It's all about GINGER.....

Watch this video on some of the benefits of Ginger

GINGER THE MIRACLE PLANT !!!

                                                                      

Improves Brain Function

Neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s have been linked to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in the brain. With its wealth of antioxidants and potent anti-inflammatory properties, ginger is believed to play an important role in the health of your brain.

Several animal studies have found that ginger extract could protect against brain aging and cognitive decline. Not only that, but a 2012 study also found that ginger extract helped improve cognitive function and attention in middle-aged women.

Blocks Bacterial Infections

In addition to its antifungal properties, ginger boasts the ability to fight off bacterial infections as well. Pathogenic bacteria are common culprits behind conditions like urinary tract infections, pneumonia and bronchitis.

According to one test-tube study, the compounds found in ginger could help inhibit the growth of certain strains of bacteria that cause gum disease. Another test-tube study showed that ginger extract was effective against several strains of drug-resistant bacteria as well.

Eases Inflammation

Although inflammation can be a normal, healthy immune response to injury and infection, chronic inflammation is believed to be a major contributor to conditions like heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

One review in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine noted that ginger extract may help inhibit the synthesis of certain markers of inflammation. Besides gingerol, it also contains other anti-inflammatory compounds like shogaol, paradol and zingerone.

There is also a possibility that ginger benefits include preventing blood clots (thus reducing risk of heart attack) due to its natural acids that thin the blood. But studies so far are inconclusive.

LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL LEVEL WITH GINGER

LOWERS CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

From producing bile to manufacturing hormones, cholesterol is essential to overall health. However, high levels of cholesterol can build up in the blood, causing blockages and increasing your risk of heart disease.

One of the biggest benefits of ginger is its ability to naturally lower cholesterol levels and triglycerides to reduce your risk of heart problems. A study conducted at Babol University of Medical Sciences actually found that ginger was able to significantly reduce bad LDL cholesterol and raise beneficial HDL cholesterol compared to a placebo. An animal study also showed that ginger was nearly as effective in lowering cholesterol (improving cholesterol markers) as atorvastatin, a medication commonly prescribed for high blood cholesterol.

Brissette says ginger can help lower LDL cholesterol levels (the bad kind!), reducing your risk of heart disease. What’s more is that its blood-thinning properties could help prevent the formation of blood clots, reducing your risk of heart and stroke. She warns that if you already take blood-thinning medications, check with your doctor before having more ginger.

GINGER!!! A Powerful Anti-Inflamatory Magic

 

 

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis experience reductions in their pain levels and improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly. In two clinical studies involving patients who responded to conventional drugs and those who didn't, physicians found that 75% of arthritis patients and 100% of patients with muscular discomfort experienced relief of pain and/or swelling.

Arthritis-related problems with your aging knees? Regularly spicing up your meals with fresh ginger may help, suggests a study published in a recent issue of Osteoarthritis Cartilage. In this twelve month study, 29 patients with painful arthritis in the knee (6 men and 23 women ranging in age from 42-85 years) participated in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Patients switched from placebo to ginger or visa versa after 3 months. After six months, the double-blind code was broken and twenty of the patients who wished to continue were followed for an additional six months.

By the end of the first six month period, those given ginger were experiencing significantly less pain on movement and handicap than those given placebo. Pain on movement decreased from a score of 76.14 at baseline to 41.00, while handicap decreased from 73.47 to 46.08. In contrast, those who were switched from ginger to placebo experienced an increase in pain of movement (up to 82.10) and handicap (up to 80.80) from baseline. In the final phase of the study when all patients were getting ginger, pain remained low in those already taking ginger in phase 2, and decreased again in the group that had been on placebo.

Not only did participants' subjective experiences of pain lessen, but swelling in their knees, an objective measurement of lessened inflammation, dropped significantly in those treated with ginger. The mean target knee circumference in those taking ginger dropped from 43.25cm when the study began to 39.36cm by the 12th week. When this group was switched to placebo in the second phase of the study, their knee circumferences increased, while those who had been on placebo but were now switched to ginger experienced a decrease in knee circumference. In the final phase, when both groups were given ginger, mean knee circumference continued to drop, reaching lows of 38.78 and 36.38 in the two groups.

How does ginger work its

 anti-inflammatory magic? 

Two other recent studies provide possible reasons.

A study published in the November 2003 issue of Life Sciences suggests that at least one reason for ginger's beneficial effects is the free radical protection afforded by one of its active phenolic constituents, 6-gingerol. In this in vitro (test tube) study, 6-gingerol was shown to significantly inhibit the production of nitric oxide, a highly reactive nitrogen molecule that quickly forms a very damaging free radical called peroxynitrite. Another study appearing in the November 2003 issue of Radiation Research found that in mice, five days treatment with ginger (10 mg per kilogram of body weight) prior to exposure to radiation not only prevented an increase in free radical damage to lipids (fats found in numerous bodily components from cell membranes to cholesterol), but also greatly lessened depletion of the animals' stores of glutathione, one of the body's most important internally produced antioxidants.

A study published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine sheds further light on the mechanisms of action that underlie ginger's anti-inflammatory effectiveness. In this research, ginger was shown to suppress the pro-inflammatory compounds (cytokines and chemokines) produced by synoviocytes (cells comprising the synovial lining of the joints), chrondrocytes (cells comprising joint cartilage) and leukocytes (immune cells).