Swiss Water

Avoiding chemicals in your diet can be a difficult mandate to follow when it comes to treating an ailing body. Still, there are all kinds of natural herbs that can be reasonably effective at dealing with pain and discomfort, even disease. Ginger is just one of those herbs.

While ginger is offered in pill or powder form so you can take it in a more medicinal way than a dietary method, we like to incorporate it into our favorite comfort foods when we’re feeling a little under the weather.

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners have been known to prescribe ginger tea mixed with brown sugar as a natural painkiller, especially as a way to treat menstrual cramps. However, being the big coffee fans we are, we found a great recipe for making ginger coffee. And since our coffee is decaf made with the 100% chemical free Swiss Water® Process we can enjoy the healing benefits of ginger and the comforting factors of coffee together, without caffeine or chemicals. Just follow the recipe we found on About.com and substitute the sugar for brown sugar, and the coffee grinds for decaf that bears the Swiss Water® Process logo, and you’ll be on the mend in no time.

Several studies have revealed that ginger equals vitamin B6 in its ability to treat the unpleasant illness and nausea associated with Morning Sickness. Since everyone loves the healing powers of a good soup, we can’t think of a better way to soothe an upset stomach other than eating a soup that contains ginger. There are all kinds of broths that call for ginger, but we liked the simplicity of the healing soup we found at Kalyn’s Kitchen. Make it for yourself one day, or better yet make it for a friend that could use a pick me up.

If it’s something cool you’re craving, how about a popsicle? A popsicle you can make yourself with blackberries, yogurt, and of course, ginger. We found this recipe on the Coconut & Lime blog. Just think how handy some of these would come in if you find yourself in the company of an ill child, or uncomfortable mother to be.

These are just a few examples of how you can enjoy the powerful healing characteristics of this amazing root as an alternative or addition to taking synthetic based analgesics. Ginger has been known to be a diaphoretic (meaning it warms the body from the inside) as well as a gastrointestinal tonic that helps relieve nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Ginger is also rich in zinc, one of the most important minerals for bolstering immune function.

Do you have a favorite way of getting ginger into your diet? Know of another illness or ailment in which ginger can be used rather than regular painkillers or treatment plans? Let us know by commenting on this article. Do you follow us on Twitter? If so, send us a tweet and share your knowledge!