Ginger has been used in cooking and medicine among various cultures for millennia. It's available in its natural form, as well as dried, powdered or crystallized. Ginger's many medicinal benefits range from treating nausea to preventing inflammation, and crystallized ginger can also be used to create nutritious recipes and snacks.
Identification
Ginger is a plant native to southeastern Asia, with an edible underground rhizome that is yellow, white or red and covered with a brown skin. The active components of the ginger root are volatile oils and pungent phenol compounds that help give ginger its spicy flavor and health benefits. Crystallized ginger is also known as candied ginger, and is made by cooking the root in a sugar syrup until tender and then coating it with granulated sugar. It is commonly used in desserts, and can found in health food stores or easily made at home.
Nutrition
Ginger is a good source of the minerals potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, and vitamin B6, with no sugar and only 19 calories in one ounce. According to the diabetic nutrition site DLife, nine pieces, or approximately one cup, of crystallized ginger contains 100 calories, 26g of carbohydrates and 11g of sugar. It also has 500 IU, or international units, of vitamin A, 40mg of calcium and 10mg of sodium. Although nutrition will vary according to each recipe, registered dietitian and journalist Leslie Beck reports that one common recipe for crystallized ginger provides 0.25g of fat, 0.6g of protein, 0.7g of fiber, 141mg of potassium, and trace amounts of sodium, vitamins B6 and C, magnesium, calcium and iron, per one-quarter cup.
Benefits
Ginger has been used to treat gastrointestinal problems, especially nausea and diarrhea, and also to prevent and treat inflammatory conditions like pain, arthritis and upper respiratory tract infections such as cough and bronchitis. One of the chemicals in ginger is used by manufacturers as an ingredient in laxative, anti-gas and antacid medications.
Expert Insight
A review of studies on ginger's effects upon nausea was published in the March 2000 issue of the "British Journal of Anesthesia," and verified its effectiveness in treating seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy-induced nausea. A 2003 study at Tel Aviv University found that patients with knee arthritis had significantly less swelling, pain on movement and handicap than those given placebo after six months. Two separate studies, presented at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in 2003 and the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer in 2006, reported that ginger may also inhibit the growth of human colo-rectal cancer cells and ovarian cancer cells.
Considerations
To keep crystallized ginger fresh, it should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. It may last up to two years, although if it clumps or the sugar on the outside of the pieces begins to deteriorate, you should throw the ginger away.
Warnings
Ginger has few side effects, although some people do experience belching, heartburn or stomach upset after eating it. Ginger also has blood-thinning properties, so check with your doctor about consuming ginger if you're on a blood thinner such as Plavix or Coumadin, according to the University of Maryland Health Center. The National Institutes of Health add that the use of ginger during pregnancy is controversial, with concerns that ginger could affect fetal sex hormones or cause miscarriage. However, other studies have shown that ginger is safe during pregnancy and may even help with pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting.
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