Not Quite a Tea

Science has advanced greatly over the last fifty years. These breakthroughs have allowed for researchers to test the validity of the health benefits certain plants, foods and drinks have been attributed with throughout history. Ginger tea is one of these herbal remedies people have claimed to cure a multitude of ailments, like reducing nausea.

According to Keith Singletary, PhD, people all across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East have used ginger to treat ailments ranging from nausea, arthritis, and menstrual issues. Dr. Susan E. Brown’s post on the Better Bones blog gives a list of the health benefits scientific research has proven ginger possesses. Some of these include its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, as well as its capability to help clear up built up mucus, mitigate nausea symptoms, and boost the drinker’s immune system. Other attributed benefits of ginger tea such as its ability to reduce cholesterol, fighting against ovarian cancer cells, and reducing arthritis pain are still being researched to prove their validity. Research thus far shows a positive result of ginger as an additional supplement to help combat the more serious ailments.

Many of the ginger teas available in Asian grocery stores, like the Chinese brand Beauti-Leaf Ginger Tea, only list ginger on their ingredient list. I bought this brand at a local Asian market in Augusta, Georgia while I was visiting friends in the area. Tea made from just ginger has zero caffeine and is often recommended to help with digestion. Fresh ginger is said to be the best choice to get all of the health benefits.

Now, it is important to state for the record that what many, including doctors, call “ginger tea” is not technically tea. One of the most common recipes to make ginger tea only requires boiling chopped fresh ginger. Nicole Martin, author of Tea for Me Please, explains, “[A]ll tea comes from the same species of evergreen plant, Camellia Sinensi.” Ginger is not in the same plant family as the Camellia Sinensi, but from the Zingiberaceae family. This versatile spice not only has a lot of health benefits, but also tastes great when cooked. It is not surprising how it still remains a go-to cure all by many people nowadays.

Growing up in a Japanese family, I heard so many old wives tales about what foods and drinks are a better cure than modern medicines. Sencha and ginger tea were two of my Obachan’s default cure all. If I ever felt a little nauseous, or there was even the slightest sign of a cold coming on, she would put a cup of fresh ginger tea with a little honey in my hands, telling me to finish it all. Personally, I am not a fan of straight ginger tea. The prickly spice of the ginger is a bit too much for me, so I prefer to add a heaping teaspoon of honey to take the edge off a bit. I like to drink it because I have rarely gotten sick for as long as I have been drinking ginger tea, but that's just my experience.

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