Winter is here and although not everyone gets the opportunity to witness the beautiful snow that comes along during the cooler months or have the opportunity to pile on layers of sweaters and scarves, one thing for sure is that everyone is capable of catching the dreaded sickness that tends to come around this time of year. The good news is, there are quite a few ways to help you feel better that don’t involve having to break your bank- one way being ginger tea. Known for its medicinal purposes, ginger tea has some amazing health benefits and healing effects due to its high levels of vitamin C, magnesium and amino acids, as well as containing other beneficial elements such as calcium, zinc and phosphorus just to name a few. Whether it’s a cold, the flu or you don’t have any sickness, keep reading below to learn about the benefits of drinking ginger tea.
Key Benefits of Drinking Ginger Tea
Weight loss
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do to live a healthy life. Being overweight can lead to other health issues including diabetes, heart attack and high cholesterol as well as some other major issues.
Incorporating drinking ginger tea into your daily routine can help speed up your metabolism and help keep you feeling full for longer, which results in reducing your overall calorie intake.
Relieves nausea
Ginger may be strong in flavor but, it’s very calming and is known to be effective in settling an upset stomach. If you’re feeling nauseous or are suffering from morning sickness, you may want to drink a cup of ginger tea to help relieve that symptom.
If you’re getting ready to travel, you can also drink ginger tea to help with any vomiting or dizziness related to motion sickness.
Reduces inflammation
Ginger has powerful and effective anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve any muscle and joint issues, conditions or diseases, including arthritis.
In addition to reducing inflammation, people living with arthritis can also expect to experience some pain relief from consuming ginger tea.
Boosts immune system
What we eat plays a big role in how weak or strong our immune system is, so if you find yourself “under the weather” quite often, drink ginger tea. Ginger can help strengthen your immune system due to being able to flush out toxins, cleanse the lymphatic system and kill bacteria.
Freshens your breath
We all enjoy a delicious meal, but, the bad breath that sometimes trails along afterward isn’t typically desirable. Drinking a glass of ginger tea towards the end of your meal can please your palate and neutralize a bad taste in your mouth.
Improve blood circulation
The minerals, vitamins and amino acids in ginger tea can help thin blood and improve blood circulation. Doing so, may help decrease the chances of cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes.
As an added benefit, because ginger tea helps improve your circulation, it helps warm the body up, so it’s especially delightful on colder days.
Fights Cancer
Millions of people are affected by cancer one way or another. If you may be battling cancer yourself or know someone who is, try adding ginger tea into your diet.
According to researchers, ginger has anti-cancer properties that are a result of the compound 6-gingerol. Derived from ginger, 6-gingerol has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities.
Drinking ginger tea can also help prevent new cancer cells from forming and destroy active cells. If you’re currently on cancer treatments, ginger is also known to help prevent the dangerous side effects of cancer drugs, including nausea.
Stress less
Anxiety and stress seem to affect everyone, however, ginger tea is one of the more affordable and effective options to help beat these two major issues. Ginger tea has calming and healing properties that can help lower your stress and ease any tension you may have.
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Make the Perfect Cup!
To make a glass of ginger tea, wash and peel a small piece of the ginger root with a peeler and grate or slice the ginger. Bring two cups of water to a boil, add the ginger, turn off the heat and cover the pot for about 10-15 minutes.
Strain the water to remove the ginger. Add honey or maple syrup to sweeten the tea if you’d like and enjoy!
Although ginger tea is a holistic option with many benefits, always consult with your doctor before trying something new.