Ginger has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years as a remedy for digestive disorders, nausea, fever, coughing, diarrhea, rheumatism and lumbago.
Hong Kong boat dwellers chew it for motion sickness.
Much of the research done on the plant’s antinausea properties concentrated on treatment of motion sickness because those experiments were easiest to control.
Unlike Dramamine, which contains the drug dimenhydrinate, ginger does not have the side effect of drowsiness because it works on the stomach, not the brain.
Ginger root proved to be an effective motion sickness antidote for travel by car, boat, train or plane.
Ginger has been clinically proven to decrease the nausea, vomiting and diarrhea associated with the common three-day and 24-hour flu viruses. Taken early enough, ginger can help thwart the flu entirely, according to Mowrey.
Ginger tea with honey and lemon is the folk medicine prescription for indigestion, cramps, nausea, colds and flu. The tea is made by grating one ounce of fresh or dried ginger root into a pint of water and simmering for 10 minutes.
To make a fomentation for treating external aches, pains and inflammations, simmer five ounces of grated ginger in two quarts of water for 10 minutes. Apply the fomentation to the affected area with a cloth and re-apply to keep it warm. Reddening skin indicates increased circulation.
A massage oil for muscle pain or dandruff can be made by combining the juice of fresh grated ginger with equal parts of sesame or olive oil. To treat an earache, put a few drops of the oil on a piece of cotton and insert into the ear.
Research has shown ginger root has the same effects whether fresh or dried. The plant can be taken confidently in large quantities because the amount that must be taken for a lethal dose is so incredibly high that the herb has been accepted as completely safe by the FDA. Ginger also enjoys a longer shelf life than most aromatic herbs because of its protective outer bark.
from:
Natural standard substance
