Around the holidays, or anytime you’ve over-indulged, consider sweet and zesty ginger for nourishing the digestive organs.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a knobby, horn-shaped rhizome with a long history of supporting metabolism, aiding digestion and reducing inflammation. It helps heal upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea, motion sickness, and morning sickness.
I advise patients to suck on hard ginger candies if they experience or anticipate experiencing symptoms of motion sickness: I like these organic, gluten free, not-too-sweet candies from GoOrganic.
Current research indicates that ginger stimulates the production of enzymes in saliva and along digestive pathways. Biologically active compounds in ginger bind to receptors in the digestive tract, which seems to be instrumental in minimizing the sensations that create nausea and indigestion.
Ginger also plays a role in the breakdown of starches and fatty food. All good things when your tummy has gone sour.
There are many fresh and dried preparations for ginger including tincture, extracts and capsules prepared in different strengths. Additionally, ginger is available as a “chew” or lozenges and tea infusions, all of which are ideal for upset stomach.
Standard pharmacologic-grade ginger preparations are not readily available; but a common dose is 1.5 to 2 g orally divided over 24 hours (eg, 500 mg ginger capsules orally four times a day), such as these Ginger and Echinacea Capsules.
You can also try incorporating ginger into meals, such as in my recipe for Ginger Chicken Salad shared here. Try it today!
Ginger Chicken Salad
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 4
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/4 tablespoons julienned pickled ginger, plus 2 tablespoons pickle juice
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons gluten-free Tamari soy sauce, such as Sanchi
1 1/2 cups drained canned mandarin orange segments
1/2 pound cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped or julienned
1/2 cup blanched snow peas
1/2 cup drained canned bamboo shoots
1/2 cup drained canned water chestnuts
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Mix the garlic, ginger, pickle juice, sesame oil and soy sauce thoroughly.
2. Add the chicken and orange segments; allow to marinate for about 10 minutes.
3. Add all remaining ingredients, except lettuce and sesame seeds.
4. Distribute lettuce among 4 serving plates, top with chicken mixture; sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Substitutions:
Fresh orange segments may be substituted for the canned mandarin oranges.
Nutrition Facts:
Fat Calories: 51.00 g
Total Fat: 5.70 g
Sat. Fat: 1.80 g
Cholesterol: 49.90 mg
Sodium: 485.00 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 26.30 g
Fiber: 4.10 g
Sugars: 10.00 g
Protein: 23.00 g
Vitamin A: 185.00 RE
Vitamin C: 77.00 mg
Calcium: 107.00 mg