Given that I wrote about turmeric in my last post, I can’t ignore its more widely-used relative, ginger. The root (rhizome) of the ginger plant, Zingiber officinale, is the part that’s primarily used for cooking and medicinal purposes.

Ginger is loved (or sometimes disliked) for its pungent notes. It’s versatile, complementing a whole range of dishes as it adds diverse flavour layers: zesty freshness, slight spiciness, mild sweetness and plenty of warmth. No wonder it’s essential in many sweet and savoury dishes. It pairs particularly well with orange vegetables, too – think pumpkins, carrots and golden sweet potato. And makes a perfect partner for garlic in many Asian curries.

Like turmeric, ginger has multiple medicinal qualities besides its use in food. Traditional ancient medicine systems of various Asian countries have used ginger for centuries to help with digestion and to treat many health conditions, including the common cold, nausea, joint pain and muscular aches and pains.

Today, ginger is commonly used to treat nausea associated with travel and morning sickness (read more here and here). But because ginger is known to have a wide-range of health effects – such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and blood thinning and circulation properties – it’s being investigated for the treatment of a number of health conditions, including some circulatory conditions (e.g. cholesterol, blood pressure), and many chronic conditions (e.g. arthritis).

Adding ginger to your diet

Ginger is either used fresh or dried (powder). Dried ginger is generally added to baked goods (e.g. biscuits, cakes, pies); whereas fresh works well in curries, stir-fries, juices and tea – but there’s no hard and fast rule.

Since ginger is more pungent than turmeric, some may find it overpowering – however, it can be balanced with other spices in savoury dishes so it’s not the dominant flavour. Ginger can also be used to complement other ‘sweet’ spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamon, when used in baked treats.

For medicinal purposes, supplemental ginger is usually recommended, and it should be initiated under the guidance of a health practitioner.

Lesh Karan is a writer, with particular interests in whole foods, health and wellbeing. Previously, she worked as a pharmacist, graduating from the Victorian College of Pharmacy in 1994. Lesh also holds a Masters in Medical Science and is completing a Certificate IV in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. She is passionate about eating mindfully, and shares tips, recipes and information on her blog, themindfulfoodie.com.