MK's RitchWorld

Ginger is a reedlike plant, Zingiber officinale,  native to the East Indies but now cultivated in most tropical countries, having a pungent, spicy rhizome used in cookery and medicine.

And this is how it looks :

I have been putting raw ginger grinds in to my magic bullet drink for the last 2 month, 5 days a week.  [Sidenote: I LOVE my magic bullet! Every morning, I make myself a healthy fresh fruit/frozen fruit with soy milk and ginger! mMM ]  Every since then, I have not been sick at all! I’m prone to get some kind of sickness during the winter month. Or at least a nasty cough of some sort, but NOTHING this year! I’m proud to say that I  have been healthy and energetic since Nov 2010!

Let me tell you a bit of my health history. Just so you understand why 4 month of no sickness is quite an accomplishment for me! In early 2010, when I was travelling in Asia for one month, I came down with some horrible stomach pain. I’m use to stomach pain as I grew up with tummy problems my whole life. But a bit of ‘bowel movement’ and pepto bismol usually did the trick for a quick recovery. Sorry, TMI? Anyways, this one was very different. I was in Singapore and it was a day after we had some funky curry dinner in some shady area of Singapore. The next day, we we were all sick except for Mark’s dad. But everyone recovered and went on with the day. However, my stomach ache never went away. That night, I couldn’t even sleep it off. I was in THAT much pain. I stayed up most of the night moaning and groaning in agony. Next day, the pain never subsided, and I stayed in bed crying. That went on for 3 days straight, taking every anti-acid, diarrhea, stomach pain pills I can take. By the 4th day,  I was able to get out of bed, and finally get some fresh air. I was unable to eat solids for couple days, but I was finally alive!

So, the rest of the trip was fine, but when I can home, I came down with the same stomach pain! I was bed bound 48 hours. I just thought, I probably ate something bad, and consequently in agony. However, it hit me again the next month for 48 hours AGAIN! So, the next time it happened, I promised myself to go see a doctor. So the next month when it happened, it went on for close to a week, and I went to see my family physician. He prescribed me some Esomeprazole pill to help ease the pain. And he diagnosed my symptoms with Gastroesphaegael reflux disease (GERD).  The pills didn’t help at all. But he couldn’t do nothing more. To him, I just had GERD…nothing more

So, this was probably end of summer, when I got ‘attacked’ again. To the point, where I couldn’t stand up straight. I wanted to roll up into a fetus position and die. It was that bad. I drove myself painfully to a walk in clinic, and the doctor told me to go to ER immediately. Now, that wasn’t a fun experience! Waited close to 3 hours in the waiting room, and waited close to 2 hours in a cold isolated room with a thin robe. When the doctor finally came in, he didn’t even look at me, but had one of his nurse make me take this numbing solution and anti-acid stuff, and took bunch of blood from me for multiple tests. And I was sent home. I was super upset, but had no energy to fight.

Sorry, this is getting long. Long story short, all the blood test came back negative. I was sent to do a allergy test, and came back positive for practically everything. I’m allergic to all gluts, corn, rice, orange, kiwi, strawberry, all pollen, tree, grass. Pretty much everything. I need to put myself in a bubble so I don’t get contaminated! But seriously, RICE? I’m asian! How am I allergic to RICE? Anyways, after further testing, my doctor told me to stay away from all of my ‘allergy’ food, and that may help prevent me from getting stomach aches… Thanks doc, Let me go see what I can eat or do without hurting myself!

Anyways, back to Ginger talk. I really believe an intake of ginger every day has really helped me calm my digestive /gastroesphaegael system. I’ve always heard that ginger is good for your body in general and should be taken as a supplement once a day.

I did a bit of research and here are some benefits of eating Ginger:

• Ginger has been found to be helpful in blocking the harmful effects of prostaglandin, a substance that can lead to inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain and even cause migraines.
• Ginger has been associated with alleviation of the feeling of nausea, even in case of pregnant women.
• The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger make it effective in alleviation of the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
• Ginger helps to promote warmth in the upper respiratory tract and thus, is quite effective in treating cold and flu.
• Those suffering from cramps, caused by stomach gas, have found ginger to be quite effective.
• Ginger makes the platelets less sticky and is thus, pretty helpful in case of circulatory disorders.
• The cineole content in ginger has been found to be a mood enhancer and can help in relieving stress.
• Even ginger tea is said to be a great stress buster and has been found to have refreshing properties.
• Ginger is a natural and effective mouth freshener and also aids digestion.
• Ginger reduces inflammation and also helps lower cholesterol.
• Ginger is good for those suffering from gas and bloating.
• Ginger is believed to have anti-cancer properties.
• Ginger has been associated with easing of menstrual cramps and mitigation of headache.
• Ginger is quite effective in treating diarrhea.

Hey, it’s like killing 2 birds with one stone. Heck, screw just 2! More like a flock of birds! LOL!  In this case, killing millions of disease with ginger!

Ginger tastes bitter, but cooked and served properly, it brings freshness and a bit of ZING to the dish.

If you are feeling sick, or your throat is bugging you, I strongly believe in drinking Ginger Honey Lemon Tea. Grate or slice a good tablespoon of ginger, spoonful of Honey, freshly squeezed lemon in a good steeped tea. ( you can drink it without tea as well). OH my, DELICIOUS! Next time your feeling like you’re coming down with something, give it a try, and see how you feel after!! You’ll be surprised by the power of GINGER!

GINGER POWER