Ginger Root.  I used to stare at it, puzzled, as a child in Secaucus, New Jersey, at the small specialty produce store. We didn’t go near it, as it sat beside the tofu that idled in wet baskets.   Given my very Italian family couldn’t wrap their heads around something so unique and new, it would be a decade before I would try fresh ginger root. Now, ginger is always- always- in my house- fresh and powdered and sometimes in bags of tea, I have found endless benefits of ginger that keep me coming back for more! Here are some of my favorite uses for ginger, and a few I recently discovered.  As a tea, alone, it’s a keeper for life! 

1. Use it as your go-to warming tea! Peeled and boiled fresh ginger root is anti-inflammatory and can aid in digestion. I use it to keep warmer when my feet and hands are getting cold, too!

2. Use it in a detox bath. Peeled ginger root, lots of it, boiled for a good long while (keep an eye on it!) and then poured into a hot tub creates a  killer ginger bath.  I always “always” bring water into the bathroom while I’m in a ginger bath as it makes me sweat like crazy, and afterward, I lay down because it is really a circulation booster in my life!  ( HERE  you will find more detox baths if you are in the market for a good soak!)

3. Cellulite reduction?! Crunchy Betty (love this blog!) suggests creating a sugar and ginger scrub to reduce the appearance of cellulite, as ginger root has cellulite reduction properties. This makes sense, considering the thermal action and detoxing properties of ginger.

Fresh Ginger-Lemon Body Scrub (you can read the whole ginger beauty post HERE) 

• 1/2 c. organic sugar
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 tsp freshly grated, peeled ginger
• Zest from one organic lemon

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well. In the shower or bath, scrub your body lightly with the mixture and rinse well. This should keep in the refrigerator (if necessary) for up to a week. But I highly recommend you use it immediately.

4. Quell your nausea.  When I am feeling queasy, if I can’t make tea, I chew on a coin of giner root. It’s far less elegant than a tea, but it is potent!

5. Add to juices, especially in the cold months, to make them more balanced.  Raw foods are “cold” to the body according to Traditional Chinese Medicine and adding some fresh ginger to your raw juice will help to warm it and create more balance if you are drinking juices year-round.

6. Scalp tonic to stimulate hair growth! Annie’s Remedy suggests the following hair and scalp treatment to rev up your hair follicles:  ” For a ginger oil treatment, grate fresh ginger root and mix it with sesame oil. Massage the ginger oil into your scalp and leave it on for about 10 minutes. Rinse and shampoo your hair. ”

7.  Relax!  Ginger root,  Lola Zabeth explains, “contains cineole, which has been found to relieve anxiety and stress.”   Her blood orange ginger root fizz (which I make with honey, not sugar!) is a delight of a chill out beverage:

Blood Orange Ginger Root Fizz

Ingredients

• 3 blood oranges

• 1 lemon

• 1 handful of thinly sliced ginger root

• 5 tablespoons of club soda

• 1/4 cup raw cane sugar

And I am sure you have may have a few of your own. Feel free to share!  I can’t get enough of wellness from the Earth! xoxo Dana

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