When we begin our herbal journey, we usually start with an herb like ginger. Ginger is so foundational that most non-herbalists at least know the plant, if not work with it very often in food. But ginger is a lot more than its hot, aromatic tastes that flavor dishes. And that’s where this ginger monograph comes in.
In this ginger monograph, we’re going to go over everything you need to know about this popular, versatile, and foundational medicinal herb. Not only will I walk you through the ginger monograph, but also different ways to work with ginger and where to find it.
Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes only and shouldn’t be used as a replacement for medical attention or diagnosis. It’s recommended to talk to a doctor before beginning any herbal regimen, especially if you are taking pharmaceutical medication. Because every body is different, the following information may or may not apply directly to you.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Ginger is one of my favorite herbs. It’s safe, cheap, available, and effective for so many health issues that I in particular deal with. This herb is native to Southeast Asia and is in the Zingiberaceae family along with turmeric and cardamom. Chinese and Ayurvedic medicinal practitioners have been working with this plant medicinally for at least 3,000 years. There are a few relatives of Z. officinale that many people also work with, including Z. zerumbet or shampoo ginger.
Ginger Monograph
This ginger monograph is here to provide you with a reference for all of the ways ginger can work with us and influence our health. In this section, we will go over the different aspects of ginger as an herbal medicine, including energetics, tastes, parts used, herbal actions, body affinities, constituents, cautions, the medicinal differences between fresh and dry ginger, and where to source it.
Ginger Monograph Video
Energetics and Tastes
Ginger is warming, drying, stimulating, and relaxing. It has a pungent flavor that’s earthy, sharp, and spicy. Ginger is also highly aromatic with a distinct fragrance.
Medicinal Parts Used
The only part of the plant we work with medicinally is the rhizome. When the rhizome of cured, it has a papery skin that we will include in preparations we don’t have to eat. However, if we’re making something like candied ginger, we remove that papery skin just because it’s not very pleasant to eat. The skins are welcome in teas!
Herbal Actions
Stimulant
Ginger isn’t a stimulant like caffeine is a stimulant. Instead, it helps to move stuck energy, making more of it available to us. It does this by, primarily, stimulating blood flow, particularly to the GI tract and the pelvic bowl.
Carminative
Because ginger stimulates blood flow to the GI tract, it acts as an archetypal carminative, warming the GI tract, increasing digestive fire, and soothing spasms. This means ginger helps aid cold gut constitutions like sluggish and incomplete digestion.
Antiemetic
It’s well known that ginger helps to aid nausea, but did you know it helps aid all forms of nausea? That includes nausea from illness, motion sickness, morning sickness, food poisoning, and medications (including chemotherapy).
Rubefacent
When rubbed on the skin, ginger acts as a minor rubefacient, bringing blood, warmth, and redness to the skin and underlying tissues where it’s applied. This effect brings fresh nutrients to the area, reduces stagnant fluid, and eases pain and tension.
Diaphoretic
Ginger brings warmth to the body which can help to induce a healthy fever when you’re sick. This effect is more prominent when working with fresh ginger.
Emmenagogue
Ginger increases circulation to the pelvic bowl. This effect increases menstrual flow in people with uteruses. Ginger’s emmenagogue effect is beneficial for pregnant people because the increased blood flow to the uterus helps nourish the fetus.
Anodyne
The anodyne effects of ginger help to relieve cold, constriction-related headaches.
Diffusive
Particularly when working with fresh ginger, it helps move heat from the core of the body to the periphery.
Antispasmodic
When taken internally, ginger can help soothe spasms in the GI tract, uterus, and lower back as well as spasm-y, unproductive coughs. Applied topically, it can help soothe tense and achy muscles.
Body Affinities
Digestive System
Ginger loves the digestive system. Especially the GI tract. One of its main actions is to stimulate blood flow to the GI tract. Wherever ginger makes contact, it brings fresh blood flow to that area. So when we eat ginger and it makes contact with our stomach and intestinal linings, it, almost immediately, brings fresh blood to that area. This action creates an abundance of warming and soothing actions for the GI tract.
Circulatory System
Ginger stimulates blood flow. As mentioned, when it makes contact with a part of the body, it brings fresh blood there. When taken internally, the stimulation of blood flow to the GI tract increases core body temperature which creates carminative, diaphoretic, and diffusive actions via the circulatory system.
Reproductive System
The blood flow stimulation to the bowels also increases general blood flow to the pelvic bowl. This increases the blood flow to the reproductive organs, particularly to the uterus.
Notable Constituents
- Volatiles 1 – 3% (zingiberene 20 – 30%)
- Oleoresin 4 – 7.5% (gingerol, shogaols)
Dry vs Fresh Ginger
There is a distinction between fresh and dry ginger and how they move and work in our bodies. Fresh ginger has a more diffusive action and is warming to the periphery. Dry ginger, on the other hand, tends to be more centrally warming and has a stronger affinity for the core, particularly the digestive system. When working with ginger, many herbalists will choose between using fresh or dry herb by determining the actions they’re aiming for.
Cautions When Working With Ginger
Ginger can have a blood-thinning effect. If you are taking blood thinners, it’s important to check in with your doctor before working with ginger medicinally. Eating ginger every once in a while in your dinner will likely have no effect on your blood and therefore is safe. We should only be concerned if you want to work with ginger seriously over a long period of time.
Because ginger is also an emmenagogue, it can worsen menstrual flows that are already severely heavy. If you have an uncomfortable, heavy menstrual flow, it’s best to avoid working with ginger medicinally.
Some herbalists worry about the herb’s emmenagogue effects on those who are pregnant. However, emmenagogues are not abortifacients! Some herbalists don’t understand the difference but there is a huge one. Ginger’s emmenagogue effects are caused by its increased blood flow to the uterus. This is actually beneficial to those who are pregnant because that increased blood flow to the uterus means more food for the fetus. There is no proof that working with ginger in any regard with harm a pregnant person or a fetus.
Ginger and Pets
Ginger is safe and effective for both cats and dogs. In fact, ginger can help soothe nausea and other digestive upsets they may deal with, including diarrhea and constipation. Just be sure to feed them whole ginger and not ginger-flavored things like ginger ale or gingerbread.
Sourcing Ginger
Ginger farms are becoming more and more popular across the United States as the herb grows in popularity. It’s likely, depending on where you live, there is a farm nearby that sells locally-grown ginger. Buying local, organic ginger is the best way to ensure you’re working with high-quality herb material.
If that’s not an option, you can buy medicinal-grade dry ginger from your local apothecary or online from Mountain Rose Herbs. Mountain Rose sells both ginger root as well as ginger powder and lots of other herbal goodies like tinctures and tea blends.
The cool thing about this plant is that you can also find it in almost every grocery store for cheap. Most stores sell whole ginger root as well as dry ginger, sometimes in bulk. If you can buy organic roots, that’s the best way to ensure you’re getting medicinal-grade herbs that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides or irradiated.
Ginger Herbal Pairings
Ginger pairs nicely with a lot of other herbs. These pairs don’t just taste good together, but most complement or emphasize the medicinal properties of one another. Here’s a short list of some notable friends:
How to Work With Ginger
This ginger monograph is more than about medicinal properties: let’s talk about how to actually work with it!
Ginger is a versatile herb that is safe to experiment with and can be worked with in a variety of ways. Now that you know the medicinal properties of ginger, it’s time to talk about how to actually deliver ginger to the places it needs to go. Most people have already worked with ginger in food and maybe even tea. But you can get really creative with this plant!
It’s important to note that, in order to see changes in the body, we have to work with a lot of this plant over a sustained amount of time. Now, if you’re nauseous, a drop of ginger tincture on the tongue or a ginger candy will give you almost instant relief. However, if we are working to heal gut issues like chronic indigestion, we have to be more serious about working with this plant.
Ginger Tea
When we’re working with ginger medicinally, tea is the best and most common menstruum for most symptoms. When making ginger tea, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, ginger is potent and will pack a punch no matter how much of the herb we work with. However, to see long-term, systemic change in the body, we have to work with a lot of it. When you make your medicinal ginger tea, I suggest drinking at least a quart per day, adding at least two or three heaping tablespoons of ginger.
Second, the amount of time you steep the tea matters. The longer you steep the tea, the strong it will be (and the more of those yummy medicinal constituents you get). I recommend steeping ginger tea for at least 30 minutes, but I like to steep mine overnight.
Try pairing some of ginger’s herbal friends (listed above) or try a ginger tea blend:
Ginger Tincture
Tincture is another common way to work with ginger. When you’re feeling so nauseous you can’t stomach the idea of any kind of food, a single drop of ginger tincture on the tongue is often enough to help you feel better. This is true even for those with nausea from harsh medications, including chemotherapy.
I also like to include ginger in a warming bitters blend. Ginger isn’t a bitter itself, but it pairs really well with angelica and fennel and are all herbs to help promote healthy digestion.
Ginger in Food
Working with ginger as a spice is my personal favorite way to work with this herb. Ginger is so tasty and versatile, it goes well with so many dishes. Not only can you put it in your meals (like curries, soups, and even oatmeal), but it also tastes great in smoothies, juices, and desserts.
If you’re looking to work with ginger medicinally, you’ll need to put a lot of ginger in your food every day–at least four thumbs worth. What I like to do is cook with ginger in my dinner and then put ginger in my tea that day, too. That way I’m getting more ginger into me without it having to feel like a chore!
Ginger Applied Topically
When applied topically, ginger can have anti-inflammatory effects. As mentioned above, ginger is a rubefacient. Therefore, when applied topically, it brings fresh blood to that area. This increased blood flow brings extra nutrients to the area and helps clear out waste.
It’s not very common to work with ginger topically and there aren’t many products you buy that include ginger. However, I recommend experimenting with it!
Ginger Candies and Lozenges
If you’re looking for something to help soothe nausea, candies and lozenges are your guy. Ginger candies are perfect to keep in the car, to take on boats or trains, or to keep around for when you’re feeling ill. Ginger’s anti-emetic (anti-nausea) effects are powerful and work quickly. The small amount of ginger in the candies packs a big punch. And they taste great!
If you’re looking to work with ginger for any of its other herbal actions (like its carminative or anti-spasmodic effects), candies and lozenges aren’t the best way to go. You’ll get some of those other benefits when you work with ginger in this way, but it’s unlikely you’ll feel very much of it. Stick with ginger candies only when you’re dealing with nausea!
More Herbal Monographs
Want to learn about more herbs? In my online Materia Medica, you will find all of the herbs I have written about. Here, you can click on any herb you want to learn about and you’ll get a thorough herbal monograph that’s always being updated, just like this one. Plus, you can download the free monograph for every herb! Learn more here.
Download the Free Ginger Monograph
The Best Herbalism Books
There are hundreds of herbalism books available on the market. A quick Google search can be really overwhelming! Especially when the top search results from Amazon and Goodreads seem to be unreliable.
In this article, I’ve gathered all of my favorite herbalism titles in one place to share with you. If you don’t know where to start, that’s ok! The books are organized by type and I’ve written descriptions to let you know which I suggest in which situations. Plus, all of the books here are trustworthy, so you can follow your curiosity and pick which books stand out to you!
Summary: Ginger Monograph
Ginger is a favorite for many people and herbalists all over the world, and it’s easy to see why. In this ginger monograph, we discussed the basic medicinal properties of this herb, including its energetics, actions, affinities, and more. We also went over how to work with ginger, including in tea, tincture, food, and so on.
What is your favorite way to work with ginger? Do you have favorite recipes? Share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
Sunshine and taproots!
Heron
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