For my herb of the month I picked Ginger. I decided to finally sign up for the herbal medicine program I've been eyeing for years. I want to contribute to the community in a way that feels true to my heart, so that means making and selling herbal remedies at an affordable cost. The affordable part is very important because I don't want to eliminate certain people from experiencing the healing powers of nature that we all so desperately need. Also, the herbs have come to me free of charge so why should I charge an arm and a leg for something that is inherently free. Now, I do have to pay for the bottles I put them in and various other components, so if anything I would like to make money back from that purchase plus a little dough for my time. Other than that I want this to be about the people and re-introducing them to nature and their natural selves - and to get off pharmaceuticals.
So, every month we are urged to pick a wonderful herb to get to know and I thought why not Ginger because it's so readily available in grocery stores and I know nothing about it. Well I can say one month later I've become friends with Ginger. Otherwise known as Zingiber Officinale.
About
Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) is a part of the Zingiberaceae family which also includes Turmeric. The part most helpful to humans is the rhizome or root. Ginger's rhizome is filled with numerous pharmacological effects such as: antiemetic/anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tumor. What exactly is in the rhizome that makes these actions possible? Well, of all the pharmacological makeup of Ginger, 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, 10-gingerol and 6-shogaol are the most active constituents that create the effects we seek. Gingerol is more prominent in fresh Ginger while shogaol is more noticed in dried Ginger [1]. In terms of organoleptic methods, Ginger is rather drying in nature, has a strong pungent taste and produces heat.
My Experience with Zingiber Officinale
For two weeks I began to drink high portioned Ginger tea - perhaps about 1/2 cup of fresh ginger for a week and dried ginger for the other. Since I am naturally dry I really saw the effects of Ginger being a dry herb. My lips began to chap after about a week and I was more thirsty than normal (not by much). I also noticed the fresh Ginger dried up my period as I was not bleeding at my normal rate. The moment I switched to dried Ginger my period began to flow like the Niagara falls. My speculation is because fresh Ginger tends to bring things to the surface (including its drying properties on my lips). Dried Ginger is actually a stronger form of Ginger with emmenagogue properties that warm and soothe the uterus for cramping and encourages blood flow when experiencing slow, scant menstrual flow [2].
I did some really fun projects with Ginger to learn more about ways to interact with Ginger. My favorite experiment was oil infused Ginger. I used grapeseed oil and fresh ginger over the stove for about 2 hours making sure it never came to a boil. Then, I let it sit with 80 degree heat for 2 more days (over the heater) before I could smell the Ginger in the oil. I then strained it and mixed it in a jar with melted beeswax for consistency - aka a salve. I began applying it to my face everyday and to my astonishment my freckles reduced in size and this dark brown spot near my chin began to clear up. For years my freckles have always burned whenever I would leave soap on them too long , or, heaven forbid, I put isopropyl alcohol on them. I am not sure why this was but I will assume they were just sun damaged and inflamed FOR YEARS. Miraculously, this Ginger oil helped the inflammation and helped reduce the brown sun spot on my chin. Doing a little research I found out that gingerol has blocking effects in the melanogenesis process which makes it a good skin lightening agent [3].
I also made a delicious Ginger-Honey Candy by peeling fresh Ginger of its skin, placing it in a jar and filling the jar with honey. Since honey is hygroscopic it absorbs all of the moisture from the fresh ginger and you're left with ginger infused honey and delicious ginger candy sweetened by the honey.
Final Word
Overall, I am very impressed with Ginger. Although we don't see eye to eye when it comes to being dry vs moist, Zingiber Officinale has helped me tremendously topically. The fact that my freckles are no longer inflamed and the dark brown spot on my chin is disappearing is enough for me to be eternally grateful to this herb. I will most likely just drink Ginger in smaller doses so that I don't dry myself out but still get the awesome benefits every now and then. And I will most certainly be using Ginger topically in many formulas to come.
Thank you pungent, yet sweet, Ginger for existing!
Amber
References
1. Examination of the Pharmacokinetics of Active Ingredients of Ginger in Humans. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160151/
2. Ginger Materia Medica. Common Wealth Holistic Herbalism. https://online.commonwealthherbs.com/courses/take/materia-medica/pdfs/8924572-ginger-materia-medica-text-entry
3. Inhibitory effect of [6]-gingerol on melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells and a possible mechanism of action.
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