Medicinal Monday – Ginger

This week’s Medicinal Monday feature is Ginger. Being a child of the Caribbean, ginger has pretty much been a staple ingredient in our household. As children, we were exposed to many fruits, vegetables, spices and juices used for a variety purposes. But, ginger was (and still is) one of my favorites. I have early memories of my grandfather making me ginger beer (non-alcoholic of course) and buying me sweet treats made with grated ginger. He also used it as a digestive aid.
Those were the early memories. Currently, as a mom, I use ginger root steeped in hot water for tea when my little ones have a tummy ache, in food, smoothies, juices and for baking. I also make some delicious ginger beer.
Ginger has many essential oils which assist with immunity of the body and high antioxidant intake. Many people (myself included) add about a thumb sized (inch) of ginger root to their morning smoothies or juice. This not only helps with weigh loss, it also acts as a natural appetite suppressant and boosts metabolism.
Doing a deep dive into the other benefits and uses for ginger, I found a surprising use; hair growth and scalp rejuvenation as both an addition to oil for the scalp in the form of http://stylesatlife.com/articles/ginger-for-hair-growth/.

Ginger is cousin to last week’s medicinal feature – Turmeric and has very similar healing qualities and health benefits.

One of my favorite online ‘go-to’ medics, Dr. Axe highlights the Top 10 ginger health benefits
Beauty benefits of ginger:

-ANTI-AGING
-ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
-HYPERIGMENTATION TREATMENT
-CELLULITE REDUCTION (my fave benefit)

My appreciation for ginger has certainly increased. My plan is to implement more ginger into my health and beauty regimen…will keep you posted.

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Medicinal Monday – Turmeric

www.aziatische-ingredienten.nl/kurkuma/

Tumeric, aka (Curcuma longa) and in India as, Haldi is a rich yellow spice commonly used as a main ingredient in Indian curries and as a natural food coloring agent. It is also used widely in the Eastern region of the world for various medicinal purposes. You may have seen Indian wedding ceremonies where the bride and groom use a mustard-yellow paste, this Haldi paste.

This past summer, I suffered from horrible back pain. Although surgery was not a proposed solution to end (or at least severely decrease) my pain, it was important for me to find the least invasive and most effective and natural form of treatment.
After tons of research I stumbled upon the ever so talented, TUMERIC!
The most attractive benefit for me at the time was inflammation reduction. I quickly made a purchase and so it began.
Between a regular intake of turmeric alongside some other alternative health practices such as chiropractic care and yoga (look out for posts in a few weeks). I am glad to say, I’m on the mend and feeling nearly 100%.
Below are just a few benefits:

• Anti-aging – Haldi paste (as mentioned above) is a great way to help with signs of skin aging, brightening of the skin and a great exfoliate. An all-round facial treatment. By adding various ingredients with the turmeric powder you can tailor your treatment for a particular skin issue. The folks at helloglow.co have a great recipe for a DIY Tumeric mask.

• Anti-bacterial – Tumeric is a member of the Ginger family and has also been known to treat small wounds and cuts. Again using this as a paste will get the job done.
• Facial hair treatment – many women suffer from hormonal imbalance, which can cause unwanted facial hair growth. Applying the haldi paste to such areas over time will show a reduction in hair growth. The turmeric in the paste attacks the cells which assist with hair growth.
• Heals damaged and cracked skin- Curcumin (the active compound found in turmeric) is the magic behind this spice. If you live on the East coast of the US like myself, or anywhere with similar weather conditions, your feet are typically covered during this time of the year and gets less attention than during the warmer seasons. This might be the ideal time to start treating them with a mixture of turmeric, castor, coconut, or any other oil of your choice.

These are just a few of the many benefits of turmeric. This spice has so many more benefits, especially for more severe illnesses such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
If you decide to add a turmeric treatment to your beauty regimen, remember to
be consistent so you can get the best results and be sure let me know how it works for you.

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