Health Benefits of Ginger and Ginger Tea

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Below are some of the health benefits of ginger and ginger tea. Ginger has been used as a natural remedy for many ailments for centuries. Based on research, the herbal therapeutic benefits of ginger are mainly due to the presence of volatile oils and the high oleoresin content. 

Health benefits of ginger tea:

  • Aids in digestion
  • Relieves nausea, including dizziness from motion sickness
  • Helps lower cholesterol
  • Relieves gas and bloating
  • Treats common colds
  • Eases menstrual cramps - Ginger is known to have antispasmodic qualities. It helps in directing the blood flow to the pelvic region. This releases the blockages and cures cramping in the process.
  • Relieves headaches
  • Helps stop diarrhea
  • Heartburn relief - Ginger has long been used as a natural heartburn remedy. It is most often taken in the form of tea for this purpose.
  • Protects the liver - Drinking alcohol in large quantity can give the person a hangover. One of the ginger tea benefits is that it reduces the effects of a hangover. Consuming alcohol or taking drugs can cause severe damage to the liver. Drinking ginger tea daily, twice a day, helps in keeping the liver protected against the ill effects of such toxic substances.
  • Cures acne - One of the major reasons behind the appearance of acne is stress. Ginger tea freshens up a person, and improves his mood. This reduces the stress and thus, acne is minimized too. Also, ginger tea has anti-inflammatory properties, because of which, any kind of pimples or swelling on skin gets reduced with its regular consumption.

Ginger tea is also known as 'Salabat' in Philippine folk medicine. Here's how to make homemade instant salabat. Just click the link.

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Ginger Tea Recipe - How to Make Homemade Instant Salabat

Ginger tea or salabat as it is locally known in the Philippines is a very good home treatment for colds and flu. It is also used as alternative remedy for indigestion and nausea, as well as it soothes sore throat. My mother is an avid drinker of salabat as according to her, it relieves her stomach gas pains especially every morning. Salabat is perfect for her as coffee or milk is not good because it upsets her stomach. I think that is what they call lactose intolerance.

You can check in here the health benefits of ginger and ginger tea.

Ginger is often called an herb or a root, but actually it’s a rhizome, which is like an underground stem. Its aromatic, culinary and medicinal properties have been revered for thousands of years in Asian, Indian and Arabic cultures.

How to make homemade instant salabat or ginger tea

There are many ways on how to prepare ginger tea. Some just make use of the fresh ginger rhizomes sliced into thin strips and they bring it to a boil. Here's one example on how to do it:
  • 2 (1") cubes fresh ginger
  • 3 heaped tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. chopped dried fruit of choice
Peel ginger and chop coarsely. Add it to 4 cups of water with the honey and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes covered. Uncover and cook for another 15 minutes on medium heat. You should have about 3 cups of liquid now. Turn off heat, add chopped dried fruit and serve. This can be served cold.
I've found an instructional slideshow video on how to make instant salabat. Later, I will have to ask my mother to make a homemade salabat so I can show it to you.




One day, I'll try to add my own version of how to make homemade instant salabat. Of course, I'll ask my mother to do the preparation while I shot the video.

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Tawa-Tawa (Gatas-gatas) cure for dengue fever

Monday, March 14, 2011

We frequently use Tawa-tawa or gatas-gatas leaves as preventive herbal remedy for dengue fever. My mother used to make a decoction of the leaves of tawa-tawa plant (scientifically known as Euphorbia hirta Linn). Whenever my nephews experience persistent fever, my mother would then give them tawa-tawa decoction as their daily water intake which usually lasts 3 days after their fever subsided. Since we are living in a place where mosquitoes are present (despite efforts of cleaning the surroundings thoroughly), a persistent fever is considered as one of the early symptoms of dengue fever.


Tawa-Tawa (Euphorbia hirta Linn) is a slender-stemmed, bushy plant that grows with several tiny branches from the base to the top and usually has a height of 2 inches. It has several tiny flowers bunched together with opposite rhombus leaves blotched with purple and toothed at its edge. In English, it is also called asthma weed or snake weed.

In folk medicine, it is called gatas-gatas because of the healing property of the milky juice.Below are some of the other uses of tawa-tawa or gatas-gatas plant aside from being an alternative cure for dengue fever:

  • Juice used for colics.
  • Juice used as ophthalmic drops for conjunctivitis or ulceration of the cornea.
  • Infusion or tea of the plant, 4 glasses daily, for bronchits and labored breathing, asthma, chronic dysentery.
  • Used for boils and wounds.
  • Decoction of dry plant used for skin disease.
  • Decoction of fresh plant used as gargle for the treatment of thrusth.
  • Decoction of the root used to allay vomiting, chronic diarrheas, and fevers.
  • Root decoction also beneficial for nursing mothers deficient in milk: 4-5 glasses of tea.
  • The same root decoction as an enema for constipation.
  • Root used for snake bites.
  • Used in sores, wounds, boils. As ear drop for pustular swellings in the ear.
  • Leaves are mixed with Datura metel leaves and flowers to make the "asthma-cigarette."
  • Latex also prescribed for asthma.
  • Superficial bleeding: Crush leaves and apply on affected paret, as local hemostatic.

Despite many testimonies of people (including us) who have used tawa-tawa plant as alternative cure for dengue fever, extra precaution should be made to avoid accidents as herbal remedies have different effect to different people.

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Home Remedies for Dry Cough - How to make homemade dry cough remedy using cogon grass roots

Friday, March 4, 2011

This is one of the very helpful home remedies for dry cough- the use of the roots of the cogon grass. And here's how to make homemade dry cough remedy using the roots of cogon grass. Dry unproductive cough can be very exhausting and irritating. With the sudden change in weather, people with weak immune systems can easily get sick. I am one of those people who is very sensitive to weather conditions. Most of the time, I end up having asthma attack for worst, if not very painful dry unproductive cough.

In my quest to stick to herbal remedies or natural remedies, I have found so many options. I believe that over-the-counter drugs gave different results to different people. A lot promises cure but also give bad side effects to the body. So I've decided to go for natural or herbal remedies particularly for my frequently occurring dry cough.


For dry cough remedy, I've found out that the roots of cogon grass is a very good remedy to soften hard sticky phlegm so you can easily cough it out without experiencing pain in your esophagus and air passages.



Below is a video on how to make homemade dry cough remedy using the roots of cogon grass:


Related Post:  Dry Cought To Asthma Attack

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