It didn’t take the Chinese or the Indians long to reap health benefits from ginger. This sweet and spicy root was cut and sprinkled in curry, stews, and rubbed on goat, lamb, and cow’s meat for centuries. Ancient farmers discovered that ginger had some powerful chemicals in its constitution. The chemical compounds in ginger oil weren’t really identified until centuries later, but there was not doubt in the minds of the early users; ginger oil had some heavy duty healing ingredients in it.
The chemical compounds in ginger oil are: cineole, linalool, borneol, nerol,-pinene, camphene, B-pinene, a-terpineol, geraniol, zingiberene, B-and bisabolene geranyl acetate geranial, and neral. Those compounds give the oil antiseptic, stimulant, antispasmodic, laxative, sedative, carminative, rubefacient, expectorant, stomachic, diaphoretic, and tonic properties. What all that means in simple terms is ginger oil can relieve cold and flu symptoms, relieve motion sickness, and reduce headache pain and fevers, plus it helps arthritis and rheumatism sufferers.
Arthritis sufferers use ginger oil and eugenol because that combination produces powerful results, especially when those compounds are used in aromatherapy treatments. When ginger oil is massaged into the skin poor circulation, muscle pain, and stomach issues are relieved. Hot ginger compresses have a dramatic impact on joints, ligaments, and muscles. Pain associated with ligament and muscle sprains disappears when the oil is used immediately after an injury.
The Medicinal Uses Of Ginger Oil Are Impressive
The credit for the therapeutic qualities of ginger oil goes to the volatile oils gingerols, zingerone, and shogaols, which make up about 3% of the weigh of fresh ginger. Gingerols increase the gastrointestinal track’s ability to move spontaneously as it consumes energy. The taste of ginger comes from the shogaols and the gingerols in the oil. The zingerone in ginger is produced by the gingerols in the oil, and that oil has a lot to do with the spicy-sweet aroma of the oil and its ability to stop diarrhea.
Thanks to the chemicals in the oil the medicinal uses for ginger oil continue to amaze medical researchers. Ginger is widely used to prevent nausea that results from chemotherapy, pregnancy, and motion sickness. The oil is used to treat muscle and ligament issues as well as for digestive problems. Inflammation caused by arthritis is reduced when ginger oil is used in aromatherapy treatments, and some early reports indicate that the oil can help reduce bad cholesterol levels as well.
New cancer studies are using ginger oil to reduce irregular cell growth, and it may help blood from clotting, which can lead to heart attacks. Recent arthritis studies show that ginger is more effective than ibuprofen for osteoarthritis pain.
Nine of the compounds found in ginger oil have the ability to bind to human serotonin receptors, and means ginger can help reduce anxiety. More tests are needed, but ginger may even be able to delay or prevent diabetic complications.
