How to make a Ginger tea at home and stay healthy

 Ginger is native to Asia and is the flowering plant of the Zingiberaceae family. Its root, or stem, adds flavor to many types of cuisine, but is also an ancient herbal remedy for a host of ailments. Drinking ginger tea may help with everything from motion sickness to cancer prevention.

Nausea from Morning Sickness

Some experts believe the active components in ginger — volatile oils and phenol compounds called gingerols — can help relieve nausea caused by pregnancy, chemotherapy, or surgery.

Blood Pressure and Heart Health

Research has suggested that ginger consumption can protective against heart disease. The pungent herb may help:

1) lower blood pressure

2) prevent heart attacks

3) prevent blood clots

4) relieve heart heartburn

5) lower cholesterol

6) improve blood circulation

Weight and blood sugar control

A review of the researchTrusted Source suggests that ginger may be effective in managing obesity. However, most of the experiments have been rat studies, which suggest that ginger may help prevent obesity and obesity-related complications.

Ginger may help improve blood sugar control, reduce A1C, insulin, and triglycerides among people with type 2 diabetes, some researchTrusted Source suggests.

Pain Relief

Ginger has been used to treat inflammation for centuries and this practice now has a body of scientific evidence behind it. It’s been shown in several studies to help relieve pain from osteoarthritis of the knee in particular.

Ginger tea may also help alleviate headaches, menstrual cramps, sore muscles, and other types of pain.

Immune support and Cancer prevention

It’s believed that the antioxidants in ginger can help strengthen your immunity and reduce stress. Inhaling the steam from ginger tea may also help relieve nasal congestion and other respiratory issues from the common cold or environmental allergies.

Research has even shown that ginger may help prevent cancer. In laboratory research ginger has been shown to fight several different types of cancer cells, including pancreatic cancerTrusted Source and colon cancerTrusted Source.

How to make Ginger tea at home

Here is an easy-to-follow recipe for making your own ginger tea. You’ll need:

• 4 to 6 thin slices of peeled, raw ginger (add more slices for stronger ginger tea)
• 2 cups of water
• juice from half of a lime or lemon, and honey or agave nectar to taste (optional)

First, wash and scrub the ginger root. Then, peel the ginger and slice thinly. Fill a medium pot with 2 cups of water. Place the ginger slices in the water and let boil gently for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how strong and spicy you like your tea.

Remove from heat. Add lime or lemon juice and honey (or agave) to taste, if desired.

You can also make ginger tea with milk. Boil your ginger root slices in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and add 2 cups of milk. Simmer the milk and ginger for five minutes. Serve in your favorite mug.