Ginger, a spice that has been used for millennia in foods, especially in Asian and Indian cuisine. It has also been used for the same amount of time in naturopathic remedies, especially for digestion.
Originating from Asia, South Africa and the Caribbean, it was exported to Europe and India during the first century A.D.
Ginger oil comes from the ginger root, zingiber officinale, and is obtained by either steam distillation or carbon dioxide extraction.
The therapeutic benefits of ginger come from constituents gingerol, zerumbone, and zingibain, which is most concentrated in the the oil extracted from the root.
My Top 5 Best Ginger Oil Brands In 2019
*The companies chosen above are based upon my personal opinion based upon me giving them a try and testing their quality.
What does ginger essential oil blend well with?
While ginger oil can be used on its own, it does blend well with other oil, including:
Blending ginger with the oils listed above helps in a number of ways. First, it helps balance and enhance the properties of the ginger oil, as well as contributing some of the properties of the blended oil.
In addition to the chemical properties, essential oils are volatile, which means they are moving, and have a measurable frequency. When blending oils the frequencies of the oils also blend to enhance and lift the frequency.
Generally, people experience illness when the frequency of part of their body falls below an optimal range. The oils help to bring these frequencies back in line.
What Do You Use Ginger Oil For?
There are many uses for ginger, aside from the incredible flavoring affects. Below are the top 10 ways people are using ginger essential oil.
Liver Function
The liver is incredibly important to the human body carrying out over 500 functions. Among those functions are filtering the blood, metabolizing fats and bilirubin, production of bile and more.
Ginger oil helps support healthy liver function, including treating fatty liver disease. It is also helpful in detoxifying the liver. Most of the benefit for the liver comes from its antioxidant and triglyceride lowering constituents.
The studies that suggest the efficacy of ginger oil for assisting with liver disease were when the oil was taking orally.
Cramps
Ginger oil has helped with muscular cramps for centuries. One article in Science Daily demonstrated how daily use of ginger can help reduce muscular pain.
This includes muscle soreness, back pain, stomach pain, menstrual cramps, and muscle soreness associated with exercise.
Ginger oil helps increase circulation and reduce inflammation, both of which help to reduce cramps. Additionally, ginger has a warming effect, and can help relax muscles when applied topically.
Anxiety
Everyone deals with anxiety at some time. Whether you suffer from the occasional bouts of anxiousness, or regular anxiety attacks, ginger essential oil can help.
This is because ginger oil helps to activate the brain’s serotonin receptors, which is part of what affects the brain’s ability to feel good.
Ginger is a warming oil, so caution should be used when applying topically. This warming effect helps with relaxation, as well as helping illicit feelings of courage.
Aphrodisiac
In ancient times ginger was thought to be an aphrodisiac simply because of its phallic physical representation. Science has since shown that this is in fact the case.
Studies have shown that ginger helps increase sexual energy, as well as increasing blood flow to the testes, and increasing sperm volume, viability and motility.
Males who deal with erectile dysfunction have found some help through ginger oil. This dysfunction is typically caused by a lack of circulation or by a psychological block.
Ginger helps improve circulation and helps people move past mental blocks.
Antioxidants
Ginger root contains a high level of antioxidants, which is important for ridding the body of free radicals. Free radicals are are oxygen molecules with an unpaired electron, which causes oxidative stress in the body.
This stress has been associated with disease such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and more.
Antioxidants helps rid the body of these free radicals, thus protecting the body from their effects. This is done by donating an electron to the unbalanced free radical, and thereby preventing the oxidative stress and the conditions it can cause.
Heart Health
One major concern for most adults is good heart health. Specifically of concern is cholesterol and triglycerides. LDL cholesterol, also known as the “bad” cholesterol, forms plaque on the walls of arteries, restricting blood flow.
Triglycerides are a different kind of lipid that converts into energy in the body. When they are elevated, it can contribute to thickening of the artery walls and hardening of the arteries, which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.
Studies have shown ginger to be effective in reducing LDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides. When used for a period of ten weeks, there was a significant decrease in both of these levels when tested through a blood draw.
As most people know, this is important to reducing the risk of heart disease
Inflammation
Many people are affected with various forms of inflammation. While inflammation is a normal response to injury, abnormal inflammation is at the root of most diseases.
For instance, more than 350 million people worldwide suffer from arthritis, which is an inflammatory condition.
Ginger oil is rich with zingibain, which is an anti-inflammatory compound. This makes ginger effective for treating arthritis, migraines and muscle aches, just to name a few.
Respiratory Support
Respiratory problems range from mild acute conditions like bronchitis to severe chronic conditions like asthma.
These conditions can be caused by inflammation as well as excess production of mucus. As already discussed, ginger is very effective as an anti-inflammatory agent.
In addition to this, ginger is also very effective at breaking through mucus. Studies have also shown that ginger is an effective expectorant, helping the body rid itself of the mucus that clogs the respiratory tract.
Infections
The body comes into contact with many toxins on a daily basis, including various bacteria and viruses, collectively called germs.
While the body is designed to fight against these infections on its own, it can always use some extra support.
Many people have adopted the use of antibacterial soaps and sanitizers. Unfortunately, these can lead to mutations in bacteria causing resistance to antibiotics and common treatments.
Fortunately ginger is a natural antiseptic. Studies have shown that ginger oil is effective against such bacterial strains as escherichia coli, bacillus subtilis, staphylococcus aureus, and candida albicans.
Digestion
Probably the most popular use of ginger has been to help aid in healthy digestion. This includes indigestion, diarrhea, stomach aches, nausea, gastric spasms, colic and vomiting.
Studies have shown ginger to be helpful in treating ulcers. In addition to this, ginger oil is helpful in reducing post-surgical stress and nausea.
While using oils for nausea, it may be best to inhale directly from the bottle or apply topically directly to the abdomen.
Ginger oil is also known to have some laxative properties, so it can be effective in helping keep the digestive tract flowing properly.
What To Know About Ginger Before You Use It.
Unlike using ginger root to cook, there is very little concern about side effects when using essential oils. Usually you will only use one or two drops at a time.
If you happen to use more, you may experience some gastric discomfort, including heartburn, diarrhea, or oral irritation.
If you are pregnant, you want to exercise additional caution. Limit use to one or two drops per day, and be sure to consult your physician.
For children over two years old, ginger oils should be safe. For children under two, exercise caution and dilute to at least a one to thirty ratio (one drop essential oil to thirty drops carrier oils).
If you are taking prescription medication, check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding ginger oil to your regimen. If you are taking blood thinners, ginger oil may increase the risk of bleeding.
Ginger can also help lower blood sugar, so if you are diabetic, you should exercise additional caution. Finally, ginger can lower blood pressure, so if you are taking medication for hypertension, use caution as it could result in an unsafe drop in blood pressure.
There are three primary methods of using ginger oil: topically, aromatically and internally.
When used topically, you want to use caution as it can cause skin irritation. It is best to dilute it with a carrier oil such as avocado or sweet almond oil at a fifty-percent dilution ratio.
You can then apply it on location, or to the bottom of your feet.
Used aromatically, you can diffuse it with a reed diffuser or with a water-based ultrasonic diffuser. Additionally, you can inhale it directly from the bottle. This is especially effective when trying to treat for nausea.
Finally, many studies looked at the internal use of ginger oil. You can add it to water, take it in a capsule, or use it as part of cooking.
Due to the high concentration, you should start with one drop when using for cooking, and add as needed to reach desired taste. Also, keep the temperature low so you do not reduce the therapeutic nature of the oil.
Essential Oil Recipes That Include Ginger Oil
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What Other Research Has Shown About Ginger Oil
There has been a lot of research about essential oils, including ginger oil. Here is just some of what else has been found about ginger oil.
- 1One study showed ginger oil to have anti-epileptic properties. When taken along with traditional anti-epileptic medications, ginger oil has also shown the ability to help prevent impotence issues be helping increase testosterone production. (source)
- 2Ginger Oil is one of the best nutraceuticals being used to helping to relieve symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
Some species of ginger oil has shown promise for helping with acne. (source) - 3Ginger oil has shown to be an effective anti-fungal agent as well, offering a natural alternative to pesticides that are nontoxic to humans. (source)
- 4Ginger oil used in tea has shown assistance in improving glucose levels, lowering lipid counts, and improving gut bacteria. (source)
- 5Essential oils, especially ginger oil, has demonstrated the ability to help reduce nausea associated with chemotherapy. (source)
- 6One study showed ginger oil to be effective in helping inhibit the production of melanoma cells. (source)
Final Thoughts About Ginger Oil
Ginger has been used for thousands of years to help support people’s health, and modern science has provided proof that it is not merely an “old wives’ tale”. Rather, the use of ginger, including the oil extracted from ginger root, is used for supporting multiple systems.
- his essential oil works well for supporting healthy digestion, and is helpful with dealing with nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and more.
- It helps reduce inflammation across the system, aiding in pain and chronic inflammatory conditions.
- It helps support the immune system with its antiseptic properties, aiding in the treatment of infections.
- It help support a healthy respiratory system by breaking up mucus and helping the body expel it.
- It helps support a healthy heart by lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
- It helps reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
- It can help increase a slacking libido and help with impotence.
- It can help relieve muscular cramps across the body, including menstrual cramps.
- It helps support the body against free radicals through concentration of antioxidants.
- It helps support healthy liver function by helping the liver detox and repair from liver disease.