In 2017, my 84 year old Dad fell into a lake and almost drowned. The result was he inhaled dirty water and ended up in hospital for several weeks with pneumonia. He was on strong IV antibiotics that were dealing with the infection but making him violently sick. The doctors tried a range of anti-sickness medication, but nothing worked.
That is until I took him some home-made ginger tea. My Dad has a very sweet tooth so he wasn’t keen to try it at first. However, his desire to stop vomiting overcame him and he began drinking it.
The feeling of nausea started to go almost immediately and he didn’t vomit al all after that.
There is plenty of research to back this up too. Root Ginger is the best thing for settling the stomach after sickness bugs, medication such as antibiotics and chemotherapy, morning sickness, travel sickness, and any other nausea-related condition.
The benefits don’t end there either. It’s also good for bloating, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and improves circulation and it helps with the absorption of nutrients. It’s anti-inflammatory properties can reduce joint pain and menstrual cramps.
To get the most out of this delicious spice, forget expensively packaged teabags. Root ginger is cheap to buy and tea is easy and quick to make, and well worth the little bit of effort needed!
Take a piece of ginger the size of a thumb nail (or less if you don’t want it strong) and peel it using the inside of a teaspoon.
Slice thickly straight into a cup or grate into a tea strainer and place over the cup.
Pour over boiling water and leave for a few minutes to infuse. Remove the strainer or spoon out the slices.
Add a slice of lemon to give it a citrus flavour, a pinch of turmeric powder or cinnamon to give it a warm, spicy taste.
Alison Harris
Wellness Coach @alisonharriswellbeing