Ginger is not just simple food

Ginger has enjoyed a soaring, global popularity in recent years. No, I’m not talking about redheads — or the name Ginger. These may also be more popular than ever, but here I’m talking about the culinary spice. More and more people are becoming aware of the significant culinary and medical benefits of ginger.  In fact, projections for this fragrant spice see its market climbing to $4.18 billion by 2022. But that number might see a significant increase with growing interest in ginger’s potential to support immune health (which is more important than ever right now).

Ancient texts in languages like Sanskrit, Chinese, Greek, Roman, and Arabic mention health-related ginger uses. And ginger has traditionally played a starring role in both Indian Ayurveda and traditional Chinese Medicine. Today, many researchers have studied ginger’s benefits for maladies as different as morning sickness, radiation-mediated inflammation, and migraine headaches.

So what makes ginger so special? How do you use it? And what does the research say about ginger benefits and side effects?

What is Ginger?

Ginger comes from a flowering plant known as Zingiber officinale. But ginger, as we know it and see it in grocery stores and markets, actually refers to the rhizomes or roots of the plant, which is why it’s sometimes called ginger root.

There are over 1,300 species of plants in the Zingiberaceae (ginger plant) family. The spices turmeric, cardamom, and galangal are also in this family. But most varieties of ginger are ornamental, rather than edible.

The most common edible ginger roots are yellowish in color. However, there is also blue ginger, red ginger, and white ginger. And you can sometimes find different species of baby ginger, which are actually the young roots of a ginger plant and are often pink and cream-colored.

Where Does Ginger Come From?

Ginger plants prefer hot weather in tropical or subtropical climates. Most ginger originates in Southeast Asia, where it first grew wild in rainforests. Even though it’s now rare to find uncultivated ginger in Southeast Asia, most of the ginger consumed worldwide still comes from that region. China, India, Nepal, and Thailand are the largest producers of ginger.

Even the US imports nearly all of its ginger from Asia, although ginger does grow in abundance in Hawaii.

Ginger Nutrition Facts

If you’ve ever tasted a piece of fresh ginger, you know that it packs an intense flavor punch. The more mature the ginger root, the stronger the flavor. Because it’s so strong, you don’t need a lot of it to flavor a dish. But when it comes to ginger’s health-boosting properties, a little bit goes a long way.

Ginger is high in vitamins C and B6, along with magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese. It’s full of both fiber and water, making it good for gut health and weight maintenance. It’s also low in calories and high in phytochemicals — the active compounds in whole plant foods that protect your health.

Most of ginger’s health benefits appear to come from its abundance of polyphenols, which protect the body against oxidative stress. Ginger contains three main polyphenols: gingerols, shogals, and paradols, in addition to being high in antioxidants.