Ginger Tea With Powdered Ginger For Colds

It is no surprise that it is difficult to avoid getting the common cold, considering that more than 200 viruses are responsible for it. An infection of the upper respiratory tract, a cold can cause symptoms such as sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, coughing and sore throat. Drinking ginger tea with powdered ginger may ease colds, but in rare cases, it may also cause side effects.

Benefits of Ginger for Colds

Ginger helps increase perspiration and circulation, thereby possibly enhancing detoxification, or the removal of toxins from your body.Ginger also contains active compounds called sesquiterpenes, which can fight the rhinoviruses that cause cold. It can effectively soothe some of the symptoms of colds such as sore throat and coughs. Also, if you are taking an over-the-counter medication to relieve cold symptoms, it's possible that ginger can make it more effective as ginger increases absorption of medications.

Amount of Ginger

To treat cold symptoms, you can use about ¼ tsp of fresh powdered ginger to make a cup of tea two to three times daily, based on recommended doses from the University of Maryland Medical Center and Aggie Horticulture, a website of Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Although you can use powdered ginger to make, it's preferable to use fresh, raw ginger root, which contains more active healing compounds. But whether you use powdered ginger, raw ginger or ginger extract, the resulting tea will have a strong taste. Add a bit of lemon, cinnamon or honey to temper the flavor.

Precautions

Ginger is generally considered safe to take. Side effects are rare and mild and can include belching, heartburn, diarrhea, stomach upset and oral irritation. But it's worth noting that these side effects are more common with powdered ginger than other forms of the herb. Speak to your doctor before taking ginger tea to treat a cold if you are taking medications, including blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin. If you develop an itchy mouth when drinking ginger tea, you may be better off taking ginger in capsule form to treat your cold.

Considerations

Ginger tea isn't the only natural remedy you can use to fight a cold. Try to get more sleep to help boost your immune system. Also, increase your fluid intake and turn on a humidifier to keep nasal passages moist and therefore less welcoming to invading viruses. Taking vitamin C or zinc supplements at the first sign of cold symptoms can reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms.