12 Health Benefits of Ginger (# 7 Seems Crazy, but It’s True!)

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4. Mother Nature’s Cure for Nausea and Vomiting

Ginger has a long history of use as a remedy for motion sickness, sea sickness, and other types of nausea or vomiting. Ginger has been shown in studies to be super effective in helping cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy deal with their nausea and vomiting. Ginger is also very effective when it comes to pregnancy related nausea. Also, ginger is completely safe, with no side effects, something that cannot be said for most drugs. In a review of 12 studies that included a total of 1,278 pregnant women, consuming 1.5 grams of ginger daily was found to greatly reduce nausea and vomiting.

Please note that although ginger is considered to be perfectly safe, if you are pregnant, please talk to your doctor before consuming this herb to be certain that it is right for you.

5. Lowers Cholesterol

Having high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol has been linked in numerous studies to an increased risk of heart disease. One study that involved 85 persons with high cholesterol over a 45 day period showed that the consumption of 3 grams of powdered ginger significantly lowered all markers of cholesterol levels. Studies done involving hypothyroid rats showed that ginger extract lowered LDL cholesterol just as well as the prescription drug atorvastatin.

6. Cold and Flu Prevention

Ginger root has been used for thousands of years as a means of treating and preventing colds and flu infection all over Asia. Even American scientists at the University of Maryland Medical Center states that you can shorten the duration of colds and flus by drinking a fresh ginger root tea two or three times each day. Many home remedies call for drinking a cup of fresh ginger tea every morning and evening during the flu season with the belief that it can prevent you from catching one of these annoying winter bugs, however, there are currently no studies showing if this folk prevention method is effective.

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