Ginger Tea Made Easy: How to Make It and Its Health Benefits
You must have heard a lot about ginger tea, but do you know how to make it yourself and enjoy the health benefits? After reading this, you will be able to make ginger tea at home — from scratch, the way it's done in Nepal.
1. What Is Ginger?
Before the year 2005, my family used to grow a lot of organic ginger commercially and sell to local businesses in Ilam, Nepal. After 2005, the commercial production did not continue due to our newly found love for tea. I learnt about the ginger plant when I was a kid.
Ginger is a plant whose root (or rhizome — what we commercially call ginger) is widely used as a spice and home remedy medicine across 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
Ginger is one of those plants that will grow easily with minimal effort. Here's a step-by-step process for growing ginger in your own garden or even on a small tray. Once the plant matures, you'll have 8–10 times the ginger you started with.
- Buy some ginger from the store. Ensure it is not frozen.
- Check for nodes on the ginger and cut it into pieces so that each piece has a node. 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: use potting soil or organic soil with earthworms if available.
- Make small holes 3–4 inches deep, place the ginger nodes, and cover with soil.
Picture: Planted ginger root before covering with soil
- Water once every 15 days.
It takes around 8–9 months for ginger to fully mature, but you can start extracting from 4–5 months. Young shoots are milder in taste but equally useful. Farmers often sell two harvests — younger roots and fully matured roots.
3. Medicinal Properties of Ginger
While ginger is used as a spice in Asian foods, it has well-documented medicinal properties and has been used in multiple cultures for generations to treat issues like cold and nausea. Here are some known and potential benefits of ginger tea:
- Digestive Aid — ginger stimulates digestive enzymes and aids in digestion, making ginger tea an excellent post-meal beverage
- Nausea Relief — can help alleviate nausea caused by motion sickness, morning sickness, or other conditions
- Pain Relief — used to treat inflammation, pain from osteoarthritis, headaches, and menstrual cramps
- Blood Sugar Regulation — some studies link ginger to improved blood sugar levels
- Heart Health — associated with lower blood pressure and reduced cholesterol markers
- Immunity Support — antioxidants in ginger may help strengthen immunity during colder months
How We Use Ginger as Medicine in Nepal
I learnt to use ginger as a medicine from my mother. Even now I use it for sore throat and cold:
- For sore throat: Peel the ginger and heat it over an open flame or on a pan to disinfect it. Keep a piece in your mouth (don't chew — just let the juice extract). Do this throughout the day and you should feel some relief.
- For cold: Make a coarse paste of peeled ginger. Fry it with a little butter in a pan. Add honey and take off the heat. Eat while warm.
Please note: these are general traditional practices. Always consult with a doctor if you have specific health concerns.
Picture: Grilled ginger on a skewer — a traditional Nepali sore throat remedy
4. How to Make Ginger Tea at Home
What you need: 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, 300 ml water, optional: lemon and honey.
Step 1: Peel the ginger.
Step 2: Dice the ginger into small pieces. Avoid making a paste — it will be too intense.
Picture: Diced ginger ready for the pot
Step 3: Add 300 ml of water to a pot. Add the diced ginger and boil for 5–7 minutes. You should be able to smell the ginger strongly.
Picture: Boiling ginger tea
Step 4: Taste the mixture. Serve with or without the ginger pieces. Add lemon and honey to taste — or drink it plain.
Picture: Ginger tea in a cup
Ginger Tea and Loose Leaf Tea: A Natural Pairing
Ginger tea is its own preparation, but ginger also pairs beautifully with loose leaf black teas for a spiced chai-style drink — especially smooth, naturally sweet black teas that don't overpower the ginger's warmth with bitterness.
A small amount of Muscatel Black Tea or Ruby Black Tea brewed with fresh ginger produces a rich, warming cup with no need for sugar — the natural sweetness of high-altitude Nepali tea balances the ginger perfectly.
Explore Nepal Hills Tea — Grown in Ilam, Where Ginger Also Grows
Start with the Tea Sampler Kit ($30) — 10 teas from 4 farms in Ilam and Taplejung, harvested from the same high-altitude region where our family once grew organic ginger.
Try with ginger: Muscatel Black Tea · Ruby Black Tea · Dark Oolong
Authored by:
Bhaskar Dahal
2nd Generation Tea Entrepreneur
Founder and CEO, Nepal Hills Tea Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions: Ginger Tea
How do you make ginger tea from scratch?
Peel a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger and dice it into small pieces. Add to 300 ml of water and boil for 5–7 minutes until the water is aromatic. Strain or serve with the pieces. Add honey and a squeeze of lemon to taste. For a spiced tea blend, add a teaspoon of loose leaf black tea to the pot in the last 2 minutes of boiling.
What are the health benefits of ginger tea?
Ginger tea has been used across cultures for digestive support, nausea relief, inflammation reduction, and immune support during cold and flu season. Gingerols and shogaols — the active compounds in ginger — have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in research. Ginger tea is generally safe for most people, though those on blood thinners or with specific conditions should consult a doctor before using it regularly.
Can ginger tea help with a sore throat?
Ginger has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that may provide relief for mild sore throat symptoms. Traditional Nepali folk medicine uses heated ginger held in the mouth to extract its juice as a sore throat remedy. Adding honey — also antimicrobial — further supports this use. For severe symptoms or persistent sore throat, see a healthcare provider.
How long does it take to grow ginger at home?
Ginger takes 8–9 months to fully mature, but you can begin harvesting young shoots after 4–5 months. It grows well in containers or garden beds with organic potting soil, partial shade, and watering every 15 days. Fresh ginger from your garden is far more flavourful than the dried ginger in most spice racks.
Does ginger tea have caffeine?
Pure ginger tea made only from ginger root and water contains no caffeine. If you blend ginger with black, green, or oolong tea leaves, the caffeine from the tea will be present. A ginger-and-black-tea blend gives you the warming benefit of ginger alongside the natural caffeine and L-theanine of tea — a combination many people find energizing and soothing simultaneously.