People have used ginger for thousands of years to treat ailments and add an earthy flavor with a spicy kick to their food. Ginger is native to Asia and belongs to the Zingiberaceae family of plants, and people typically use its edible root or stem.
It is also an ancient herbal remedy that people have used for a host of ailments, including arthritis, diabetes, cough, colds, and nausea (1Trusted Source).
Ginger is consumed in multiple ways in folk medicine, including in the form of ginger tea. You can make ginger tea by boiling the peeled root in water or milk.
This article reviews the health benefits and potential downsides of drinking ginger tea. It also provides an easy recipe you can follow to make it yourself.Ginger is one of the most common ingredients worldwide, used as a spice and medicinal plant (2Trusted Source).
In folk medicine, people often use it to treat coughs and the flu, among other ailments (3Trusted Source).
It has traditionally been used in numerous forms, including:
fresh
pickled
powdered
dried
candied
preserved
crystalized
Similarly, it is available in multiple forms, such as (1Trusted Source):
capsules
tinctures
extracts
tablets
tea
As mentioned above, ginger tea is made by boiling the peeled root in water or milk.
The oils and compounds responsible for ginger’s characteristic aroma and spicy flavor make up about 1–4% of the ginger root (1Trusted Source).
Two of these compounds — gingerols and shogaols — are considered ginger’s main bioactive components. This means they are the ones behind most of the health benefits of ginger and ginger tea (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Here are just some of the known and potential benefits of ginger tea.Health benefits of drinking ginger tea
Here are 7 potential health benefits of drinking ginger tea.
1. May provide relief from motion sickness
Folk medicine suggests that ginger tea can help calm motion sickness symptoms, like dizziness, vomiting, and cold sweats.
One 1988 study in 80 naval cadets unaccustomed to sailing in heavy seas determined that those who received 1 gram of powdered ginger reported reduced vomiting and cold sweating (5Trusted Source).
Although researchers don’t understand exactly how ginger works, some have suggested that certain compounds in ginger block a brain receptor that has a key role in the vomiting center of the brain (6Trusted Source).
However, current research is limited or inconclusive (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).
Yet, if you experience nausea from time to time, ginger tea may be a good treatment to try.
2. May alleviate nausea from morning sickness or chemotherapy
Some experts believe gingerols in ginger can help relieve nausea caused by pregnancy, chemotherapy, or surgery.
Researchers suggest that ginger might be an effective and inexpensive alternative to traditional anti-nausea drugs in people who are pregnant or undergoing chemotherapy and can’t have conventional medicines (1Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
One study in 92 women found that ginger was more effective than a standard drug at preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting caused by general anesthesia (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
Nevertheless, be sure to check with a healthcare professional before using ginger after surgery. It may interfere with blood clotting — although research on this is still emerging and more is needed to investigate it further (12Trusted Source).
3. May help manage blood pressure and support heart health
Research suggests that consuming ginger in daily doses of 2–6 grams may help protect against heart disease (13Trusted Source).
Ginger may do this by (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source):
lowering blood pressure
helping prevent heart attacks
helping prevent blood clots
relieving heartburn
lowering cholesterol
improving blood circulation
4. May help manage weight and blood sugar levels
A lot of research shows that consuming ginger has beneficial effects on weight and blood sugar management.
Research suggests that ginger may help manage body weight by (2Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source):
increasing thermogenesis — the production of heat by your body — which helps burn fat
increasing the breakdown of fats for energy
inhibiting fat storage
inhibiting fat absorption
helping control appetite
In addition, ginger may help improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing fasting insulin levels, hemoglobin A1C, and triglycerides. Hemoglobin A1C is an indication of your blood sugar levels over the past 2–3 months (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).
You must be logged in to post a comment.