As a spice enthusiast, you must have known about the many benefits of ginger. Moreover, it’s no secret that this popular spice has been used as an ancient herbal remedy for many ailments, including arthritis, diabetes, cough, colds, and nausea.

However, did you know that you can consume ginger in the form of tea while also enjoying many of its health benefits?

If you didn’t, read more below to learn more about ginger tea and the five health benefits that you can get from ginger tea consumption.

What Is Ginger Tea?

There are many ways to consume ginger. Traditionally, ginger is used in fresh, pickled, powdered, dried, candied, preserved, and crystalized. Moreover, you can also find ginger in multiple states, such as capsules, tinctures, extracts, tablets, and tea.

As a tea, ginger has warming yet slightly spicy taste. Ginger tea is made by infusing dried or fresh ginger in hot water for a few minutes, allowing the oils of the ginger to invest into the water before drinking. However, there are plenty of instant ginger tea products that you can find in the grocery store. Usually, it comes in the form of drinking powder.

Historically, ginger tea consumption started in China some 5,000 years ago. At that time, ginger tea was used as a traditional health tonic. Later on, ginger was introduced to Europe as a culinary spice.

5 Benefits of Ginger Tea

Here are five health benefits of ginger tea:

1. It helps relieve motion sickness.

Consuming ginger tea can help relieve motion sickness symptoms, such as dizziness, vomiting, and cold sweats. Although there is limited research proving how ginger works in this matter, some studies have suggested that certain compounds in ginger have a vital role in the brain’s vomiting center. Nevertheless, ginger tea is still worth trying every time you experience nausea.

2. Alleviates nausea from morning sickness or chemotherapy.

The compound gingerols in ginger can help alleviate nausea caused by pregnancy and chemotherapy. Hence, ginger tea can be an effective and inexpensive alternative treatment for pregnant women and chemotherapy patients who cannot afford conventional medicines.

3. Reduces blood pressure

A 2017 study found that consuming ginger daily can help decrease the risk of hypertension. Although this study doesn’t specifically indicate ginger tea, you can still consider ginger tea consumption if you have high blood pressure.

4. Manages weight and blood sugar levels

A lot of research has shown that consuming ginger has a significant effect on weight loss and maintaining blood sugar levels, especially for those with type 2 diabetes and obesity. In this case, ginger helps manage body weight and blood sugar levels by increasing thermogenesis, breaking fats for energy, and reducing fasting insulin levels.

5. Ease headaches and migraines

Ginger has many pain-relieving properties. Hence, consuming ginger can be a great option to treat migraines and severe headaches.

Conclusion

Consuming ginger tea can be a more accessible and affordable option to treat common health problems that you may face at any time of the day. However, ginger’s distinctive and spicy taste may not be everyone’s cup of tea. In this case, you can try mixing your ginger tea with a small amount of milk to tone down the spicy flavor a little bit.

Nevertheless, whichever form of ginger you consume, it is always essential to ensure that you get your ginger fresh and only from reliable resources.

Enjoy your tea time!

References:

1. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-ginger-tea

2. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-ginger-tea#health-benefits