I've always loved the flavour of ginger [1]. Spicy and pungent, it is delicious in tea form and almost completely cuts the bitterness of vegetables in fresh juices and smoothies (adding ginger is basically the only way I can stomach beets in my juices [2]). And while I've always known it's frequently used to aid digestion, I will humbly admit I had no idea the spice boasts such a sprawling list of medicinal benefits [3]. The experts say ginger root [4] is a stellar anti-inflammatory, improves heart health, eases nausea and motion sickness, helps expel free radicals from the body, and is even linked with lowering cholesterol.
If this spicy root has this much power, I just had to test it out. I decided to consume fresh ginger every day for seven days. While there are many ways to consume it [5], I opted to head straight to my juicer each morning for a ginger and lemon shot and continued my ritual with a cup of homemade ginger tea [6] at night. Whipping up the tea is easy; you simply pour a cup of boiling water over a hunk of raw ginger and let it sit for a few minutes.
I almost immediately noticed its digestive powers.
I'll be totally candid here: when it comes to bathroom habits, I've never been regular. Switching to a healthier diet [8] certainly helped (healthier meaning I will never give up cheese), but even my favourite cruciferous vegetables [9] can be triggers for cases of all-day bloating. The effect of fresh ginger was quick — by the third day, I was going to the bathroom at the same time every morning like clockwork. I also noticed a significant reduction in after-dinner bloating when finishing my meal (broccoli and all!) with a cup of ginger tea.
It eased my muscle pain post-workout.
I'm a huge advocate of the benefits of weight training for women [10], and I tend to push myself pretty hard in the gym. By midweek, I noticed that my onset soreness [11], while still present, felt noticeably milder than usual. I'm a firm believer in utilising all-natural remedies in lieu of medication whenever possible. I use peppermint oil [12] for headaches and drink raw honey when I have a sore throat. But for my workouts, I typically take two anti-inflammatory pills each morning to help ease the pain, and I can totally get behind the idea of drinking ginger instead.
I craved my evening tea.
Even for someone who loves the flavour, my morning shot was a tad too pungent for my taste. My juicer recommended adding other spices like turmeric [14], and in the future, I would, but I wanted to give this an accurate evaluation. But my homemade tea? Now that was a little treat I looked forward to each evening. In fact, as an added benefit, it even helped cut any late-night snack cravings.
Will I keep going?
While I'm not sure I will continue taking it in pure shot form, I definitely plan on ending my days with the tea. I couldn't believe how simple (and, frankly, how cheap) it was to make each evening, considering the holistic benefits I felt almost immediately. As I mentioned, drinking it right before bed reduced my urge to reach for a midnight snack, and if the small but mighty root continues to help my digestion and reduce post-workout pain, count me in. It might be summertime, but I can't wait to enjoy the scratch-made ginger tea [15] in the colder months (with a little honey . . . maybe even bourbon, too).