Ginger oil is extracted from the ginger root, which is a pungent, underground rhizome. Ginger is a perennial herb and it reaches about 3-4 feet height. It has spear-shaped leaves, white/ yellow flowers, and small rhizomes with brown skin. The flesh can be red, white, or yellow.
Ginger has been long used for both culinary and medicinal purpose, especially in ancient Indian, Chinese, and Greek civilizations. A 4th century BC Indian Sanskrit epic called Mahabharata gives an account of a meat dish which uses ginger as an ingredient.
Ginger was exported to the Roman Empire and it became eventually one of the most traded spices, along with black pepper. Interestingly, a pound of ginger was traded for a sheep.
Ginger is quite versatile and it can be eaten fresh, dried, grated into a vegetable juice, or steeped as a tea. There are many tinctures and supplements available as well as ginger oil, potent oil with numerous uses.
Ginger oil has pungent aroma, thin consistency, and yellow color. Fresh ginger root is the most aromatic ginger oil and it is superior to other variations.
Uses of Ginger Oil
Although ginger oil is mostly used as a pain reliever, its health benefits go far beyond this. It provides a relief from pain when used topically but also improves blood circulation.
Ginger oil is also known for its warming and soothing properties, which is the reason why aromatherapists use it to address digestive issues. One of its most popular uses include relieving digestive upset, such as morning sickness, gas, diarrhea, nausea, and ingestion.
Below you have a list of some of the most popular uses of ginger oil:
- Massage a drop of ginger oil onto the abdomen to relieve diarrhea and gas
- Inhale dinger oil through a vaporizer or diffuser to relieve sore throat, runny nose, and sinusitis
- Mix 2-3 drops in 1 oz of carrier oil and use it as a massage oil to relieve muscle pain, fractures, rheumatism, muscle pain, arthritis, and backache.
- Add it to a hot bath or on a compress and then apply onto the affected area
- Apply a few drops in a diffuser or on a cotton ball and then inhale to revitalize your body and boost your energy levels
Composition of Ginger Oil
Most of its benefits come from B-sesquiphellandrene, neral, geranial, 1,8-cineole, zingiberene, B-bisabolene, and other powerful mono- and sesqui-terpenoids. It contains other ingredients such as camphene, linalool, borneol, y-terpineol, nerol, geraniol, geranyl acetate, a-pinene, and B-pinene.
Benefits of Ginger Oil
Ginger oil acts as potent anti-inflammatory agent and it possesses expectorant, digestive, stimulating, carminative, analgesic, and antiseptic properties. Below you have a list of some of its benefits:
1. Stomach and Bowel Related Issues
Ginger oil is great for people who would like to gain weight as it increases appetite. It promotes proper digestion and works against flatulence, indigestion, dyspepsia, and spasms.
2. Food Poisoning
Due to its carminative and antiseptic properties, ginger oil can treat food poisoning, bacterial dysentery, and intestinal infections.
3. Malaria and Yellow Fever
It has been scientifically shown that ginger oil repels Anopheles culicifacies mosquitoes, which are the major carrier of malaria.
4. Pain
Ginger alleviates pain by reducing prostaglandins, compounds associated with pain.
5. Heart Ailments
Using ginger oil on a regular basis lowers the risk of arteriosclerosis and it reduces the bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
6. Hypertension
Taking ginger on a regular basis lowers the risk of developing hypertension by 85%. According to a 2005 study, ginger lowers blood pressure through blockade of calcium channels.
7. Chronic Disease
According to a research published in the journal Nutrition, daily intake of 2-4 grams of ginger may prevent chronic diseases.
8. Respiratory Problems
Ginger oil can relieve asthma, flu, bronchitis, breathlessness, and coughs. It is often added to tea due to its soothing effects and its ability remove mucus from lungs and throat.
How to Make Ginger Oil
To create your own ginger oil infusion at home, you will need the following:
– Fresh ginger
– 1 ½ cups olive oil
– Cheese grater
– Oven-safe bowel
Directions:
- Rinse the fresh ginger and allow it to dry for a few hours
- Pour the olive oil in the bowl
- Chop the ginger and shred it with the grater
- Add the ginger into the bowl and mix the ingredients well
- Simmer the mixture in the oven for at least two hours under low heat
- Transfer the mixture into a cheese cloth in order to filter it. When done, squeeze out the remaining oil
- Pour the oil into bottles and store in cool and dry place
How Does Ginger Oil Work?
Ginger oil is made of 90% sesquiterpenes, which are responsible for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It has a warming and energizing effect when inhaled or applied topically.
Is Ginger Oil Safe?
Ginger oil is non-toxic and non-irritating, meaning that it is safe as long as used in normal concentrations. Do skin patches test prior to applying ginger on the skin in case you have sensitive skin.
Don’t apply ginger oil on areas which will be exposed to sun in the next 24 hours as it may be phototoxic. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are not recommended to use ginger, despite the fact that it helps relieve morning sickness.
Side Effects of Ginger Oil
- Heartburn
- Sores in the mouth
- Skin rashes
- Nausea
source: http://besthealthyguide.com
