Tea Party: Ginger Tea

            Ginger has been, from its first cultivation to the present, the most widely cultivated herb. It was first noted in Greek chronicles as early as 200 BC. The Chinese record that they began its cultivation in 400 BC. Even Confucius wrote of gingers healing powers as a digestive aid and stated that he’d never take a meal without it. Ancient literature of the Middle East, Asia, and Europe extol its medicinal and economic virtues.

        During the Revolutionary War, ginger was included in the soldiery’s diet for its healing and energizing properties. Vitamin C was at one time derived from ginger to supply to seafarers a preventive measure against scurvy.

         Virtually every culture in the world has acknowledged ginger as a most excellent digestive aid, and almost as many praise it as a powerful aphrodisiac. Those gnarled bulbous rhizome’s have a history of influence that spans this millennia—and those roots look old enough to have been growing at the beginning of it!

How To:

            

Tea bag: Use one tea bag per 6oz of boiling water. Let this steep for about three minutes, and remove, squeezing the tea bag to extract every bit of zest.

Fresh ginger: Wash your ginger root and dry. Cut off any dry or bad places on the root, then chop into ¼ inch slices. Boil your water in a pot, and add your ginger. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes, then strain.

           

Flavor:

            

Ginger is tangy and spicy! Its bite is energizing, and its heat, soothing. If you find it a bit too intense, sweeten with honey and add a dash of lemon. It’s traditionally sipped hot, but also makes a delicious energizing iced tea for those few warmer months we enjoy in Wisconsin.

What For:

            Ginger has been used for centuries as a digestive aid in soothing nausea, gas, indigestion, heartburn, influenza, morning sickness, and even hangovers.  The Japanese praise its uses for joint and spinal pain. It’s used in America to sooth menstrual pain. It’s universal in its use for relief from motion sickness.

            Because of its use as a systemic tonic, hormone balancer, energy enhancer, and ability to improve circulation, it has a rather obvious value as an aphrodisiac. Consider this a delicious alternative to shake up the red wine and chocolate so associated with the boudoir.

            Other benefits include:

·      The active nutrient in ginger, gingerol, has been put through many clinicals, and emerges triumphant against cancerous cells and tumors, particularly those related to the ovaries and colon.

·      Relieves nausea induced by chemotherapy

·      Relieves vomiting

·      Induces sweating during a fever to help the system purify itself by expelling toxins.

·      Ginger and honey provide excellent relief for sore throats.

·      Helps relieve fatigue.

·      Useful for coughs, bronchitis, and upper respiratory tract infections

·      Helps prevent onset of migraines

·      Mild pain relief for post-surgical pain, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

Minerals:

Iron, calcium, magnesium, silicon, manganese, phosphorous, and chromium.

Vitamins:

            Vitamin A, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin 9 (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), PABA (para-amino benzoic acid), Vitamin C, Vitamin H (Biotin)