Ground Ginger - Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Ginger is a widely used spice that is well known for reducing nausea, motion sickness, and stomach pain. It is also used in cooking and baking. 

Zingiber officinale is a root that is indigenous to Southeast Asia, India, and China. Ground ginger is the dried, powdered form of that root. Ginger is used as an aromatic element in cuisines all over the world and has a long history of use as a remedy for nausea, motion sickness, gas, bloating, and other digestive ailments.

Ground ginger provides a number of advantages than raw ginger root in terms of health. During the grinding process, less gingerol is produced. Gingerol, the primary component of ginger root, offers many pharmacological and physiological advantages. Although the process of dehydration causes a drop in the chemical gingerol, it also causes a rise in the compound shogaol. Shogaols are believed to share many of root ginger's health benefits and properties, including those that enhance memory and cognitive function. So dried ginger contains benefits from both gingerol and shogaol.

What is ground ginger?

The dried and powdered form of ginger rhizome, also referred to as ginger root, is known as ground ginger. Although it has a softer flavour than the fresh ones, it is more concentrated. The outer layer of fresh or raw ginger, on the other hand, is light yellow to brown and comes in minute bits. Compared to its powdered equivalent, it has a more nuanced flavour. Additionally, when cooked, it tenderises and gives the food a strong flavour.

Is fresh ginger better than ground ginger?

The answer might be "yes" in this specific situation. While you can use ground ginger as a substitute for fresh ginger in a dish, the flavour will not be the same. Substitution may not be advised depending on the recipe and desired flavour. You can substitute around 12 teaspoon of ground ginger for 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger when it makes sense to do so.

The additional big advantage of ground ginger is its convenience. It is simple to store and keeps fresh for a lot longer than ginger root. You might think about including it in your smoothies, sauces, muffins, and other baked goods in addition to recipes. This is a fantastic way to smuggle in some extra nutrients, and it might even help you remember why that string is tied around your finger!

How to prepare ground ginger?

All you need to prepare ginger powder is a coffee or herb grinder and dried ginger root. The plant is more water soluble after being ground. Additionally, ground ginger can be added to a variety of meals or utilised in its pure form.

Health benefits of ground ginger:

The ability of ground ginger to reduce nausea, ease headache or migraine discomfort, and soothe digestive problems is among its most amazing advantages. Although dried ginger contains considerably more shogaols than the gingerols found in raw ginger, these shogaols have been proved to have the strongest medical effects. Because of this, consuming ginger powder on a regular basis may be quite advantageous.

Additionally, comprehensive studies and research on ginger have supported the use of ground ginger as a short-term alternative treatment for alleviating morning sickness in the first trimester of pregnancy (no longer than four days).