is that it works.
If you need more information on how ginger works for pain and inflammation, see: “Rondanelli M, Fossari F, Vecchio V, et al. Clinical trials on pain lowering effect of ginger: A narrative review. Phytotherapy Research. 2020;34:2843–2856.” https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6730