Cold and cough makes both adult and children feel discomfort. One of the best ways to treat and prevent cold is the regular use of ginger. Either fresh or dried ginger can be used to treat cold. Both contain same medicinal properties.
Ginger contains anti-septic and anti-inflammatory properties in it which helps to boost up the immune system, also it acts as an antihistamine, relieve nasal congestion and ease cold symptoms. Ginger has a chemical compound called sesquiterpenes that is specifically used to attack rhinoviruses ( the most predominant cause of the cold).
The combination of dried ginger, lemon and honey is good treat cold. Take 100 grams of dried ginger, crush and boil in water. Strain the ginger water, add lemon juice and honey. Mix well and drink before bed daily to treat and prevent cold.
Dry ginger – Names in other languages:
- Scientific name – Zingiber officinale
- English – Dry ginger
- Hindi – Sonth
- Sanskrit – Sunthi
- Malayalam – Chukku
- Bengali – Sonth
- Tamil – Sukku
- Kannada – Shunti
- Telugu – Sonti
Dry ginger has many health benefits.
- Mixture of dried ginger and sugar cane juice relieves stomach irritation and stomach problems.
- Dry ginger paste can be applied on head to cure headache and throat to relieve throat pain.
- Dry ginger powder has anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe joint pains. Either you can boil dry ginger in water and consume or you can apply the paste on the knee joints to get relief from pain.
- Take half a teaspoon of dry ginger in a cup of hot water. Dry ginger has thermogenic agents that increase heat through metabolic stimulation, and are useful to burn fat and treat obesity. This is also helpful to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body.
- The combination of dry ginger, asafoetida, and salt in warm water clears flatulence.
- Ginger has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and thus remove pores and kills acne causing bacteria.
- Dry ginger added with milk and sugar helps relieve urinary infections.
Research evidence(s)
Evidence 1
Ginger root (Zingiber of icinale) – Immuno stimulant – Increase antibody production, raise white blood cell counts, and stimulate the activity of key white blood cells.
Reference
Kalra, M., Khatak, M. & Khatak, S., 2011. Cold And Flu: Conventional vs Botanical & Nutritional Therapy. International Journal of Drug Development & Research, 3(1).
Evidence 2
The best evidence for nontraditional treatments of the common cold supports the use of oral zinc supplements in adults and honey at bedtime for cough in children over one year.
Reference
Allan, M. G. & Arroll, B., 2014. Prevention and treatment of the common cold: making sense of the evidence. CMAJ, 186(3).
Follow the below simple steps and know how to prevent cold with dry ginger.
