Use Ginger to Boost Your Immune System

If you ever do research, you will easily see that there are a lot of amazing, naturally occurring substances that are absolutely amazing in regards to how they boost your immune system – and overall health, for that matter. Ginger is another one of these kinds of substances that you definitely need to pay attention to.

Ginger, considered an herb and a spice and known for its pungent flavor, is often referred to as “ginger root”, since it is part of the ginger plant that lies below the ground. In fact, ginger is a rhizome (an underground stem that grows horizontally and puts out shoots above and roots below).

The knuckled, tan-colored ginger rhizome is purported to have tons of health benefits related to its consumption, including preventing nausea, cancers, and inflammation, reducing menstrual cramps, reducing cholesterol, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. In this post, I want to focus on how ginger can boost the immune system.

How does Ginger boost the immune system?

Ginger contains a variety of compounds, including gingerol, shogaol, and others, that have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. It is these anti-inflammatory effects that make ginger good for immunity.

For example, some studies have found that gingerols inhibit the production of cytokines, which are messengers in the immune system which promote inflammation. This is important, because when cytokines are out of control – known as a “cytokine storm” – the body can be overwhelmed with inflammation such that organs such as the heart and lungs are significantly damaged (this is what causes many of the negative effects from Coronavirus and other viral illnesses).

Ginger has also been shown to have direct anti-microbial (anti-viral, antibacterial, anti-fungal) properties. Specifically, one study suggested that ginger showed anti-viral effects against human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV).

NOTE: I am not claiming that ginger is a cure or treatment for Coronavirus or for anything else. It’s important, however, to recognize how ginger is generally beneficial to the immune system and other systems in the body.

Make sure you do your own research. My sources for this article are here, here, here and here.

How should I use ginger?

As I said earlier, ginger is widely used as an herb and a spice. It’s very popular in Caribbean, Asian and Indian foods. Here in the United States, we might be more familiar with ginger in breads and cookies (I still remember when my kindergarten class “chased” the gingerbread man around the school), and, supposedly, in ginger ale (even though what most of us drink for ginger ale doesn’t even usually have ginger in it! Shame, shame).

Here’s how we use it at home:

As a spice – we like to use powdered ginger in stir fries and homemade fried rice, and we’re careful to add just enough to taste because ginger is indeed strongly flavored. My wife uses powdered ginger, along with garlic powder (and other stuff I can’t remember) to make a mean roasted chicken. The broth drippings left over are something serious over some brown rice. Excuse me…I got carried away for a bit.

Tea – this is one of the main ways that we use ginger these days. One day, I’ll probably create a separate post about how we make it, but basically, we buy the root, peel it, slice it, and boil it for about 15 minutes. Add a teaspoon of honey per serving, plus a little lemon juice if desired, and you have yourself a spicy, warm and delicious beverage that you know is promoting health within.

Ginger ale – like I said before, the ginger ale that most of us buy from the store when we get sick with a stomach bug is not real. It often is merely ginger-colored and has no trace of ginger in it. However, if you look in the ‘natural’ and/or ‘organic’ section of your local grocery store, you will probably be able to find real ginger ale that has real ginger that will help you deal with nausea. I won’t promote any specific brands right now, but I know the brand that I occasionally buy is a Caribbean one.

Tonic – Dr. Ben Kim has this recipe for an immunity tonic that I like to make sometimes during the winter months that contains ginger, garlic, onion, apple cider vinegar, and various other things. We take it as a prophylactic for our immune systems. You can check it out here.

So there we have it. Ginger is yet another example of a substance that occurs naturally and that contains a ton of benefits for the immune system, as well as for various other systems and functions of the body. Use it in food, tea, and other forms to benefit your health. As with everything, it’s wise to let you doctor know what you’re doing, but don’t wait for permission to improve your health and the the health of others that you love.

Related Resources

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