You must have heard a lot about Ginger Tea, but do you know how to make it yourself and enjoy the health benefit's? If you don't, after reading this blog, you will be able to make the ginger tea at the comfort of your home.
For accessibility, I have broken down the blog content into the following sections:
1. What is Ginger?
2. How to grow ginger?
3. Medicinal properties of Ginger
4. Drinking ginger tea - How to make it yourself and enjoy the health benefits
Alright, lets start this journey shall we?
1. What is Ginger?
Before the year 2005 A.D., my family used to grow a lot of organic ginger commercially and sell to the local businesses in Illam, Nepal. After the year 2005, the commercial production did not continue due to newly found love for tea. Well anyways, I learnt about the ginger plant when I was a kid.
Now, what is Ginger? Ginger is a plant whose root or rhizome (this is what we commercially call ginger) is widely used as a spice or home remedy medicine often in multiple cultures around the globe. The ginger plant grows around 2 feet tall and has slender leaves.
Picture: Root of Ginger Plant
2. How to grow ginger?
You might think, growing something is difficult, but don't you worry, ginger is one of those plants which will easily grow with some minimum input. For the sake of demonstration, I am going to show you step by step process on how to grow ginger in your own garden or even on a small tray. Once the plant grows and matures, you will have 8-10 folds of ginger in return.
Okay the following are the steps:
- First buy some ginger from the store. Ensure that it is not frozen.
- Check for nodes on the ginger and cut them into pieces so that each piece has a node. You see, the node is where the roots will propagate from.
Picture: Cut Piece of Ginger ready to be Planted, node on the top right
- Prepare your soil : First make a mix of some potting soil. If you have organic soil with earthworms etc., that's much better.
- Make small holes up to 3-4 inch deep and put the cut nodes of the ginger and cover them with soil.
Picture: Planted Ginger root before covering with soil.
- Ensure you water it once in 15 days.
It takes around 8-9 months for ginger to fully mature, but you can start extracting them by 4-5 months. Young shoots are not very strong in taste but they are as good as the matured shoots. As a matter of fact, even farmers sell two harvests of ginger, the first being younger roots and the second being matured roots.
3. Medicinal properties of Ginger
While ginger is used as a spice in Asian foods, it does have medicinal properties which can support to boost immunity specially during colder months. Ginger also contains antioxidants similar to teas, so in a sense can be used as a herbal tea, which we will discuss next. Multiple cultures around the world have used ginger for generations to treat issues like cold, nausea etc.
Here are some of the known and potential benefits of ginger tea:
- Digestive Aid: Ginger aids in digestion, making ginger tea an excellent post-meal beverage.
- Nausea Relief: Ginger tea can help alleviate nausea caused by motion sickness, morning sickness, or chemotherapy.
- Pain Relief: Ginger has been used to treat inflammation and helps in pain relief from osteoarthritis. It also helps in treating headaches, menstrual cramps, sore muscles, and other types of pain.
- Blood Sugar Regulation: Ginger helps in improving blood sugar levels
- Heart Health: Consumption of ginger tea helps in lowering blood pressure, preventing heart attacks, and relieving heartburn. It also prevents blood clots and lowers cholesterol
- Immunity Boost: The antioxidants in ginger can help strengthen immunity, prevent cancer, and reduce stress.
- Weight Loss Aid: Ginger tea may aid in weight loss
How do we use ginger as medicine in Nepal?
I learnt to use ginger as a medicine from my mother and my folks. Even now I use ginger to treat sore throat and cold. This is how I use it:
- If you have a sore throat: First peel the ginger and then heat it over the open flame of gas (or cook/heat it on a pan) so that it is disinfected. Then pop a piece on your mouth (don't chew but just keep it on your mouth and extract the juice). Do that throughout the day, you should feel some relief.
Picture: Grilled Ginger on a Skewer
- If you have cold, you can follow the method above and also the following: First peel the ginger, and make a coarse paste. On a frying pan, add some butter and fry the ginger. Add some honey and take the mixture out from the heat. Eat it while it is warm.
[ Please note that these are just general practices and you should always consult with your doctor or dietician if you have any concerns.]
4. Drinking ginger tea - How to make it yourself and enjoy the health benefits
Now we will discuss about: Drinking ginger tea - How to make it yourself and enjoy the health benefits.
Now to begin with, you will need to have ginger, if you don't, please buy.
Step 1:
Peel the ginger. All you need is around 1" long piece.
Step 2:
Dice the ginger into small pieces. I do not suggest making a paste, because it's going to be spicy (not chilly spicy but has hotness)
Picture: Diced Ginger to make Ginger Tea
Step 3:
Add some water in a pot, say if you want a cup of tea, add 300 ml of water. 50 ml water will have to evaporate. Add the diced ginger to the pot and boil it for 5-7 minutes. You should be able to get strong smell of Ginger.
Picture: Boiling Ginger Tea
Step 4: Taste the mixture. Ensure that the spiciness is up to your liking. Now there are two ways to serve. You can either serve with the pieces of ginger or you can strain them out. Since you want to enjoy the health benefits, you could add a pinch of lemon and honey. Or you can use sugar. Again, this is up to your preference.
Picture: Honey in the bottom of the cup before adding ginger Tea
Picture: Ginger Tea in a cup!
Here you go, now you have mastered on the topic "Drinking ginger tea - How to make it yourself and enjoy the health benefits". Now you can become self reliant on making Ginger Tea.
Authored By:
Bhaskar Dahal
2nd Generation Tea Entrepreneur
Founder and C.E.O, Nepal Hills Tea Inc.
Frequently asked questions about Ginger Tea
1. What is ginger?
Ginger is a plant whose root or rhizome is widely used as a spice and home remedy. It grows about 2 feet tall with slender leaves and has been used in multiple cultures around the world.
2. How do you grow ginger?
Growing ginger is relatively easy. Here’s a step-by-step process:
- Purchase Ginger: Ensure it's not frozen.
- Prepare the Ginger: Cut ginger into pieces, making sure each piece has a node.
- Prepare Soil: Use organic soil if possible.
- Plant the Ginger: Make small holes (3-4 inches deep), place the ginger pieces, and cover them with soil.
- Watering: Water once every 15 days.
It takes about 8-9 months for ginger to fully mature, but you can start harvesting after 4-5 months.
3. What are the medicinal properties of ginger?
Ginger has been used for generations to treat various ailments due to its medicinal properties:
- Digestive Aid: Helps in digestion, making it an excellent post-meal beverage.
- Nausea Relief: Alleviates nausea from motion sickness, morning sickness, or chemotherapy.
- Pain Relief: Treats inflammation and pain from osteoarthritis, headaches, menstrual cramps, sore muscles, etc.
- Blood Sugar Regulation: Improves blood sugar levels.
- Heart Health: Lowers blood pressure, prevents heart attacks, relieves heartburn, prevents blood clots, and lowers cholesterol.
- Immunity Boost: Strengthens immunity, prevents cancer, and reduces stress.
- Weight Loss Aid: May aid in weight loss.
4. How is ginger used as a medicine in Nepal?
In Nepal, ginger is commonly used to treat sore throats and colds:
- Sore Throat: Peel and heat ginger over an open flame or in a pan to disinfect it, then keep a piece in your mouth and extract the juice throughout the day.
- Cold: Follow the sore throat method, or make a coarse paste of ginger, fry it with butter, add honey, and consume while warm.
(Note: These are general practices, and it's advisable to consult with a doctor if you have any concerns.)
5. How do you make ginger tea?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making ginger tea:
- Step 1: Peel a 1-inch piece of ginger.
- Step 2: Dice the ginger into small pieces.
- Step 3: Add 300 ml of water to a pot, add the diced ginger, and boil for 5-7 minutes.
- Step 4: Taste the mixture to ensure the spiciness is to your liking. Serve with or without the ginger pieces. You can add lemon and honey or sugar based on your preference.
6. What are the benefits of drinking ginger tea?
Drinking ginger tea offers various health benefits, such as aiding digestion, relieving nausea, reducing pain, improving blood sugar levels, promoting heart health, boosting immunity, and aiding in weight loss.
7. How can you enhance the flavor of ginger tea?
To enhance the flavor of ginger tea, you can add a pinch of lemon and honey or use sugar. Adjust the spiciness by varying the amount of ginger used and boiling time.
8. How long does it take for ginger to mature when grown at home?
Ginger takes about 8-9 months to fully mature. However, you can start harvesting young shoots after 4-5 months.
9. Can ginger tea help with cold symptoms?
Yes, ginger tea can help alleviate cold symptoms due to its warming effect and ability to boost immunity.
10. Is ginger tea safe for everyone?
While ginger tea is generally safe for most people, it's always best to consult with a healthcare provider if you have any specific health concerns or conditions.
