Ginger tea has a warm and spicy flavor. It is a useful home remedy for sore throats, nausea, cold and flu symptoms and indigestion. Supermarkets and restaurants offer brewed or bottled ginger tea, or you can make it yourself. Unsweetened ginger tea contains no calories or caffeine.
Preparing Ginger Tea
You can make ginger tea from the fresh or dried rhizome, or underground stem, of the ginger plant, Zingiber officinale. To make the tea yourself, slice a piece of fresh ginger root crosswise, chop the pieces and bring them to a boil in 2 cups of water. Reduce the heat and simmer the ginger for half an hour. Remove the tea from heat and strain it before serving. You may wish to add fresh lemon and honey to enhance the flavor of the tea.
Nutritional Overview
A cup of ginger tea contains no calories, fat, carbohydrates or protein. There is no appreciable amount of any vitamin or mineral in a single cup of tea, although the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory reports a 100 g serving of ginger contains 5 mg of vitamin C, small amounts of several B vitamins, 415 mg of potassium and 16 mg of calcium, as well as some magnesium, phosphorus and several trace elements. Sweetening ginger tea with 1 tbsp. of honey adds 64 calories and 17 g of carbohydrates, mainly as sugars.
Health Effects
Ginger is a valued seasoning, but it offers more than a distinctive flavor. Ginger has been a part of traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. Ginger is believed to relieve cold and flu symptoms and lessen menstrual discomfort. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, modern medicine applies ginger to treat nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy, motion sickness and chemotherapy. Ginger reduces inflammation from arthritis and colitis. Drinking ginger tea is an effective way to gain these effects.
Safety Considerations
Ginger tea is not for everyone. The University of Maryland Medical Center advises that ginger not be used by children younger than 2 years old and used according to body weight for older children. Too much ginger may cause irritation, heartburn and diarrhea. Ginger may interact with or alter the effectiveness of medications, particularly blood-thinning drugs. Seek the advice of a health care professional before drinking ginger tea if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine that may affect blood clotting.
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