Ginger root has been used in herbal medicine for centuries to reduce inflammation and pain. According to The World's Healthiest Foods, powerful antioxidants called gingerols are responsible for ginger's anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
You can use hot ginger compresses to alleviate a wide variety of pains, including muscular aches, abdominal cramps, discomfort from bladder inflammation, neuralgia, toothache and menstrual cramps. You can also use fresh ginger root in a tea for pain relief. Before using ginger for pain, consult your doctor.
Make a Hot Ginger Compress
Step 1
Purchase fresh ginger root from a reputable grocery or health foods store.
Step 2
Put 2 oz. of fresh powdered ginger root and 2 cups water in a saucepan and allow to simmer until the water turns yellow to begin making the hot ginger compress suggested by Loretta J. Standley, D.C., a naturopath and chiropractic practitioner in St. Louis, Missouri.
Step 3
Turn off heat, and let the mixture steep for 15 minutes. Dip a sterile cotton pad in the ginger infusion, wring out excess liquid and apply the compress to the affected area.
Step 4
Soak the pad again with the hot ginger infusion when the compress cools and re-apply. Standley recommends having another hot ginger compress ready for when the first one cools
Brew a Ginger Tea
Step 1
Bring 8 oz. of water to a boil in a small saucepan and add 1/2 tsp. of grated ginger root to begin making a ginger infusion that offers another way to benefit from ginger's pain-relieving effects. The World's Healthiest Foods notes that arthritis sufferers experience reductions in pain levels from consuming ginger. In a clinical study conducted by I. Wigler and colleagues and published in the November 2003 issue of "Osteoarthritis Cartilage," researchers found that an extract of ginger performed better than a placebo at relieving the pain and stiffness of gonarthritis.
Step 2
Turn off heat and allow the mixture to steep for 15 minutes; this allows the water to fully extract the beneficial juices.
Step 3
Strain the mixture after it has cooled. If desired, flavor with honey to taste. The University of Maryland Medical Center advises taking ginger tea two to three times a day for pain.
Things You'll Need
- 2 oz. fresh powdered ginger root
- 2 c. water
- Sterile cotton pad
- 1/2 tsp. grated fresh organic ginger root
- 1 c. water
- Honey (optional)
Member Comments