Be The Healthy U!
  • Healthy Blog
  • Healthy Recipes
  • Online Cooking Classes
  • I Can Help
  • 28-Day Program
  • Healthy Dog Blog
  • About Terri
  • Resources
  • Ask Dr. Terri
  • Testimonials

Got a Headache? Try Some Fresh Ginger

12/3/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ginger to the rescue again! Previously I wrote about how crushed fresh ginger reduced the swelling in my knee after I twisted it, making it significantly less painful. Today I learned first-hand how effective fresh ginger is for relieving headaches.

Fresh ginger is aromatic, pungent, and spicy, and is not just for sushi! I learned today that ginger is used as a natural remedy for headaches when I was looking for a way to cure a rare headache I was having without using medication. While I came across several other natural remedies, I had fresh ginger on hand and decided to give that one a try.

I chopped an inch of fresh ginger and let it steep in a cup of boiling water for several minutes before drinking the hot “ginger tea”. While waiting for the ginger to steep, I inhaled the ginger vapor coming out of the cup.

The intensity of the headache lessened while inhaling the ginger vapor. Then, within only a few minutes of sipping the “ginger tea”, the headache literally disappeared! I never experienced such immediate headache relief from taking ibuprofen. And, unlike ibuprofen, fresh ginger is gentle on my stomach and liver.

Follow-up: On June 10, 2015, Michael Greger, MD released a video about using ginger for migraine headaches. In the video, he talks about a study published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature in 2014 that compared the efficacy of powdered ginger to sumatriptan (also known as imitrex), one of the top-selling billion-dollar drugs in the world for treating migraine headaches. 

In the study, researchers compared 1/8 teaspoon of powdered ginger to 50 milligrams (common dosage) of the drug and discovered that they both work just as well and just as fast at significantly reducing or diminishing the pain! 

Powdered ginger is a much better choice because ginger is significantly cheaper, about a penny for 1/8 teaspoon, and has fewer side effects. The only side effect reported for the ginger group was an upset stomach for one out of 25. Compare that to a sedative effect, dizziness, vertigo, and heartburn, not to mention increased risk of heart attack or death reported for the drug group. 

So my little study with ginger on myself was on the mark! Try it yourself next time you have a headache.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Terri Quenzer, PhD

    Terri has a passion for good health and for helping others find happiness in themselves through better health! Through her scientific and life experiences, her goal is to help you reach your healthy goals!

    ​Be The Healthy U!: nominated for San Diego's Best Nutrition/Cooking Classes of 2016!

    Picture
    Catch Terri's interview about plant-based nutrition on KCQB 1170 AM - click here.

    How Not to Die: Terri interviews New York Times Bestselling Author Michael Greger, MD. Listen below.
    Terri speaks with Jordan Hoffman of Jordan Hoffman Acupuncture about what to eat and East vs West.
    Picture

    Click Here To Sign Up For Your Free Newsletter

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    September 2017
    May 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012

    Categories

    All