Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The health benefits of Hawaiian Ginger

Recently, we were reminded of the many benefits of ginger, a spice that some consider a health phenomena. Friends invited us over for lunch and served us their home-made pickled ginger and the taste brought back good memories. Our friends told us they eat it with every meal because it makes their stomach feel better.  Ginger is well known to aid in digestion.  So, we went looking for fresh Hawaiian ginger to duplicate their delicious recipe.

Ginger is an underground stem, a rhizome, in the same family as turmeric ('olena in Hawaiian) and cardamom.  The plant has been used for centuries worldwide for its many health benefits. Though it contains nutrients like potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, and vitamin C, ginger is gaining acclaim for its more exotic contents like zingibain, proteolytic enzymes, and its pungent phenol compounds (gingerols and shogaols).  Zingibain is a protein-digesting enzyme like papain in papaya and bromelain in pineapple. But, a single gram of zingibain can tenderize 20 pounds of meat which is why it helps digestion. Ginger’s enzymes are also  considered an effective anti-inflammatory and some people report good results using it to alleviate their arthritis symptoms and pain.

Besides aiding digestion, ginger is an antioxidant more powerful than Vitamin E.  And like aspirin, it inhibits the same blood thickening enzyme, without the side effects. In 1980, a group of Cornell Medical school researchers published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine that ginger inhibited the process of platelet aggregation.   Ginger strengthens the heart muscle, lowers the serum cholesterol, and interferes with cholesterol biosynthesis. Ginger is also an analgesic (painkiller like aspirin), antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, kills parasites, and counters nausea and seasickness.

We found fresh Hawaiian ginger in Kona’s COSTCO and bought a couple of pounds to make pickled ginger.  Here is the recipe as told to us by our friend Bob:
Peel the ginger
Cut the peeled ginger into thin slices
Put the slices in a pan and cover them with rice vinegar
Add a cup of sugar (we used organic Maui cane sugar)
Heat until the liquid boils
Simmer until the liquid is clear
Quick-cool the ginger and liquid by setting the pan in ice water
Pour the ginger and liquid into a container and refrigerate



We started eating the ginger right away, but it gets better with age.  After sampling our results, Bob told us we didn’t cook it long enough as the liquid was not completely clear.  We could just heat it a bit more, but we are enjoying eating it the way it is.  We like the gingery flavored liquid quite a bit and made “ginger beer” by adding some of it to Perrier water.



Living in Hawaii, it seems like every week we find a new incredible healing food to add to our diet .

12 comments:

Bob said...

Hey, really great blog post… I've enjoyed reading through it because of the great style and energy put into the writing. I actually run my own health blog where I muse about diet and lowering cholesterol. If you're interested, I would love to have you on as a guest blogger. Please send me an e-mail: bob.mauer65(at)gmail(dot)com, and I can give you more information.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

Unknown said...

Hello I am thrilled to have found your website on Hilo, and this blog.

We live in Palo Alto (over 20 years here!) but may be moving to Hilo in July, as my husband may be taking a position at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Your website is treasure trove of information for me! It's great! It does not seem that you moved with children. We would be moving with our teenage son, which complicates matters a bit, but he is willing to move, which is a good start.

My husband has visited the island repeatedly and I have been there twice, so I know the basic difference between Kona and Hilo. That's a start I guess!

Funny that you should mention turmeric in your latest post. I take a turmeric gelcap daily against inflammation.

I look forward to reading more of the abundant material you have posted.

Take care.

VĂ©ronique

Eve Laments said...

Thanks for the great information! I toured a sustainable living community on my recent visit to Hilo and wrote about it on my blog today. It was very inspiring.

Unknown said...

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An inspiring article! Ginger is really essential in many illnesses. I do use ginger when I got flu.

zaliah said...

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Ginger is one of the helpful herbal medicines today. It could heal a lot of illnesses. It is much safer to use herbal medicines than drugs to avoid various side effects.

Orlando Rubio said...

Ginger is very popular in my country and it is part of all dishes that we cook. The the health benefits of ginger is very important in our body system.

Alton said...

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice.The medical form of ginger historically was called Jamaica ginger; it was classified as a stimulant and carminative and used frequently for dyspepsia, gastroparesis, slow motility symptoms, constipatio, and colic.

Nick Jones said...

Great blog post. Ginger is a wonderful root (ok, Rhyzone) for health benefits - the University of Michigan have shown it to be useful for anti-nausea, which my pregnant wife attests to with regards morning sickness!

Wawan said...

Ginger is a lot of benefits. I really like the Ginger

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this with us.

Priya A said...

Hi! It’s been nice post about ginger beer
I appreciate your hard work
Keep continue helping others
I am gonna be your regular reader
Cheers!
If anyone feel more interest on ginger beer benefits, can read more right from here

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