Ginger comes from the root of the Zingiber officinale plant. The numerous health benefits of ginger have been known for centuries. The Spaniards began growing ginger in the 16th century, and when their conquistadors traveled to the New World, they brought ginger with them.

It is a common ingredient in most Chinese dishes and many dishes from Japan, India, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and North Africa. The flavor of Ginger is both citrus and spicy, and is found in both desserts (such as gingerbread, ginger cookies, cakes and muffins) and main dishes.

What About Ginger Juice? Like Ginger, it has more or less the same benefits.

Ginger juice is packed packs with a lot of nutritional substance, and when you juice it together with other veggies and fruits, you increase the nutritional richness of your drinks.

2 ounces of ginger juice come with:

• more than 1000 milligrams of potassium (great for you heart),
• about 2 milligrams of Vitamin b3 – Niacin (great for the nervous system),
• about 80 milligrams of phosphorus (important for strong teeth and bones), and
• 12 milligrams of vitamin C (natural antioxidant and necessary for collagen production)

I like drinking my ginger juice straight, but for most people, it is probably too spicy and exotic. You can try to mix it with other vegetable and fruit juices, for instance with carrot juice, to improve its taste.

If you are going to drink it solo, it could take about 250 grams of ginger root for 2 ounces of freshly squeezed ginger juice.

Health Benefits of Ginger Juice

The volatile oils in ginger give it a distinctive flavor and odor. Gingerols provide most of the health benefits of ginger. These oils promote movement in the gastrointestinal tract and relieve pain. They are sedative, fever reducing, and antibacterial. Ginger has also been shown to increase saliva production, which eases swallowing and prevents cavities.

Ginger juice is a must if you want to improve your health. Keep in mind that juicing ginger root is not the only thing you can do with it. The other equally good thing is to use it when you cook your meals. That way you can be sure that the gingerols are turned into other beneficial compounds, like zingerone and shogaol, which further enrich the nutritional benefits of ginger.

Ginger has been used to treat arthritis, high cholesterol, colds, sinus infections, stomach flu, ulcers, varicose veins, constipation, fatigue, food poisoning, headaches, heartburn, motion sickness, nausea, and osteoporosis.

Lets examine some of the more important benefits

Ginger Helps Fight Inflammation

Ginger juice has one fantastic feature. It acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. If you suffer from inflammatory diseases, like for example osteoarthritis, ginger juice can help calm the inflammation and remove pain from your body.

Ginger Helps Digestion

Ginger juice is great for improving your digestion. It helps speed up the movement of food in the intestines. It reduces stomach pains, constipation, and other digestive problems.

Ginger Lowers Cholesterol

Because of its anti inflammatory properties, ginger juice can reduce cholesterol. The exact mechanism of its action is not very well understood. It is believed that ginger helps the body to activate enzymes necessary for using cholesterol by the cells and thereby lowering its concentration in the blood.

Ginger Juice Reduces Acne

Ginger juice prevents the occurrence of pimples and acne. It also helps reduce them if you already have them. In general, ginger is great for skin care and improving the quality of your skin.

Ginger Juice Helps Reduce Blood Glucose Levels

Scientists suggests that ginger can help maintain healthy glucose levels in the blood. It is very important to keep your glucose levels low because they affect your energy levels, weight, and general health.

Lemon Ginger Tea, is also quite delicious! Sipping ginger tea when you feel a bit queasy is an excellent remedy!

Safety Information:

Ginger is generally recognized as safe by the FDA [1], although ginger may interact with certain medications (notably Warfarin)[1] and should not be taken by people who are on blood thinners. [2] Do not use ginger medicinally if you have gall stones, as ginger increases bile production. [1, 3,4]. If you are breastfeeding, ginger has a plant safety rating of ‘B’ May not be appropriate for self-use by some individuals or dyads, or may cause adverse effects if misused. Seek reliable safety and dose information.[2]

Ginger Juice You Can Buy in a Store

I know that sometimes you don’t always have enough time or just you are not in a mood to prepare your own home made ginger juice.

In that case, you have to choose a commercial brand. In choosing the best ginger juice, there are several important things to consider.

First thing, you would have to make sure there is no sugar added to the juice. Today, sugar is added virtually in everything. The main reason is improving the taste, but this comes at the expense of diminishing the health benefits. I would never buy a juice brand with extra sugar in it.

Next, you should check the label and look for organic brands. The sad thing about commercial juices is that the majority of them are pasteurized, even if they are organic. I’m afraid that you can’t get past the pasteurization if you are buying juices in a store.

Pasteurization is applied to kill bacteria, but unfortunately, a lot of the nutrients are killed to. So, always prepare your own fresh juices, if you can.

Best Ginger Juice Money Can Buy (our humble opinion)

If you have to buy some ginger juice for whatever reason, the best brand we were able to find is: Ginger People Ginger Juice.

Use this one if you want to discover the greatness of ginger, and especially if you are looking for a organic form of Ginger Juice. Our recommended Ginger People brand is one of the best choices if you want a break from chopping and peeling your ginger for some time.

Already prepared for you, this ginger juice is great if you need to save some time. You can use it with tea, fruit and vegetable juices, salads, various dishes, soups, anything you like.

Nothing on the label says this particular brand is pasteurized, so it is hard to tell for sure. If it is not pasteurized, that’s a huge additional benefit.

What’s in it?

Just Organic Ginger and citric acid. It is all natural and gluten free. You can use it in preparing various meals instead of grating fresh ginger. You can add it to your smoothies, to your juices, teas, or salads.

As it is pure, strong, and unsweetened, you wouldn’t want to drink it straight. However, adding a couple of spoons to your beverages (like cold pressed juices) is very much recommended.

Many of the bottled juices taste differently when bottled. Ginger seems to hold on to its fresh flavor, especially when done right, like the Ginger People Juice.

Cheers!

References:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger

[2] Humphrey, Sheila. The Nursing Mother’s Herbal Minneapolis: Fairview Press,2003.

[3] The Doctor’s Book of Herbal Home Remedies Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 2000.

[4] The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies, Revised and Expanded. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 2003.