Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to try a natural remedy with ginger.
Since you already have fresh ginger on hand for The Ginger Challenge Series (and now always will forevermore because of the super ginger storage tip!), you might as well have some natural remedy recipes to boost immunities, soothe sore throats and nail migraines before they nail you.
I admit I haven’t taken this mission myself yet – other than making and enjoying ginger tea and cooking with fresh ginger, I haven’t branched out so far. (Although ginger tea, as I mentioned in last week’s mission, is a great bridge between a beverage and a remedy since it really serves both purposes. Master tonic, on the other hand…not so much.)
Since I’m a failure at the homemade natural remedies (at least with ginger thus far), I turned to my natural living blogger community for help. And people came through! This post is packed with ideas to use your fresh ginger in all sorts of teas, infusions, broths, and other concoctions to keep you at your best.
Before I turn it over to the blogosphere, though, a few notes:
Don’t Forget to Read the Fine Print on Ginger
First, why should we use ginger medicinally as a remedy for anything anyway? Ginger has many healing properties, like:
- anti-inflammatory properties
- gut-healing/protecting/balancing (fights nausea)
- improves circulation/raises body temp
- anti-carcinogenic
- cough and cold treatment and prevention
- detoxification
And second, you’ll see notes about ginger and pregnancy, both that it’s wonderful to alleviate morning sickness and also to use with caution if pregnant. What’s the truth?
I read this on Dr. Weil’s site which makes sense – basically that you could probably drink ginger tea all day long and not reach the limit of what someone who is pregnant should reach, but if you want to try a ginger supplement, you should follow the recommendations in the article about how much to take and how to space it out. I can only imagine any of the remedies below would be well within the range of acceptable for someone who is expecting (but I’m no doctor! Don’t take my word for it.).
I also looked at our longtime sponsor TriLight Health, where they have a special safe pregnancy section for their herbal tinctures. Ginger is in a number of them specifically for pregnant women, such as:
- RespaClear – A combination of herbs and formulated to address respiratory issues, give immune system support, fight viral infections, and soothe an upset stomach.
IntestiCalm – A formula designed to soothe the inflamedmucusmembrane of the bowel, reduce intestinal cramping and provide mild astringent herbs to reduce excess liquid in the bowel.Looks like this has been replaced with Gastrocare but I haven’t tried it.- Morning Soothe – Morning sickness support during times of nausea during pregnancy.
- MoveE-Z – Constipation and bowel support
Other formulas that incorporate ginger, all of which are in my medicine cabinet personally along with IntestiCalm and MoveEZ above, include Tummy Plus, Sinus Minus, and NR Glow, which my kids think is the best-tasting immune-booster TLH offers. I think they like the zing; you’ll never believe what spicy food is included! They’re tough kids… 
TriLight Health sponsored this post, so please thank them for making these resources possible with no cost to you.
What Can Ginger Do for Me?
These natural remedy resources, ranging from hot broth and tea to a daily elixir that will knock your socks off, all include ginger. They’ll help you tackle headaches, sore throats and general immune boosting.
Thanks to my colleagues for coming through with these great ideas!
Ginger Tea for Colds and Flu (with a rocking ginger peeling tip)
Soothing and Healing Sore Throat Remedy (hint…it’s not a tea!)
A different version of the “Master Tonic”
Wintertime Power Shots (immune boosting, throat soothing)
Soothing Sore Throat Tea (plus a quick way to prep it!)
Migraine Relief: Carrot/Celery/Ginger Juice
Other natural health posts at KS:
- Natural Antibiotics for Infection
- Are Hand Sanitizers Safe?
- Get Rid of Warts Naturally
- Natural Remedies for Ear Infections
- Real Food Alternative to BRAT Diet
- How We Kicked Whooping Cough
- You Probably Need a Parasite Cleanse
- Treat Pneumonia Naturally At Home
- Natural Remedies for Croup
Need More Baby Steps?
Here at Kitchen Stewardship, we’ve always been all about the baby steps. But if you’re just starting your real food and natural living journey, sifting through all that we’ve shared here over the years can be totally overwhelming.
That’s why we took the best 10 rookie “Monday Missions” that used to post once a week and got them all spruced up to send to your inbox – once a week on Mondays, so you can learn to be a kitchen steward one baby step at a time, in a doable sequence.
Sign up to get weekly challenges and teaching on key topics like meal planning, homemade foods that save the budget (and don’t take too much time), what to cut out of your pantry, and more.
Katie Kimball, CSME is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network. 
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Certified Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.
Carmen says
I am really loving this series. Years ago I hated ginger and avoided it entirely. Thank goodness my taste buds changed and I can catch up with all of this. The thing that got me to try it again was using it in water kefir and I can’t get enough of it. Thank you so much!
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
You’re so welcome carmen!
Amy says
Hi- I haven’t read your whole ginger series yet- but I’ve read a book, that although it’s not focused on ginger, certainly sings it’s praises throughout! It’s written by a friend of mine.
Clues for a Clear Head by Lynn Smith
http://www.amazon.com/Approach-Enzymes-Phytochemicals-Flaxseed-Turmeric/dp/0578057425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393247959&sr=8-1&keywords=Clues+for+a+clear+head